There are two kinds of mobile lists that you can use for your mobile campaigns. I will detail the differences below.

Homegrown: Contest participants are asked to opt-in for future promotions and information, and segmentation is conducted through recorded behavior.

Farmed-Out: Carriers can provide lists of consumers who have provided information about themselves and the types of promotions they are amenable to receiving; once the consumer responds to a promotion sent out to that list, the marketer can begin building aggregated profiles.

It is important to remember that if you are using a homegrown list, let the subscribers know EXACTLY what you will be using their numbers for. Also, allow them the opportunity to easily opt out if they so choose.

Furthermore, if you are using a farmed-out list, make sure you get a copy of what their subscribers saw when the originally signed on to the list. The vendor’s terms and conditions can ultimately come back to bite you.