Opt-In Complaints In SMS Messaging

Clients often call or write in asking us for list management, or wanting to broadcast marketing messages to people's cell phones and e-mail addresses.  In the rush to drive value from their marketing campaigns, far too man companies forget to address both legal and common-sense requirements in messaging.

Spam is not just Viagra e-mails and online poker rooms.  It's actually very easy to be categorized as a spammer, and if you aren't conducting a valid compliance check on your e-mail and mobile lists, you can run afoul of the law with heavy penalties.  And that's if you're lucky.  Worse than the penalties is the danger of broadcasting a message that has a negative effect on your intended audience.

Spending money that makes prospective customers actively work against your company should be the number one concern of online marketers.  Like Doctors, the goal of your marketing firm should be first, do no harm.

Mobivity addresses this point in defining what opt-in means.  It doesn't mean spam your customers and tell them to opt-out.

SMS marketing has clearly suffered from the email SPAM epidemic, and we work really hard to keep it honest and respectable.

What really gets to me is receiving unsolicited emails from SMS vendors all over the world that are clearly not directed to me personally. If you want me to consider your services, at least find out my name and email, and send me a note. Don’t throw our INFO email address on your list and start the spam stream!

It's a simple thing to understand. Don't take actions that require your customers to perform your data cleansing for you.  Those customers have access to the web, and may not be happy with you.  Which means you'll hear about it from them.