Inform recipients what they’re getting into
Before you can collect express written consent from those you wish to send SMS communications to, you have to properly inform them of what they’re consenting to.
This is a list of the things you need to inform your potential recipients about before you ask them to opt in to your SMS text communications:
All of these must be agreed to with express written consent. More info can be found here.
- Your business name should always be included in both your opt-in agreement and all subsequent communications. Your recipients shouldn’t have to guess where your text messages came from!
- What kind of SMS messages recipients can expect. Think about the types of messages we discussed earlier; will you be sending promotional messages like sales offers, or transactional messages like tracking information?
- Messaging frequency describes how often you plan on sending messages to your recipients. The amount of messages you plan to send will impact on whether individuals choose to opt in to your communications.
- Cost of text messaging rates will vary depending on recipients’ cellular plans. Always state what the base rate per text message will be and never assume your recipients’ cellular plans will cover it.
- Terms and conditions outline the criteria through which individuals can use your product or service. Obviously this information can be quite lengthy, so opt-in messages should contain a link to your business’ T&C.
- Privacy policy describes how your business will protect the rights and privacy of those who use your product or service. Similar to terms and conditions, your privacy policy can be sent via link to the full explanation.
- Opt-out instructions like the UNSUBSCRIBE option we described earlier. TCPA and similar legislation requires businesses to include a fast and easy way for recipients to cease receiving communications.