You must have express consent from a contact before sending them any marketing text messages.

This statement is true. Before sending any marketing text messages, you must obtain explicit, verifiable consent from the recipient. This is a legal requirement under regulations like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the United States, Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, among others. These laws protect consumers from unsolicited communications. Failing to secure express consent can lead to significant fines and damage to your brand reputation. Simply having an email address or a past customer relationship is not sufficient for SMS marketing consent; it must be specifically for text messages.