Slides that accompanied Signal's July 10, 2013 webinar, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About SMS Marketing, with attorney Jamie Rubin. A video of the webinar is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5KYu3rrSLM&feature=c4-overview&list=UUyEVRITXxdFRujm6wITHJMg

1. Katherine Raz, Community Manager @ Signal
Jamie Rubin, Partner @ InfoLawGroup
Questions?
• Type your question in during the webinar
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2. • How to kick off your SMS program
• Rules of the road
• Building your list
• Necessary language and SMS copywriting tips
• Advanced tips: promotions, sweepstakes, coupons
• Legal aspects of SMS marketing

3. Signal is an all-in-one marketing platform where businesses can manage:
• Email newsletters
• SMS marketing
• Social media publishing
• Content tools (landing pages, short URLs, QR codes) and promotional
tools (sweepstakes) for building your customer database
• Customer database, including tracking engagement across channels
• Sign up for a free trial at Signalhq.com
About Signal

4. Why SMS marketing?
• SMS is the most immediate form of
marketing communication. An estimated
90% of SMS messages are read within 3
minutes of receipt (Singlepoint, 2010).
• 98% of text messages are read,
compared to 22% of emails, 29% of
tweets and 12% of Facebook posts
(Frost & Sullivan, 2010).
• 70% of people in the US would like to
receive offers on their mobile phones
(Upstream).
Michael Coghlan, via Flickr

5. Who is SMS for?
• Consumer brands to send offers,
coupons, and pricing alerts
• Information services to send updates
• Businesses to communicate with field
employees, especially in sales
• Non-profits to mobilize volunteers
• Consumer brand loyalty programs, like
birthday clubs
Emad Aljumah, via Flickr

6. SMS marketing begins with a short code, a 5 or
6-digit telephone number (U.S.)
Shared short codes
o Inexpensive
o Immediate use
o Limited keywords
Unique short code
o Takes a few months to provision
o Setup and monthly costs are
significantly more
o Use any keywords you like
o No other business shares your code
Creating and building
your list: short codes
James Cridland, via Flickr

7. Customers opt in to your SMS marketing list by
texting a keyword to a short code. You can use
as many keywords (alias) as you like for a
single list, or you can create multiple marketing
lists and use different keywords for each.
Your keyword should:
o Be short
o Be easy to spell
o Unique -- doesn't "sound like"
another word
o Not contain hard-to-decipher letters
like lowercase "L" unless you're
prepared to overthink signage
o Consider trademark issues
Creating and building
your list: keywords
joyosity, via Flickr

8. You call to action is the prompt in your
advertising (broadcast, print, web) that directs
customers to text a keyword to a short code to
join your list.
What must be included:
o Program identification (name of your
business or the campaign)
o Intended frequency of messaging
o Opt-out instructions ("STOP to quit")
o The phrase, "Message and data
rates may apply"
o Links to privacy policy and terms
and conditions
Also think about including:
o An incentive
o A campaign-specific, rather than
brand-wide, keyword ("Lawnmower"
vs. "Sears")
Creating and building
your list: call to action
jengallardo, via Flickr

9. The Mobile Marketing Association
• Global nonprofit responsible for
establishing mobile marketing standards
• Works jointly with CTIA (wireless
communications industry’s trade
association) to enforce standards
• Keep up with best practices > http://
www.mmaglobal.com/bestpractice
CTIA violations usually result in a warning and a
reminder to fix noncompliant aspects of your
SMS campaign. Continued violations can result in
the suspension of your campaign or revocation of
your short code.
More to come in the legal aspects of the
presentation.
Keeping in compliance
Walker.Carpenter via Flickr

10. IN-STORE SIGNAGE
Text KITCHEN to 75309 for an instant 20% off
your Renee Bennett order and to sign up for
future deals from the Renee Bennett coupon
club.
3-4 texts/month. Message and data rates may apply. Text
HELP for info and STOP to quit.
SMS "WELCOME" MESSAGE
Welcome to the Zippy Car Wash Coupon Club!
Msg&data rates may apply. 4 msgs/mo. Text
HELP for info, STOP to quit. Ix.ly/698405
Example compliant
messages
DennisSylvesterHurd via Flickr

11. ONE-TIME MESSAGES
Autoresponders, sweepstakes, trivia, etc. are
one-time SMS promotions. There is no opt-in
prompt, so you cannot use numbers
collected via these promotions for future
marketing purposes unless you add a
prompt after the promotion conclusion.
RECURRING MESSAGES
Customers sign up for your list in order to
get recurring updates from your company.
They opt-in, and can easily opt-out when
they want to
One-time vs. recurring
messages
!/_PeacePlusOne, via Flickr

