Grow Your SMS Subscriber List Using QR Codes for 2024

If your organization has a physical location where your members, customers, or employees regularly gather, then there is a new easy way for you to grow your SMS list: QR codes.

QR codes have been around for awhile, of course, but they became more popular than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. The way they work is simple: You use your phone’s camera to scan a simple black and white graphic.

When your phone does that, the code tells your phone to do a specific task, such as opening up a web page, activate an app, or something else. Restaurants have started using QR codes as a way for people to easily access an online version of their menu, for example.

With Mobile Text Alerts, you can now use a QR code to help people sign up to receive text messages from your organization.

How do QR codes work with Mobile Text Alerts?

Mobile Text Alerts now allows you to generate your own QR codes to grow your SMS list. Simply copy or download the QR image from your platform and paste it where your audience can see it.

Note that if you are a Mobile Text Alerts customer who wants a step-by-step walkthrough of how to set up QR codes, you can use this article in our support center to help walk you through the process.

One feature that Mobile Text Alerts offers is the ability to customize your QR codes by changing colors. This is what the QR code generation tool looks like inside Mobile Text Alerts:

If you like, you can change the foreground and background colors (as well as the transparency of the background color), the size of the code, how much white space is around the margins, and how relatively complex or simple the code is, which will be especially important if you have lots of customers with older phones and older cameras.

So if we change some of the settings, we can produce a QR code like this:

Who can use QR codes for SMS?

It’s almost easier to ask who can’t use QR codes. If you’re an online-only organization, then probably the best way to grow your list is still going to be sending users to your online form where they can opt in to receive text messages. But for anyone with an on-the-ground, brick-and-mortar location where people involved with your group or organization regularly gather? They can use QR codes in this way.

• Churches can print out QR codes and print them out in their bulletins or post them by the church doors and welcome center.
• Businesses can use QR codes at their welcome desk or in the employee break room, depending on if they’re using SMS for external or internal purposes.
• Schools can use QR codes in their office or by their entrances.
• Doctors offices or other health clinics can display their QR code by the door or at their reception desk.

QR codes for nonprofits in general can help people donate, learn about events, and sign up to volunteer.

You get the idea.

If your organization has property where people regularly gather, you can use QR codes to make it easier for people to receive text updates from your brand.

Want to incorporate SMS QR codes in your business? Sign up for a 14-day trial account.

What is included in a free 14-day trial account?

• 1 keyword
• 1 shortcode
• 1 dedicated 10-digit number
• 1 customizable QR code
• 50 messages
• Live chat support
• 100% account access