What role can SMS messaging play in a marketing campaign? 

SMS (short message service) messages are text messages delivered to mobile phones much in the same way email newsletters are delivered to inboxes.

Each text can be up to 160 characters and is sent to a list of mobile phone numbers.

They are especially effective for urgent communications such as breaking legislative news (the committee is voting in an hour, call your rep right now) or a large conference (the keynote speaker starts in 15 minutes - don’t miss it).  

They are much more intrusive than email, because in some cases, they can cost the recipient money. So BE SURE you have permission to send SMS before you do it. Otherwise, you could be fined, or even worse, lose a potential client and create some very bad buzz about your business.  

They also are a little more expensive to send than newsletters, so use them wisely. Saved for the right moments, and sent to the right people,  SMS messages can move a lot of people in a very short amount of time, producing big results.

Why can’t I send my email newsletter to anyone I want – like I can with direct-mail cards?

Like it or not, we in the legitimate email marketing business are forced by law to play by different rules. Again, it comes back to permission. As marketing icon Seth Godin says, almost all forms of traditional advertising and marketing are based on interrupting our daily lives with messages we didn’t ask for. Television, radio, newspapers and magazines - and even Web sites - are trying to get our attention away from what we came to get and attract us to what their advertisers want us to see and/or hear. Those forms of communication are important, but legitimate email marketing is different - and so are the laws.

We must get permission to deliver a message into an inbox, which opens the door to build real relationships - and the obvious benefits that result from earning and keeping our recipients’ trust.  Instead of a liability, think of it as an opportunity to reach your audience in a new and powerful way.

So, resist the temptation to buy or rent a list, we don’t need spam (or the fines that go along with getting caught) to be successful. We’re better than that.