Opt Ins & Opt Outs

What is an Opt In?

Opting in means that a user is giving their consent to receive promotional information, advertisements, special offers or notifications. We commonly see the opt-in agreement in the form of check boxes on websites or terms of service agreements that have a notice that by accepting the terms that the user also allows promotional information to be sent. The user has to take the action to check the box.

Your business depends on these users which are interested customers. These are what marketers call opt-in lead generation. Someone comes to your store and makes a purchase in person and signs up for notifications of future sales.

So many different ways of allowing the consumers to opt in includes entering a contest, joining a list of text-messaged coupons or signing up for mailing lists are all methods of obtaining SMS opt-ins.

What is an Opt Out?

Opting out means that a user has made it known that they do not want to receive any more promotions or offers from the advertiser.

Most users already understand the default keywords used on their mobile device. If you reply the word STOP that you will not receive any more messages from that number. We as business owners and marketers need to respect when someone opts out of our offers. The number should permanently be removed from your database.

TCPA Marketing Compliance

TCPA stands for the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The TCPA was enacted in 1991 to protect consumers’ privacy and reduce the abuse of telecommunications. The TCPA offers a set of guidelines for marketing.

TCPA Marketing Dos & Don'ts

Your CONVERSATIONAL messages require implied consent.

Your INFORMATIONAL messages require express consent.

Your PROMOTIONAL messages require express written consent.

Do not purchase lists of phone numbers containing contacts who have not opted in.

Do not use spammy technology using artificial voices or recordings. (Telemarketing)

When possible use a business messaging service that offers local 10DLC messaging.

Do not text or call a contact before 8am or after 9pm, local time. Each State may have different laws regarding solicitation over the phone or via SMS Text.

Do not text or call anyone who has registered on Federal or State DNC Registries.

Always maintain a suppression list of contacts that have Opted Out of your campaigns.

List your business name, message frequency and applicable messaging rates when contacts opt-in. For example: Thanks for signing up to receive notifications (Your Business Name) Receive up to 4 msgs/mo Standard message & data rates may apply. Text "STOP" to unsubscribe.

Prohibited Industries are SHAFT which stands for Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco. This also includes CBD products.

More Prohibited Industries. Many platforms and carriers set spam filters to catch various keywords from being sent to consumers. Some of these industries are related to Finance, Payday Loans, Short-Term Loans, Auto Loans, Mortgage Loans, Student Loans, Debt Consolidation and Reduction, Deft Forgiveness, Investment Opportunities, Affiliate Marketing, Commission Generation, Credit Repair Programs, Tax Relief Programs, Work From Home Programs, and Get Rich Quick Programs. There are many more that can fall under the filters also.

Where Do I Go From Here?

There is alot of NEGATIVITY here and you may feel that this is going to be much harder than you anticipated. Maybe so, but we are here to guide you to sending out compliant messaging. Come chat with us--->