As the holiday season approaches it seems that a substantial amount of marketers are levering new and diverse marketing techniques including:

• Viral marketing
• Web 2.0 branding
• Interactive billboards
• and SMS mobile marketing

The problem with increased marketing initiatives is the general spam affect experienced by certain demographics - for example business owners with young children.

So how can you market with SMS and not contribute to the spammers of Christmas past?

The best recommendation we can make is give them something in exchange for permission to promote your brand or service. It's easy at this time of year to give away gifts or opportunities to win seasonal prizes such as hampers, toys and shopping vouchers. Football tickets at Christmas do not sell because it is out of season, so the more relevant and timely the better your response will be.

Whatever you do consider your audience first, your message second and your end goal last. If your attitude is what can I give them to get something back you've nailed the Christmas marketing spirit.