A great approach to connect with your audience is through SMS. It can increase sales and can be read in a matter of minutes. Make sure your contacts have consented to receive text messages before sending your first SMS campaign.
Compliance with opt-in is crucial. You risk receiving a hefty fine for breaking the regulations. Fortunately, SMS compliance is easier than it may seem. We’ll tell you the truth.
The significance of consent
First of all, it’s simply polite behavior. Customers who do not wish to hear from you should not receive communications. Your brand image will suffer, and you will be paying for messages that are probably going to be disregarded.
If that isn’t strong enough, SMS regulators are keeping an eye on things and aren’t messing around. You risk being fined heavily or losing the ability to send messages. Since these fines are based on the number of impacted contacts, they mount up quickly!
Making ensuring your contacts “opt-in” to receive messages from you is important. Additionally, the kind of messages you deliver will determine how people opt in.
SMSs that are conversational, informative, or promotional—a brief recap
The degree of agreement you need to obtain from your clients before texting them depends on the content and goal of your messages.
Informational SMS
The most important text messages sent to give contacts the updates they need from your company are informational (or transactional) texts. They include of alerts and notifications, account updates, purchase information, and appointment reminders.
SMS conversation
A two-way conversation is essentially started when a contact texts you, for instance, to request support. Such texting is referred to as “conversational” messaging.
SMS for promotions
Your SMS message is considered promotional if its goal is to increase sales, traffic, sign-ups, or any other conversion or sales measure. This is also known as marketing messaging. Offers, coupons, sales invitations, requests for user-generated content (UGC), and more are examples of such communications.
Consent. Give your express consent. written consent in writing. What makes a difference?
We appreciate you asking.
What if you were to complete a form and check the box stating, “I agree to the terms and conditions,” even if you may not have read them? This is consent, indeed. But this is insufficient when sending SMS. Your contacts need to understand what they are agreeing to.
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Customers must give their express consent before you can send them communications. This kind of consent is active, meaning that consumers accept the terms once you explain them to them.
This express consent, which we refer to as express written consent, may also need to be documented or written down. Since every person has different needs, this relies on the kind of message you intend to send:
You must have your consumers’ express consent before sending them instructional SMS.
In the case of conversational SMS, the client has reached out and you are aware that they anticipate a response. Therefore, you don’t require the customer’s specific agreement to reply if they contacted you first.
Sending a marketing text message? Consent must be given in writing. Additionally, you ought to keep copies of your consent in case the authorities show up. Note: Text messaging is not available to clients who have signed up for email marketing. They must still choose to receive SMS.
Here’s the thing – opted in customers are happier customers. And customers increasingly want to hear from businesses via SMS. So keep reading to find out how to maximise your opt-in rates, while remaining compliant.
Obtaining the opt-in: how to properly request consent
There are several ways for customers to consent to receive SMS messages from your company. It might be by phone calls to your toll-free number, texting your opt-in SMS keyword (which you can promote through any channel), using widgets on a website, or clicking a box on an online or offline form.
Your wording must be precise anywhere you request consent, which is known as a call to action (CTA).
How to create an opt-in CTA that complies
Be straightforward and uncomplicated. Make sure your customers understand:
What kinds of communications they can anticipate receiving (Are you going to send out promotions? Offers? or limit yourself to use cases that are informational, like alerts?)
How frequently they will receive communications (Are they signing up for messaging once a month? Twice a week?
Regarding potential message rates If you have unlimited SMS with your personal plan, it’s easy to overlook this, but certain contacts could have to pay a little cost to receive texts. You should note that this might be the case.
- Terms and conditions Including your business name, how to contact you and how to opt-out.
It’s also good to have a link to your privacy policy easily accessible.
Examples of best practices for opt-in consent
Here are some examples of how businesses get customers to give opt-in consent.
A checkbox-equipped online form
Customers are presented with a form in this example that explicitly states that their number will be used for news and special offers (promotional messages), along with terms and conditions, beneath the “Subscribe” call to action button.
Addition to a webinar signup form
In this instance, a website visitor is on the verge of registering for a webinar. The host has provided a checkbox for express agreement to webinar reminders (transactional messages only) because SMS reminders prior to webinars are a great way to increase attendance.
A specific form for promoting SMS subscription
The web designer in this instance has made a widget to register users for SMS marketing campaigns. This widget can be added to other digital assets, such as social networking pages, or anywhere on their website as needed.
Offline advertising: using an SMS keyword to opt in
Wherever you promote, set up SMS keywords to entice clients to subscribe to text messages. Promote your keyword anywhere you can, including billboards, radio and television commercials, signs, and in-store counters.
Both online and offline, the same rules about CTA phrasing apply.
Utilize your online opt-in SMS keyword.
This works particularly well if mobile devices are the source of your website traffic. Anywhere you have an online presence, including your website, social media accounts, and directory listings, include your SMS keyword. Customers can then quickly switch between their native text app and mobile browser.
Opt-in forms on paper
When in doubt, don’t do anything new. Getting people to agree to text messaging can be accomplished quite successfully with paper forms. particularly if you currently collect phone numbers from consumers via paper forms.
Forms for orders, new patients, and registration are excellent places to include a text messaging opt-in option. Asking people how they would like to be contacted makes reasonable since they have already given you their phone number.
Just be sure to include a disclaimer and a checkmark on your paper form. It is not possible to pre-fill the checkbox.
How to withdraw consent when contacts choose to opt out
Any messages you send to clients who request that you cease are no longer compliant, and you run the risk of fines. Furthermore, why continue texting individuals who aren’t responding to your messages?
It’s critical to promptly remove contacts from subscription lists. Keep in mind that they could seek to opt out via a variety of channels, such as your opt-out message, customer chats, or emails.
Are you prepared to begin sending opt-in SMS messages?
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Our legal team would like to quickly clarify that, although this post is meant to be informative, the information is merely general and does not amount to legal advice. We advise you to consult a legal expert for legal advice tailored to your company and use cases.