Supercharge SMS Lead Generation with Salesmsg & HubSpot

If you’re not using SMS for your lead generation, then you’re missing out on an easy way to fill your sales pipeline. 

You’re also making it harder to convert the leads you already have.

It doesn’t take much to add SMS to your existing lead-gen workflows. We’re talking a few clicks here, and a few messages there. Then your SMS campaigns are set up, running on autopilot. 

That’s why we’re here—to help generate SMS leads in the simplest way possible. 

Below, you’ll learn how SMS lead generation works, along with a few of our highest-converting lead-gen workflows that integrate seamlessly with HubSpot.

If you’re already using HubSpot and Salesmsg, then you can accelerate the number of leads you’re already getting with a few simple additions. We’ll show you how to do that in just a moment. 

What is SMS Lead Generation?

Lead generation is the process of capturing new leads for your business, and connecting with them until they eventually become your customers. 

For many businesses, lead generation only involves capturing email addresses.

‍This has been the SOP for online businesses for 20+ years. Businesses ask for potential leads to join their email list in web forms, social posts or their blog. Or they  run Google ads to give away high-converting lead magnets or invite leads to their webinar, in exchange for their email.

SMS lead-gen is essentially the same process of capturing and connecting with texting leads—with a few key differences. 

For starters, you’re collecting phone numbers instead of email addresses, so you can text these potential customers later.

Also, if your business is located in the U.S., you need to ask permission to text your SMS leads before you can send any SMS messages. To be fully compliant, you need to use very specific language to ask for this permission. You can see an example of this SMS opt-in language below.

Why SMS is Ideal for Lead Generation  

Good news: Once you do capture SMS leads, text message marketing has all kinds of tangible benefits for your business.

• The ROI for SMS is staggering. SMS also attracts highly engaged customers because potential customers have to say “yes, you can send me text messages.”
• 90% of customers would rather receive text messages than direct phone calls.
• Engagement rates are through the roof, with industry-leading delivery, open, and response rates.

Texting is a fast, effective, and easy way to turn your new SMS leads into sales and lifelong customers.

The first step is to collect your SMS leads’ phone numbers, and get permission to text them. Phone numbers are a direct and personal point of contact, which makes asking for a number a bit more delicate. That’s why you need to establish trustworthiness up front.

There are a variety of HubSpot workflows you can easily implement that overcome this opt-in challenge—including a few you may be already using for your own lead generation. 

What Can SMS Messages Like This Do?

SMS marketing offers several advantages if you’re looking to capture leads and connect with them until they become your clients:

• Instant Engagement & High Open Rates - Text messages are opened within minutes, making SMS one of the fastest ways to connect with customers. Unlike emails that can sit unread, SMS ensures your business gets immediate attention.
• Personalized & Targeted Messaging - You can segment your lists to send targeted, text messages based on purchase history, location, or engagement level. Using merge fields, you can personalize your messages further by adding your leads’ first names or other details. 

• ‍Cost-Effective & Scalable - SMS campaigns are affordable, allowing businesses of all sizes to reach more customers. You can easily scale your texting efforts without large advertising budgets.
• Boosts Customer Engagement & Loyalty - Follow-up texts, appointment reminders, and discount codes keep your customers engaged. With two-way texting, your sales, marketing and support teams can respond directly to customers via text, and build a relationship with your leads one text at a time. 

By leveraging SMS lead generation, you can create a seamless communication channel that nurtures existing customers, converts interested buyers, and drives more business.

Industries That Use Text Messages for Lead-gen

Many industries rely on SMS lead generation to capture and connect with their leads. Some of the most effective use cases include:

• Healthcare Providers – Sending appointment reminders, promotional messages, and follow-up texts to keep patients engaged.
• Retail & E-commerce – Sending discount codes, purchase history-based offers, and personalized recommendations.
• Real Estate – Engaging interested buyers with property updates and scheduling property viewings.
• Education & Training – Promoting courses, reminders for enrollments, and event notifications.
• Event Management – Sending reminders, updates on upcoming events, and last-minute ticket sales.

