I am still asked regularly about why anyone would consider marketing with a relatively archaic mobile technology like a mass texting service when you can do so many amazing things with an app. The answer is quite simple: because your audience prefers SMS / texting.
No business should consider implementing an mobile marketing plan without first obtaining a working knowledge of the SMS marketing laws that govern the advertising on this mobile channel. Local Text Marketers operates in both Canada and the U.S., so we’ll talk primarily about the laws in these two countries…
SMPP stands for “short message peer-to-peer”—this is the gold standard protocol used to send SMS messages. When bulk SMS messages are sent through SMPP, they’re relayed to the mobile carriers (Bell, Virgin, AT&T, Verizon, etc.), and then through their networks to your customers’ phones.
If you are looking for a SMS solution for your Canadian business, you need to be aware that Canada’s Anti-Spam legislation applies to text / SMS messages and you must insure that the provider you choose understands the rules and the laws as they apply.
In Canada, sending commercial electronic messages (CEMs) via SMS or MMS is governed by Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (“CASL”) and is based upon consent. And yes, these laws do apply to non-profit organizations. However, Canadian law is quite flexible in that it allows for messaging based on something called an “existing non-business relationship.”
When it comes to text message marketing, the best place to start is at the very beginning—especially if you are relatively new to it. The question we receive most often is: “What is text message marketing and how does it work?”