In manufacturing, delivering real value across the entire chain is no small feat. Data silos, outdated systems, and fragmented tools lead to a lack of training and coordination between employees, dealers, distributors, field reps, and customers. That disconnect shows up everywhere: low training participation, poor tool adoption, weak lead quality at events, and critical updates getting missed. Decisions are made on stale data. The result? Mistakes, delays, rising costs, lost opportunities, and shaken customer trust.
When the right people don’t get the right info at the right time, it shows in your sales, margins, and your reputation.
Manufacturing might not be the first place you’d expect to see SMS shine, but it’s catching on fast. Texting is one of the easiest ways to keep your entire value chain aligned: employees, suppliers, service reps, partners, distributors, and even customers. Product launches, field training, certification alerts, incentive rollouts - all seen, acknowledged, and acted on in real time.
What SMS Can Do Across the Manufacturing Ecosystem
Here are just a few ways text, when done right, can streamline engagement across the entire manufacturing network:
- Manufacturers: Update processes, launch products, train reps, and run contests
- Employees: Onboard and update teams across regions and based on roles
- Dealers & Distributors: Access localized promos and product/service info
- Field Reps: Get real-time updates and route leads instantly
- Event Teams: Use QR-to-text at expos for real-time engagement
- End Customers: Send service reminders, loyalty rewards, and relevant updates
How To Get People To Sign Up For Text
Acquiring text subscribers is where most manufacturers get stuck. Turns out, opt-ins are much like any other process: build it once, make it repeatable, and bake it into every step of your operations.
Here are some growth tools to help you grow your list:
1. Digitally: The Low-Lift, High-Yield Play
Make them want to sign up and make it easy. Clear benefits, simple forms, and few steps:
- Create email campaigns with a clear CTA and provide reasons to sign up
- Embed a pop-up on the partner portal or intranet with a quick opt-in form
- During training sessions, prompt attendees to click a link or text to sign up
- Include an opt-in link in the deal registration form
- Add an opt-in step to the Partner Relationship Management (PRM) system onboarding
2. QR Codes: Scan & Go
People love the ease of QR codes. Just make sure your landing page is mobile-optimized and the form includes TCPA-compliant language.
- Drop a QR code into your website, newsletter, or other publications
- Display it on-site at factories, offices, dealerships, or distributors locations
- Add it to your event signage, roadshows, or training sessions
- Place it on print collateral, pitch decks, brochures, uniforms, and tags
- Slap it on swag like keychains, stickers, coffee mugs, tote bags, backpacks, and so on
3. Process-Embedded: Second-Nature Enrollment
Embed list growth mechanisms in everyday processes. Make signing up for your SMS program an integral part of established workflows that already work for your ecosystem to minimize friction. This is how opt-in stops being a campaign and becomes the norm.
- Employee orientation: When new employees join the team, make SMS enrollment a core part of orientation. Set the expectation early: signing up for your text program is how they’ll receive timely updates, urgent alerts, and key messages from leadership. Include opt-in steps in offer letters, handbooks, training materials, and onboarding checklists. Don’t just frame it as a requirement - show the value. Let them know it’s the fastest way to stay in the loop, access resources, and hear directly from execs. Make it feel less like a mandate and more like a company benefit.
- Partner agreements: Add an opt-in section directly within partner contracts so they know that they are expected to enroll and what to expect in return. Be sure to include consent language to stay TCPA-compliant. This ensures every new partner enters your network already part of your communications program from the start.
- Marketing Distribution Funds (MDF): MDF is budget you set aside to help partners market your products, often used for co-branded materials, events, or lead generation. To drive SMS adoption, tie MDF eligibility to text opt-in participation. For example, you can take a tiered approach: partners with a 50% opt-in rate may qualify for basic MDF support, while those above 75% unlock higher funding tiers. This turns SMS enrollment into a growth lever.
- PRM onboarding: Most Partner Relationship Management systems track onboarding progress. Make opt-in a required step early into the onboarding process. If possible, use an integration to automatically sync contacts between your PRM and your messaging platform once that step is completed. This will help streamline your process and make it easier on you and your partners.
But First: Change Management 101
You’re not just introducing a new tool, you’re shifting behavior. And change is hard, so treat it like a proper rollout:
- Clearly communicate to your stakeholders what's coming and why it matters
- Pilot with a few key regions, dealers or reps, starting with your most digitally fluent partners
- Roll out in phases. Maybe trade show engagement first, then service rep alerts, then dealers and distributors, and lastly channel-wide communications
- Keep your messaging consistent across site, email, portal, and events
- Provide clear how-to steps, FAQs, and support contacts to minimize issues and increase adoption
What Happens After Opt-In?
That's the real game changer.
Once your network of employees, partners, distributors, and customers sign up, you’re no longer hoping they see your update buried in their inboxes. You’re in their pocket.
Need to send a certification reminder, push out new specs, or share a training video? Do it in seconds. Text gets seen. With over 90% open rates in the first 30 minutes, text blows email out of the water. Even better, use disclosed data to segment by location, partner tier, or role so every message hits right.
Texting feels personal - because it is. So show your network how text helps them move faster, stay informed, and get the support they need to win across the board.
Relationship-Based Texting In Action
When manufacturers make opt-in easy and meaningful, SMS becomes more than just another channel. It’s the connective tissue between you and your stakeholders. It’s fast, effective, and scalable.
So yes, the secret to modern partner engagement might just be at your fingertips. Ready to see what’s possible? Get a free customized walkthrough and learn how Community can work for your business.