Regardless of the industry, businesses that send text messages strategically can generate leads, improve response rates, and drive more revenue.

7 Ways to Use Salesmsg + HubSpot to Generate Leads Easily

Now you’re ready to start using SMS in your lead-generation workflows.

As a HubSpot user, you already know how powerful workflows can be. By using Salesmsg and HubSpot together, you can supercharge all your lead-gen efforts by essentially letting your customers text you.

Plus, every SMS campaign featured below can be automated. So, you’ll be building your SMS list, while you sleep.

1. Optimize Your In-Person Advertising with SMS

If you’re running a business with a physical storefront, then you know physical advertising still works.

You might be using local TV commercials, radio ads, billboards, flyers or physical ads to attract people to your restaurant, store, office or other physical location.

The one main drawback of traditional advertising is it's always been hard to measure. However, by adding texting, you have a way to see what’s working.

Just use text-to-join keywords in any physical space to collect SMS opt-ins. This allows you to both grow your texting list—and track to see which advertising mediums are working at the same time.

Let’s say you’re running a local radio ad for your business. You can use Salesmsg to create a text-to-join keyword like “RADIO.” During your ad, you simply have to include a call to action for listeners to text the word “RADIO” to your business’s phone number. For example: “Text the word RADIO to (888) XXX-XXXX to get 10% off your next order.”

You can do the same with TV commercials, podcasts, interviews, TikTok videos, YouTube ads, and any other audio or visual medium.

The same goes for physical signage outside your store, business cards, and even sponsorships for local events and charities. You can use a text-to-join number to generate leads for people passing by your shop, at events, and more. (Keep in mind: You do need to include specific compliance language for text-to-join keywords too—especially on physical signs. Get details here.)

Inside Salesmsg, you can create as many text-to-join keywords as you like. You can also use our built-in dashboard to track how many SMS opt-ins come from each individual medium. That’s how you’ll find out which form of advertising is working. 

Not only does this help you track engagement across physical advertising mediums, but it’s a simple way to textize your business across the physical mediums you’re already using to reach customers.

If you’re using HubSpot CRM to manage your leads, you can sync your text-to-join workflows, so your contact data is automatically added. You can also use the text-to-join keyword to trigger a new workflow that sends your new SMS lead an automatic follow-up text. 

Here’s what that HubSpot workflow might look like:

2. Make Your Website, Forms, and CTAs Textable

Do you have your phone number listed on your website?

If you want your customers to get in touch, then you need to make it easy for them.

For this, we recommend having what we call a “textable” number on your website.

This is a number that your customers can text to ask simple questions, instead of having to pick up the phone and dial.

It might seem too easy, but when we added it to our website we were blown away by the results. All it takes is configuring your number through Salesmsg and changing a bit of copy on your website.

Plus, you can integrate this with HubSpot too, so any leads that text you are automatically added as leads in your CRM and added to automated workflows. If they’re already leads in HubSpot, then any existing data you have on the lead will automatically be synced. 

We also recommend using all web forms on your site to grow your SMS list. 

To do that, you simply need to edit your web forms to request your leads’ textable phone numbers. Then add a checkbox that asks for permission to text your leads. (Again, this involves using very specific compliance language. So we recommend you use our guide below as an example.)

You can generate SMS leads like this with opt-in forms, chatbots, and other CTAs. Experiment with different locations on your site, where you can include an SMS opt-in or a textable number. 

3. Use SMS to Boost Webinar or Event Sign-ups 

Whether you’re trying to get more sign-ups for an event, or you want to convert attendees into actual leads, texting can help.

Before, during, and after you can use SMS to create buzz, generate sign-ups, and turn leads into customers following the event.

