The 3 Biggest Benefits of Using a Shortcode in Your SMS Marketing
Over 92% of people in the UK have mobile phones. SMS marketing is one of the best ways to reach out to them in a personal way. But for your marketing to be a real success, you need to get replies. Using a shortcode with keywords offers many benefits for your marketing. Although there are numerous advantages from using shortcodes let’s just take a look at the top three:
- The shortcode becomes identifiable with your brand. Recognition is important in marketing. When you’re competing for attention among other text messages you’ll want your customers to know the message is from you so they won’t ignore it.
- A shortcode is easy to type. If you want to have people send you messages, they’ll need to reply to your message, or type in your contact number. A short code is a five digit number so it ends up being much easier for people to enter it into their mobile than a traditional 11 digit number.
- Short means easy to remember. To maximise your mobile marketing investment, you’ll want to advertise your mobile campaigns on multiple channels. If people see printed material, or hear your shortcode on the radio, they can remember it well enough to respond to your call to action.
Using shortcodes is easy too. SMS providers usually have a dedicated code. You can rent keywords to use on their shortcode, usually for a small fee. For example, keywords on the fastsms shortcode costs just £25 per month (or just £250 if you rent it for a year).
Larger brands might consider obtaining their own shortcode rather than renting keywords on a shared shortcode. Just be prepared for a long lead time and monthly fees near a thousand pounds per month.
So for most businesses, the combination of shared shortcodes and rented keywords has all the benefits for SMS marketing without the extreme cost of a custom dedicated shortcode. If you want more information on using shortcodes for your business, click on the chat button and our representatives can answer all your questions. Or if you’d rather you can contact us via email or phone. Alternatively take a look at our free Mobile Marketing Guide which offers a wealth of info, tips and advice on SMS matters.
Related Articles
SMS Opt-In: Why You Want It and How To Get It
The first thing to remember is that legally, you must give the customer the chance to both opt-in and opt-out of your SMS campaign - but the good news is people are happy to opt-in - 49% of them according to a 2014 survey. So all you need to do is stay compliant and follow some basic guidelines to grow your list.
7 SMS Marketing Ideas for the May Bank Holiday
Why SMS Messaging is the Future of Marketing…
Since the first ever mobile ad was sent out via text back in 2000, SMS marketing has become hugely popular. What's more, it's a successful technique that an increasing number of marketeers are taking advantage of. So why is it the future? Here are a few reasons...
Five Things Every Marketer Needs to Know About SMS
There's no better time to take a closer look at SMS marketing - could it fit your marketing strategy? What should be at the forefront of your mind when you look at whether SMS could fit with your business? Here we've highlighted five things you should know before getting started.
An A-Z of SMS Marketing: D is for Distribution List [Infographic]
Why SMS Marketing is Like Facebook Marketing, But Better
Facebook is a popular place. According to Statista, they had 1.44 billion active users in the first quarter of 2015. It’s no wonder then that businesses are flocking to advertise there. But big isn’t always better. SMS marketing is similar in many respects to Facebook advertising, and for some uses it is actually better. Let me explain and see if you agree.
Is SMS Marketing Complicated?
How hard is it to use SMS marketing? If you’ve been told it’s complicated, you heard wrong. Using SMS is simple, though there are a few things you should know. This blog shows you how simple it can be, and provides links to useful resources.
SMS vs. Instant Message App Marketing
It seems there's a new messaging app popping up every month. It's hard to keep track of them all, but it's also hard to ignore them if you're looking to use mobile marketing. When you've got limited marketing resources, should you spend them advertising on the latest IM app, or go with SMS marketing?
[Infographic] How to Write the Perfect SMS Message
Is there such a thing as a "perfect" SMS message? Yes, there is, but there isn't just one example of a perfect message. There are so many uses for SMS messages that each of them would have their own perfect example. How many different types are there? This infographic includes a short list of some types.