To avoid spamming your recipients there are three fundamentals to understand.
1. Permission
The recipient must be clearly aware that he or she may receive commercial messages in the future. Opt-ins can be gained by:
- Filling in a form
- Ticking a box on a website
- Asking over the phone
- Asking face-to-face
- Texting to a number
- Certain existing business relationships
If an organisation has a strong relationship with the owner of the number, such as a club member or service subscriber, then consent to receiving messages may be implied.
2. Identification
By law you must always identify yourself by company name within the message, as it will come from a number the recipient most likely will not recognise.
While not legally required, it is also a good idea to qualify the recipient as to why they are receiving the message (eg. Beauty Spa Members, Weekly Specials).
Recipients may not remember when or how they subscribed to your service. By reminding them as part of the text, you will reduce the risk of damaging your brand.
3. Opt-out
As part of responsible messaging, you must also provide an opt-out mechanism. This mechanism should be displayed within the message and can take the following forms.
- Reply STOP to the message.
- Text STOP to a dedicated virtual number.
- Call a number in the message.
The simplest method is to reply STOP. This gives the user the most direct path to opting out. Customers often ask why we make it easy, the answer is simple. Why would you pay to keep sending somebody messages they don't want?
Australian SPAM resources
Burst SMS SPAM policy
ACMA Anti-SPAM Website
ADMA - SPAM