At Salesmsg, we have used SMS to help us launch virtual events at record speed. Not only does SMS let you quickly scale your registration process, but you can create event workflows within HubSpot, so the entire process is automated.

For example, we sent out a single SMS broadcast or “mass text” about a past webinar. We received 90 texting conversations in response. (Not bad for a single text, right?)

This also simplified registration. All the user had to do was reply to the message and they were registered for the event. Once registration was confirmed, we followed up to gather a few more important details. But, the work of getting a person to sign up was as simple as clicking send.

If you’re doing live events, or are presenting at a live event, then you can use a text-to-join keyword to grow your list in a similar way. For example, let’s say you’re giving a masterclass on astrophysics.

From the stage, you might say something like: “Text my name ‘Jill’ to 888-XXX-XXXX to get all my slides from this presentation—along with 10% off my latest book on the stars.” (Inside HubSpot, you would then set up a workflow to automatically deliver your slides and this coupon code.)

You can do this if you’re speaking at any conferences, seminars or other live events. That way, if someone is engaged by your topic, they can send you a text message to learn more. It takes them a couple of seconds, and your database of leads is literally being built while you speak. 

4. Add SMS Messages to Outdated Workflows

Do you have old email workflows inside HubSpot that no longer work?

Try adding one or two text messages to your existing email campaigns and see what this does to your numbers.

This isn’t to say don’t use email, you absolutely should. But, adding texting to your sequences can help you improve your conversions and build a relationship faster. Everyone texts, but not everyone checks their emails.

If you don’t have permission to text your leads yet, then you can send a quick email asking if they’d like to receive SMS updates. This can be an automated email right at the start of any active email workflows you’re running. If they say “yes,” you can send them a SMS message. If not, send them your regular email workflow.

Here’s what that might look like inside HubSpot:

Remember: You can add SMS to virtually any kind of email campaign you’re running. 

For example, Samcart used our Salesmsg platform to send two simple text messages during a flash sale and it resulted in $20,000 in additional revenue. That’s $10,000 per text message sent.

Best of all, with HubSpot and Salesmsg working together, you can automate all of your lead-generation text messages. When you’re building a campaign all you need to do is drag and drop to quickly create new workflows.

5. Use Hold Messages to Prompt Callers to Sign-up For Text Alerts

If your business relies on a business phone system for sales and support, you can multiply the effectiveness of these workflows with simple text messages.

Let’s say you’re using Salesmsg’s calling platform, Aircall or HubSpot VOIP system. Instead of asking your on-hold customers to listen to hold music, you can simply text them instead.

There are a couple ways to do this:

• Create an automated phone message that encourages all your callers to text to receive wait time updates
• Build an automated follow-up workflow that sends a text message after a missed call

Your approach depends on how your sales and support teams handle phone calls. Either way, these simple messages help your customers feel valued and will go a long way towards building a relationship with your brand.

6. Encourage SMS Sign-ups During Onboarding

You want to text customers as much as you want to be texting leads. 

If your customers are not already on your SMS list, you can ask for permission to text them during the onboarding process.

We recommend adding a link to a web form that encourages your customers to join your SMS list in your very first onboarding email. Once they opt-in, you can encourage your customers to text you all throughout the onboarding process if they have questions.

You can also add SMS to your existing onboarding workflow. Your customer onboarding campaign probably already includes sending helpful emails, videos, tutorials, and even a walkthrough call.

Why not add texting to the mix?

If your customer is stuck, sending a quick text guarantees you can help them in real time. It’s faster than email and way easier than scheduling a time to chat.

Plus, opening the channel of texting gives you an easy way to continue to provide value over time. 

With texting you can:

• Send texts to ensure they can 100% use what you sell with confidence
• Offer tips and tricks to help them get the most from your product
• Send quick surveys to gather feedback and improve their experience
• Offer custom upsells and service add-ons to increase customers’ lifetime value

Not only will this reduce customer churn over the long run, but it’ll help you build a deep connection with your customers over time. 

