The digital landscape is constantly changing. Communication has evolved, becoming faster and more convenient than ever. In fact, 73% of adult cellphone owners use the text messaging function on their phones. For political campaigns and organizations, effective communication is key to the success of their campaigns. Many of these entities choose to use text messages as part of their overall digital strategy because of the 99% open rate.
In this blog post, we will dive into how Tatango, a leading text messaging platform, excels in delivering safe and ethical messages, committed to the highest standards of data security, privacy, and opt-in communications. We will provide you the tips you need to remove yourself from a list if you no longer wish to receive communications.
Subscriber Opt-In and Opt-Out: A Foundation of Trust
Tatango only supports sending opt-in messages. Tatango is committed to upholding the highest industry standards when it comes to text messaging. Whether it be our SOC-2 compliance, or the vast library of text marketing and fundraising resources available to political organizations, Tatango fosters safe senders of text message marketing.
A cornerstone of these standards is the concept of subscriber opt-in and opt-out.
Opt-in communications, (similar to opting-in to an email campaign), state that individuals must willingly provide their consent to receive messages, ensuring that all communication is permission-based. This ethical approach not only keeps organizations like Tatango and others compliant with legal regulations but also fosters trust among supporters.
Tatango customers all follow opt-out best practices, which help to ensure that supporters can unsubscribe from messages at any time with ease. Tatango recognizes that respecting individual preferences is crucial in maintaining the engagement between subscriber and organization to be both voluntary and respectful.
Balancing Engagement and Preferences
A common challenge in political text messaging campaigns occurs when those who engage actively with an organization later opt out but may inadvertently miss out on critical updates and notifications. Tatango, however, offers solutions that strike a balance between individual preferences and the need for informed engagement.
There are a few concerns that users should be aware of in choosing to opt-out of notifications from political causes or organizations they care about:
- Missed Updates: Subscribers may miss important updates, news, and events related to their causes. This could result in being less informed about critical issues or opportunities for engagement.
- Reduced Influence: By opting out, subscribers may lose the ability to actively participate in campaigns, petitions, or advocacy efforts initiated by the organization. Their voice and influence on important matters may be diminished.
- Limited Engagement: Choosing to opt out might restrict subscribers from receiving invitations to events, rallies, or fundraisers, limiting their ability to connect with like-minded individuals and support their cause in a more tangible way.
- Decreased Donor Impact: Political campaigns and organizations often rely on a network of supporters to fund their initiatives, and losing even a single supporter can affect their overall effectiveness. By opting out of the campaign, subscribers may inadvertently reduce their impact.
- Reduced Advocacy: Remember that opting out of notifications could mean missing opportunities to advocate for policy changes, raise awareness on critical issues, or engage with local and national leaders. If they choose to opt out, subscribers may forfeit their ability to actively contribute to the causes they once championed.
How To Remove Yourself From a Text Message List
We’ve all received text messages from political campaigns and organizations, especially around election season. While you might be genuinely interested in the cause or organization, there may come a time when you want to opt out of receiving text messages. Luckily, unsubscribing (or stopping these messages) is very straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.
- Find the message or organization from which you want to unsubscribe.
- Type STOP in the reply bar and press send.
- Receive a confirmation message that you have opted-out of that campaign.
The most common way to opt out of political text messages is by replying with the word “STOP.” Campaigns and organizations are required by law to provide you with a way to unsubscribe, and “STOP” is the standard keyword to initiate this process. As seen in the step-by-step guide above, you can simply respond to the text message that you want to stop with the word “STOP,” and you will receive a confirmation message indicating that you’ve been unsubscribed. Remember, the opt-out keyword is typically case-insensitive.
Resources and Answers To Commonly Asked Questions
Here are some questions we often get from subscribers.
Do you send all text messages? Tatango only sends messages on behalf of the organizations that use our platform and adhere to our strict permission-based standards. We absolutely do not send all fundraising text messages that a subscriber may receive.
Can I be removed from a Tatango customer’s list? Absolutely. Simply reply STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE to any message and you have been removed from the list.
Can I be removed from a non-Tatango customer’s list? Unfortunately, not by Tatango. We do not have the ability to remove you from someone we don’t work with as a customer.
Can I be removed from an email list? Unfortunately, not by Tatango. We only send text messages. We would encourage you to follow the “Unsubscribe” links in any email to remove yourself from any list you no longer wish to be part of.
What can you do about donations that I seem to be making to WinRed or ActBlue? Though not directly affiliated with WinRed or ActBlue (nor are they our clients), we can offer assistance to your questions. Simply follow the links below:
ActBlue
WinRed https://support.winred.com/en/articles/3044237-cancel-a-recurring-subscription
You can also contact them using the following information:
ActBlue (617) 517-7600 info@actblue.com
WinRed (855) 922-1776 support@winred.com
