Whilst it has become common place to hand out our primary, secondary, and many other fake email addresses in order to receive information and content, the same cannot be said for the mobile world. 

As we generally only have one mobile number, we protect this with the urgency and specificity it deserves. Only those brands and friends we trust have access to our mobile numbers and if this access is abused then look out. You generally only get one crack at this relationship. 

Because of the enormous value of the mobile channel and the ability of brands to engage on an intimate level, the real value of a list with confirmed mobile numbers with ‘permission to market’ (opt in permission) is ten times (10 X) that of email. 

Rules for Mobile Messaging and Marketing

• PERSONALIZE everything and where possible, make the information and content of your mobile campaigns as contextual as possible. 
• LESS IS MORE.  How often would you like to receive information from your favorite brand to your mobile phone? Once a week or twice monthly? Whatever number you come up with, halve that number and halve it again. The end result is then your guide to follow. In most cases, this should never be greater than one message per week maximum.  
• HIGH RELEVANCE and HIGH VALUE. Unless your message/marketing material has high relevance or great value, don’t send it. You will very quickly disengage your opt in list if you treat them in the same way you have been use to with email. 
• PERMISSION is required before you do anything. Having a mobile number on your list means nothing unless you have permission to engage on the mobile channel (SMS or MMS). In each country the laws are different. The most stringent is the USA and Canada where you must have express consent (opt in) in order to market to a list with mobile numbers. 
• NO SPAM EVER. The reason why the mobile channel is so powerful is that unlike email, the networks are highly regulated and controlled. Let’s keep it that way.
• ALL PROVIDERS ARE NOT EQUAL. There is a vast difference between service levels of providers and the delivery rates they are able to report on. In the main, providers with SMS ‘short codes’ (e.g. 5 – 6 digits) are highly credible as they are carrier approved in the countries they operate. Short codes are the only numbers approved for marketing. Long codes (10 digits) can be obtained by anyone, are unregulated, and do not have the ability to confirm delivery confirmation to the mobile handset, and they are not approved by the carriers for carrying marketing related traffic. For the most part, these types of messages (SMS or MMS) are blocked but you will still be charged by the provider. abuse this trust.