Scrubbing for SMS marketing?

Question

Getting ready to do my first sms marketing campaign.

For those of you who have done it in the past, would you scrub the list as if you were cold calling them? Or do these rules not apply for SMS?

ive heard some people don't bother but I've also heard people getting sued for 6k, so just want to be safe

thanks

Curt Smith · Answer

Nice Braden! LOL  But lots of us send polite SMS to owners (cold), many thank me.   But I agree with your quoting TCPA.  BUT you did not help the OP with HOW to do an SMS campaign.   I use reireply.com, there's batchleads.io and other tools.

Can you be helpful?   IE scenarios, steps, tools to be compliant?

I do agree that the handwriting is on the wall with the carriers, FCC, gov statutes, the recent nudge to the FCC to figure out a solution for spam calls and SMS that cold marketing will get to be a bit more of a challenge in the coming months (??).

To toss out my understanding of becoming compliant is:

- do a direct marketing campaign, post cards etc where you say call or SMS this number for help or info...

- once they call or SMS you now have the right to reply periodically.  I heard for 90 days.

- But it starts with an expensive direct mail marketing campaign.  Others I hope might tip with cheaper ways to be compliant vs $0.60 per post card x 6 touches x 5k leads = $18,000.

I didn't pick 5k leads out of thin air, its quoted from local wholesalers who do 2-5 deals a month.

...

Curt Smith · Answer

I just noticed this on batchleads.io FAQ re if TCPA compliant:

According to our attorneys, the SMS platform is compliant for two
reasons:1, We are not soliciting for services or selling any goods so
the vast majority of TCPA laws do not apply to our texts. 2, Our system
is not an autodialer and there is no automation for sending mass
messages without human intervention

=====

I'm not a study of TCPA the ins and outs of REI out bound marketing over SMS.   Just the messenger re what I found on a tools website.

I'm using propstream.com for leads and reireply.com for SMS out bound and campaigning.  A friend prefers batchleads.io and cost is almost as low as reireply.   One should not choose an SMS tool solely on costs.  There's much more to usability, good list management,  CRM, etc.   I can't compare any of the SMS tools out there.  I only know one.

Tommy Adeoye · Answer

I wonder what happens, if you were to end your message with “REPLY STOP to end or opt out” ?

Jerryll Noorden · Answer

I can NOT friggin wait for them to do the same for cold calling.

EVERY gaadamn 5 minutes I get called!

Valerie McGilvrey · Answer

It's a violation of the law to send an unsolicited text message. The FCC is handing out fines in the hundreds of millions to even medium sized companies. So don't do it.

Braden Smith · Answer

SMS Marketing For Real Estate Requires Opt-In

The TCPA requires that a business must receive “express written consent” from any contact before it can legally start sending them SMS marketing messages. Such consent must be “clear and straightforward” and not hidden within a lengthy terms and condition policy.

Opt-In is the most important part of SMS Compliance. If you text people without their explicit consent, it is considered SPAM, and you risk legal action, regardless if you are selling a product, providing a service, or simply providing information.

In addition to explicit consent, recipients must opt-in to your SMS campaigns using methods such as mobile and/or web opt-in. Mobile Opt-In requires a consumer to use their mobile phone by texting a keyword to a specified number, and we opt-in requires the consumer to submit their information via a form on your website. When using SMS Marketing for Real Estate marketing, including Real Estate Agents, Investors, and Wholesalers, the consumer (lead/prospect) must have either opted in by submitting their information on your website or lead form, or have sent a keyword to a dedicated number.

SENDING A TEXT MESSAGE TO ANYONE WHO HAS NOT PROVIDED CONSENT IS ILLEGAL, AND GOES AGAINST THE TCPA AND MAY RESULT IN LEGAL ACTION AND FINES.

See here for more info:  https://reimachines.com/sms-compliance-for-real-estate/

Muhammad Sabeeh · Answer

It's better to scrub but if you are pulling data from reputable resources such as Batchskip or Propstream then most of the time, it's already scrubbed.

Valerie McGilvrey · Answer

It's a violation of the law to send an unsolicited text message. the FCC is handing out fines in the hundreds of millions to even medium sized companies. So don't do it.

Scrubbing for SMS marketing?

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