12. SINGLE OPT-IN
A consumer opts into a text marketing
program via their handset. A welcome
message follows this prompt.
DOUBLE OPT-IN
A customer signs up for an SMS marketing
list via a web form. This prompts an opt-in
confirmation message to be sent to the
handset. ("We've received a request to add
you to XYZ list. Text Y to confirm.")
Customer MUST respond with "Y" to be
added to the list.
Single vs. double opt-
in
Rick Payette, via Flickr

13. CALL TO ACTION
Your text messages should always include a
relevant call to action:
• Coupon or discount code
• Sale or pricing alert
• Personalized reminder
The best CTAs offer a discount or coupon
and are actionable. Remember: SMS is
immediate. No discount? Expect opt-outs.
SMS COPYWRITING TIPS
• Messages must not exceed 160
characters
• Include your BRAND NAME or
BUSINESS NAME
• Outbound links should be mobile-
optimized and shortened
Writing your text
messages
fictionalidentity, via Flickr

14. SMS marketing message examples

15. SMS program flow & message types
PROGRAM ADVERTISEMENT
The advertising or signage asking customers to join your SMS marketing program. This
messaging must include frequency, message and data rates, and HELP/STOP information.
OPT-IN CONFIRMATION AND WELCOME MESSAGE
Message confirming request to add subscriber to a list (customer must text back "Y" to
join), and message confirming list subscription. The welcome message is a great place to
include an incentive coupon to be automatically dispatched to all new subscribers. Your
welcome message must include message and data rate information, intended frequency,
and STOP/HELP information.
MARKETING MESSAGES
Once the customer has joined your list, he or she will receive the bulk SMS messages you
send out with your discount offers, coupons, etc.
TIMED MESSAGES
If you want to send additional messages beyond your welcome message, you can also
configure a series of automated timed SMS messages to be triggered once a customer joins
your list.
AUTORESPONDERS & TEXT CHAT
One-time triggered messages that respond with static information, or live text chat triggered
when a customer texts a keyword to a short code. No opt-in is required to send these
messages but advertisements for the program must include message and data rate
information.

16. Promotions
Promotions are one-time interactive programs designed to help build your list
when followed with an opt-in message.
Grand Canyon NPS, via Flickr

17. SWEEPSTAKES
SMS sweepstakes allows consumers to text to
enter a contest. Winners are determined and
notified based on your settings.
TRIVIA
Text trivia sends a series of questions with
right and wrong answers. Participants and
winners can be notified.
TEXT CHAT
Consumers can trigger an SMS chat with
customer service by texting a keyword to a
short code.
SURVEYS
Collect consumer data through a single
question or series of questions that are stored
in your customer profiles.
SMS promotions
colinaut, via Flickr

18. DATA COLLECTED WITH EACH SEND
• Delivery rate
• Opt-out rate
• Note: open rate is not trackable
• You CAN measure click-through rate on
short URLs included with each send as
well as coupon views
OVERALL SUCCESS
• How many participants in your
campaign?
• How many opted in to your list after
participation?
• How many coupons were sent vs. how
many redeemed?
• How has your list grown over time?d
Measuring success
homespothq, via Flickr

19. If you're running a multi-location business,
such as a restaurant franchise, consider
enabling a location-specific list that allows
your customers to text to join, using a zip
code prompt, their nearest or preferred
location.
This way you can control messaging and
offers at each location, as well as offer your
customers a more personalized interaction
with your brand.
Location-specific lists
Gexydaf, via Flickr

20. PLAIN TEXT OFFERS
Easy to create and send but difficult to control
redemption. No smartphone needed.
INDIVIDUALIZED COUPON CODES
Upload a spreadsheet with varying coupon codes to be
dispatched individually to each person on your list. No
smartphone needed.
DYNAMIC EXPIRATION DATES
Insert {{code}} that works as a dynamic expiration date
based on the date and time your message sends. No
smartphone needed.
DYNAMIC WEB COUPONS
Recipients click through to a web version of a coupon
that uses dynamic tags to control expiration dates and
individual view limits. Recipients must have smartphone.
STATIC WEB COUPONS
A mobile-optimized landing page that displays a coupon.
Recipients must have smartphone.
COUPON COUNTDOWN TIMERS
Pop-up windows that appear with countdown before
coupon is displayed. Used for real-time in-store offers.
SMS coupon capabilities

21. Jamie Rubin, InfoLawGroup
Legal aspects of SMS marketing
steakpinball, via Flickr

22. Twitter: @Signal or #GetSignal
Facebook: Facebook.com/SignalHQ
Blog: Blog.SignalHQ.com
Ask an SMS marketing expert about your program: hello@signalhq.com
Next webinar: Getting to 10,000 fans: ideas for building your subscriber base
Wednesday, July 31 at 2PM CDT
Register: Sgnl.cm/MoreFans