Remaining compliant with all SMS rules and regulation is vital when any business or brand creates an SMS campaign. As a business, sending messages to unsolicited phone numbers, spamming consumers, or texting inappropriate messages is not only against SendHub policy but against the law.
Spam is not cool, period.
Obtaining a dedicated short code gives your business access to sending extremely high volume text messages, and while this may be great, it's important to make sure your business stays compliant before sending mass marketing campaigns.
There are fines between $500 to $1500 per spam text message a business could potentially pay if sued for spam messages/calls/emails etc.
All short codes through SendHub must remain compliant with all CTIA and TCPA guidelines. Below you will find some of the main points needed in order to remain compliant when using a short code. These points are not exhaustive and we encourage you in reading over the CTIA Short Code Handbook before starting any SMS marketing campaign.
Call to Action
A Call to Action is a message from a business informing the subscriber on what they will receive if they choose to Opt-In to your business’s messages. A Call to Action can be advertised anywhere customers obtain your product.
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Keyword and Phone Number to Opt-In Through
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Business or Brand Name
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Purpose of Messages
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Frequency of Messages
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Customer Care Information
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How to Opt-Out
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Message and Data Rates May Apply
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Terms and Conditions
It is important to remain transparent in all SMS marketing campaigns. Transparency keeps you fully compliant with all regulations and provides an overall better experience for the customer. For example, embellishing the message frequency of your campaign not only breaks CTIA and TCPA guidelines but deceiving a subscriber is only going to make them Opt-Out sooner and generate a poor image towards your brand or business.
Opt-In
Messages should only be sent by your short code once the consumer has opted in. That way you are not sending unsolicited messages and they are understanding what exactly they will be receiving from your business. Once a customer has opted in, you must send a confirmation message. At SendHub, we've automated this process and have made sure your business is always compliant by using the Double Opt-In Method.
Consumers can opt-in many ways, common ways to opt-in are:
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Sending a keyword to your short code number
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Entering their phone number on your website
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Signing up digitally or on paper
Opt-Out
It is extremely important to suspend all messages when a customer opts out of your SMS campaign. Failure to do is considered spam and can result in legal action from the consumer. Once a customer has opted in it is important to share information on how they can opt-out. For example, "Text STOP to op-out" is a common way to phrase opting out. Words like END, CANCEL, QUIT AND UNSUBSCRIBE also work for opt-outs.
Customer Care
Customer care information should be available for all consumers opting in to your messages. For example, "Text HELP" is a simple way to communicate how a consumer can be assisted. It is important to consistently let consumers know how to ask for help and is required in your call to action.
SHAFT (sex, hate, alcohol, firearms or tobacco)
Messages regarding sex, hate, alcohol, firearms and tobacco are prohibited under CTIA guidelines and can result in your short code being banned. If you are not sure whether the topic of your messages are compliant or not under CTIA guidelines our sales team is happy to help you.
Thinking about getting started on short code? Get in touch with one of our sales representatives today!