Face it, SMS marketing tools are only good if there’s a reciprocal benefit. If you’re a business owner using SMS marketing software to get the word out about your company, then that benefit is obviously greater exposure and increased business. But, what’s the benefit that you’re giving to those customers who have been goodly enough to allow you to market directly to their mobile devices? If your answer isn’t “big savings,” then you might want to reconsider your entire mobile marketing campaign.

But, can you expect SMS marketing software to pay for itself if you’re constantly offering up discounts to your customers? Of course. It’s an established fact that customers who visit a brick and mortar store or online storefront to claim a coupon often end up spending far more than the coupon’s value. Here’s where the inherent value of SMS marketing tools comes into play, and where you can stand to make the biggest killing from routinely offering your mobile marketing opt-in customers deals they’d be foolish to turn down.

Here are a few helpful dos and don’ts for your SMS marketing campaign:

• Do… offer something of monetary value with every SMS message.

• Don’t… just use your SMS marketing tools to remind customers to shop with you.

• Do… enable your SMS message recipients to “share the love” by allowing coupon codes to be forwarded. This is a great way to get more subscribers.

• Don’t… make the savings offered laughable. A $2-off coupon isn’t nearly as effective at bringing in customers as a $20-off coupon if you specialize in high cost items.

In the end, you should always be prepared to offer your customers something of value when you send them an SMS marketing message. Otherwise, you run the risk of encouraging them to exercise their opt-out privilege.