When the US mobile carriers established a ubiquitous system for sending SMS messages, they adopted a standard for end-users to manage the content they receive. As I’ve preached (here, here, and here), this is one of the main reasons that SMS has avoided the SPAM fate of e-mail. Unless you’re dealing with a newsletter, most e-mail SPAM does not have a clear sender or working unsubscribe options. On the e-mail front, SPAM filtering has become a “reactive” habit and, while most e-mail users are losing time, SPAM doesn’t have a measurable monetary penalty. Consumers pay for text messaging, even unlimited-messaging consumers so it is important to give them the correct methods to manage their subscription.

All US shortcodes must have universal keywords to receive help and to opt-out of a program. These keywords are designed to allow the user to receive additional information about a mobile campaign or remove themselves from receiving any additional charges and messages.

Stop, End, Cancel, Unsubscribe, Quit
Because users receive a standard rate fee for text messaging, they are more likely to complain about unwanted text messages. A properly structured initial message neutralizes complaints by giving users a clear and working way to unsubscribe. If a user texts a platform with “STOP”, the platform must prevent the end user from receiving any additional messages from that campaign. If the user is opted-in to several campaigns on the shortcode, an additional tiered response to clarify the correct campaign is acceptable; “STOP ALL” should opt-out the user for all campaigns.

Help
End-users should have clear information about the messages they are signing up to receive. A user who texts in “HELP” should receive a message back that includes:

* the program sponsor (the parent company)
* pricing details (quantity and frequency as well as “std carrier rates may apply”)
* where to find additional information (e-mail, phone number, and web URL)
* how to opt-out (”to stop msgs txt STOP”)

Where It Goes
US mobile carriers require Universal Keywords to be presented in key locations in the consumer opt-in process. For single opt-in and double opt-in messages HELP and STOP keywords must be mentioned in the first message received on the handset. To do this properly, the verbiage: “For info text HELP. To stop msgs reply STOP” should be at the end of the opt-in text message. For a double opt-in, this same verbiage should be listed in the opt-in reply message. Because the initial opt-in can be achieved through a web registration, this information should be clearly displayed on the web registration form.

The US mobile carriers value the end-user experience of their customers and feel that shortcode interactions (both positive and negative) have an impact on how customers views their carrier. To maintain a healthy and active mobile marketing campaign, marketers must adhere to universal keywords and other guidelines to maximize the consumer experience.

-Ainsworth