subject: Can Sms Text Coupons Actually Be Fun? [print this page] In the early days of mobile marketing consumers happily accepted and even participated in text marketing campaigns. But as text message marketing has matured, consumers have reported that it sometimes becomes bothersome and feels intrusive.
SMS text coupons have one of the highest response rates of all advertising mediums, so it is understandable why businesses are flocking toward this technology. So, how do you take advantage of the huge discounts businesses are willing to give in exchange for you opening up your phone to them without compromising your privacy?
First, understand the rules of mobile marketing. The MMA (Mobile Marketing Association), the official regulating body, considered a pioneer in ensuring safe mobile marketing, has taken special care to keep our cell phones from turning into our email boxes full of spam. It is illegal for a company to send you a text message without your specified consent. 1 that means you specifically telling them that you wish to receive text updates and offers. If you are receiving messages from a business who does not have your permission - you can report them on the MMAGlobal.com webite.
Secondly, all mass messages you receive should have an opt-out option - this means you should be able to reply stop to the message and no longer receive them. If the messages you are receiving do not allow for this opt-out option contact either the MMA or the sender so that this can be resolved.
With mandatory opt-in and easy opt-out option enabled, your should be equipped to enjoy the rewards that text marketing does offer such as instant discounts, the convenience of never forgetting your paper coupon at home, the elimination of waste created by mail and newspaper coupons, and quick cleanup (just press delete if you arent interested).
A new concept is putting a special twist on mobile advertising by giving back to charity. They guarantee you will only get the number and type of coupons you would like to receive from advertisers in your area. As an added bonus, each time you receive a text coupon theygives a nickel to a charity of your choosing - no redemption required. So its a win, win, win situation for you, the small businesses who wish to advertise to you and the charity you wish to support in exchange for your participation.
Programs like SendSavings deliver high quality advertising that you have requested, free of charge. There are other programs that do cost money to participate in or collect donations that are charged to your mobile account. While many of these programs are valuable and some also support charity - it is sometimes unclear that you will be charged. To avoid accidentally signing up for one of these services always verify the number of texts you will receive, that the program is free of charge, and that you are able to easily opt-out from receiving future messages.
If you are careful and follow these simple rules - participating in mobile marketing programs and receiving text coupons can save you money, reduce paper waste, and sometimes even help charity.
