Understanding opt-ins
All of your contacts must give you permission to message them — they must opt in or subscribe to receiving messages. This could be through a sign up form or by checking a box that says they agree to get messages.
If you message people who have not given consent or opted-in, this is considered spam. There can be fines and penalties for sending spam.
Why are opt-outs important?
You must add clear opt-outs to any marketing messages that you send. Allowing customers to unsubscribe from your communications is a legal requirement. You can face fines and penalties if you don’t provide an opt-out method.
If you’re sending transactional messages, you may not need to add an opt-out. Learn about the difference between marketing and transactional messages.
How ClickSend manages opt-outs
When someone decides they no longer want to receive messages from you, ClickSend makes it simple to handle opt-outs automatically.
When someone opts out, ClickSend adds them to your Opt-Out List and blocks future messages to that number or email automatically. However, this does not remove them from your other active contact lists — you'll still need to clean those up manually.
Once a contact has opted out, ClickSend blocks any future messages sent to that number or email, provided the list being sent to is checked against the Opt-Out List.
Visit Managing opt-outs for how to remove opted-out contacts from your other active lists.
Keep track of opted-out contacts
It’s simple to see who has opted-out of receiving messages.
Go to Contacts in your Dashboard.
Select Opt-Outs to view the list of users who have unsubscribed.
You can export the list if needed.
Opt-out regulations by country
Adhering to opt-out regulations in SMS campaigns is essential to respect customer preferences and avoid penalties. SMS is regulated to give customers control over who contacts them and to distinguish valuable messages from spam.
Many countries, including the US, UK, Australia, and EU Member States, have specific rules for text message marketing. Below are links to key policies so you can stay up to date.
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Important: The content of this article does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to be a substitute for legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. You should seek legal advice or other professional advice in relation to any particular matters you or your organisation may have. The information linked to this article is not owned by ClickSend, and as a result, ClickSend is not responsible for the accuracy or any resulting interpretation of the information contained on third party websites. You are responsible for compliance with anti-spam laws in accordance with the Customer Terms, Privacy Policy, and Acceptable Use Policy.