7. Invite Social Media Followers to Text You

Social media can be an incredible way to connect with potential leads and customers in your market. It’s conversational, people actually enjoy talking to brands, and they’re engaged. 

With people spending just under 2 hours per day on social media, there’s a good chance your prospects are hanging out there right now.

To take this a step further, you can invite customers to sign up for text alerts, or simply “text you”, wherever it feels natural. 

A lot of celebrities have been running text campaigns recently on social media, simply asking followers to text them. Now, the number isn’t usually their personal line, but it connects to an automated campaign, where they can view and even respond to texts. 

When a customer sends you a text, you can add them to a HubSpot workflow. Keep in mind: You still don’t have permission to text them permanently. The best practice is to text back and ask them to fill out your web form to join your SMS list. (Then you can include all the proper compliance language on your web form.)

Now that you know how to generate SMS leads, let’s talk about best practices for SMS messages.

Best Practices for a Successful SMS Lead Generation Campaign

1. Keep Your Messages Short & Clear

People read texts quickly, so get to the point. Avoid unnecessary details and focus on only one core message in each text. 

Bad Example: "We are reaching out to inform you about our latest promotional offers, which may be of interest to you. Click the link below to find out more."

Good Example: "Flash Sale: Get 20% off your next year’s membership to the gym when you renew today! Get started here: (link)"

2. Avoid Sending Too Many Messages

It’s estimated that 98% of text messages get read. That means you don’t have to send countless messages to get the response you want.

Instead, stick to a reasonable frequency for your text messages like:

• 1-2 text messages for your promotional campaigns 
• 1 follow-up reminder if they don’t respond
• In general: 1 text per week for content or other targeted messages

3. Optimize Your Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

Always add a call to action (CTA) to your text messages. Explain in simple, clear language what you want your leads to do:

• “Shop now here: (link).”
• “Claim your discount now: (link).”
• “Book your free consultation today: (link).”
• “Reply YES to learn more!”

Measuring SMS Lead-Gen Success

To optimize your campaign, track these key metrics:

• Response rates: How many people engage with your texts?
• Conversion rates: How many leads turn into customers?
• Opt-out rates: Are you sending too many messages?
• ROI: How much revenue is generated per SMS campaign?

Salesmsg has built-in analytics that allows you to track all these metrics, so you can constantly monitor your lead-generation efforts. Keep testing to refine your messages and improve engagement rates. Check out our video to learn more.

Use the Power of SMS and HubSpot to Generate Leads on Autopilot

We won’t say you’re doing lead generation wrong. But if you are not using SMS to amplify your lead-gen efforts, then your lead generation could be more effective. 

Getting started with SMS doesn’t have to be difficult. All you need to do is give your audience a way to reach you via text. Sometimes, opening the door is all it takes. 

If you’re already using HubSpot for lead management, then you can easily integrate Salesmsg with your account in just a few clicks. Once you’re set up, you can start using Salesmsg to generate new leads with texting. Learn more about our Salesmsg SMS integration and start attracting new leads today.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get SMS leads?

Generating SMS leads requires an opt-in process where customers willingly subscribe to receive texts—and give you permission to text them in the future. You can collect leads through:

• Text-to-join keywords
• Web forms and landing pages
• Social media promotions
• QR codes on printed materials

Offering an incentive like a discount or exclusive content increases sign-ups.

What does SMS mean in marketing?

SMS (Short Message Service) in marketing refers to sending promotional, transactional, or informational text messages to customers. Businesses use SMS to generate leads, nurture relationships, send reminders, and drive sales.

What is an SMS delivery system?

An SMS delivery system refers to the technology that enables businesses to send bulk or individual text messages to their audience. Platforms like Salesmsg allow businesses to send targeted, automated, and personalized SMS campaigns while tracking performance. You can get started for free with Salesmsg with our 14-day trial.