Everyone knows the standard protocols when it comes to texting. You’ve got country codes (e.g., +44 for the UK and +1 for the US) and different phone number formats. But what about those five to six-digit numbers that businesses text you from? They use an SMS short code.
Businesses specifically use these special phone numbers for texting marketing when targeting international recipients. It eliminates all the hassle that comes with traditional mobile carriers. Instead, you can only receive messages from a short code after opting in using a specific keyword. And they’re designed to handle large amounts of two-way traffic.
How clever, right? Text marketing is very effective, with open rates between 95 and 99%. No wonder it’s one of the most popular strategies to promote business success.
In this guide, we’ll introduce you to the short code marketing hack, from definitions to how-tos. From set-up to fine-tuning, in as little as ten minutes, you’ll be an absolute short code pro.
So, without further ado, let’s get started!
What Is SMS Short Code?
Many businesses use SMS short code, a special phone number especially designed for marketing.
Unlike traditional phone numbers, which have much longer digit combinations and country codes, short codes are much simpler. As their name suggests, they contain a short string of numbers or letters, usually just five to six digits long.
Businesses can manually or automatically send messages through SMS short codes. Perhaps you’ll use a mixture of both. But the premise of the concept is that there’s a degree of automation, for instance, through the use of keywords. Its communication in its most streamlined form.
There’s just one thing to remember about the communication balance. Businesses can send marketing content of all shapes and sizes (as long as it abides by the 160-character limit). Recipients are a little more restricted, primarily responding and interacting by using keywords.
These short codes use opt-in methods, meaning recipients must consent to receive the messages. Usually, they do this by sending a specific keyword. This could be as simple as sending YES to a designated five to six digit number.
If they want to stop, they text another keyword to signal to the system to no longer contact the number. A simple example is a phrase such as STOP. It’s a great way to stay compliant with the laws around SMS marketing.
When it comes to strategies like bulk SMS marketing, there’s so much traffic and data to process. We’ll delve into the benefits of short codes in just a second, but as a general rule, this approach is efficient. It’s just more straightforward.
In summary, short codes are specific phone number formats businesses use to communicate more effectively through SMS marketing. They operate on an opt-in and opt-out model and mostly rely on keywords for more effective two-way communication.
Who Uses Short Codes?
All types of businesses use short codes. Marketing through SMS messages doesn’t rule out small businesses or any industry types. You can use it in hotel, restaurant, retail, e-commerce, and nightlife industries. The options are near-enough endless; if you communicate with customers, this is a strategy for you.
The bigger question is how you will actually use this strategy. Investing in short codes for your SMS campaign is a means to an end. It enables you to contact customers in a different way, but you’ll have to think of specific strategies.
In terms of jobs short codes can perform, you may use them for any of the following:
- Emergency alerts
- Two-factor authentication
- Promotional messages
- Customer retention
- Service updates
- Order updates
- Postal details
- Holiday marketing
- Personalized marketing
Get brainstorming. What option you choose will massively depend on your industry and what you need from SMS marketing. Establish your goals and business-specific requirements and go from there.
4 Reasons To Use SMS Short Codes
There are many benefits to using short code SMS. For one, it’s just more efficient. Everything is simpler, from communication to the actual number itself. And what’s not to love about that?
Aside from that, though, let’s look at the pros of using this strategy in more detail. Here are the four main benefits that you need to know.
1. Quicker Sending Times
Short codes are not demanding to send. Seriously, they require some of the lowest processing times ever. It doesn’t even require much (or any) carrier filtering.
The result of this is a super speedy send time that streamlines your SMS marketing approach. You can click send and know that the marketing content will reach recipients in a matter of seconds. There’s limited buffering, which is especially important when factoring in sending media-heavy content.
2. Boosts Reach
Investing in short codes is one of the best strategies to boost revenue if you have an international customer base. Why? Because so many countries support international codes. You can forget country codes and finicky details and send blast SMS campaigns.
3. More Memorable
Whether you personalize your short code or not, the fewer digits make for a more memorable number. This is great, as it means customers are more likely to sign up and remember the digits correctly.
It also builds an association with your code, especially if you incorporate key phrases. For instance, you could personalize your short code to PIZZA for an Italian restaurant.
4. Improves Engagement
The exchange of keywords, even if short code doesn’t support full conversations, is great for engagement. The evidence speaks for itself. Did you know that short code open rates hover at above 90%?
It creates two-way communication that builds rapport with customers. At the end of the day, rapport is partly what drives profit.
How To Enable Short Code SMS on Android
It’s important to stay practical, especially now you’ve nailed all the foundations and understand the concept of short codes. How do recipients enable these messages on Android mobile devices? In an ideal world, the opt-in system works, but occasionally there can be some hiccups. You might need to troubleshoot.
Whether you’re a business owner looking to help customers or a customer wanting answers, we’ll help. Here’s how to enable short code SMS on Android in three different ways.
1. Try Trigger a Customer Service Response
Assuming that you’ve eliminated other issues, like signal trouble or problems with your provider, try sending HELP. If it’s an issue with your short code agreement, HELP should trigger some assistance from customer service.
2. Check It’s Not Blocked
Check your messaging settings to see if the short code is blocked. Sometimes, your phone can do this automatically, so it’s a good idea to check this early in your troubleshooting.
If you’re positive that the number is correct and the other two solutions didn’t work, contact your provider. It might be that your package or provider doesn’t facilitate short codes. It’s worth getting some clarity.
How To Join an SMS Short Code Directory
You want a decent SMS list, don’t you? There are so many ways to collect contacts for your SMS campaign. However, one of these ways is to simply join an SMS short code directory.
Depending on the directory policies, this could cost or be free. But the overall bonus is that you gain traffic passively without further marketing efforts.
Sound good? Here are the basic three steps to take.
1. Create Your Short Code
To join a directory, you need a short code. To organize this, contact wireless carriers and service providers. Once you get approval, you’ll need to set all your keywords and opt-in and out options.
At this stage, also find out the short code cost and crunch your budget.
Next, it’s time for advertising, so waste no time browsing all the best directories. This is where your budget crunching will come in handy, as some directories may cost to subscribe.
Reach out to the directories and provide them with a service description and the short code.
As the directories work their magic, you’ll start to see contacts roll in. These subscribers are great because they allow you to start sending out your short code messages.
On a long-term basis, focus on results and monitor campaign-specific profit. Keep an eye on other mobile carriers and your code cost per text to ensure the best value for money.
FAQ
Don’t rush off too quickly. This is an important marketing topic with some pretty advanced details. Are you sure you’ve consolidated your understanding?
Before we cover the final golden details on how you’ll get phone numbers, here are some frequently asked questions.
What does short code mean in SMS?
A short code in SMS is a five- to six-digit number that businesses use especially for marketing. It’s a simpler version of a full phone number and utilizes an opt-in/opt-out strategy through keywords. If you want to streamline your customer communications and SMS marketing outreach, it’s perfect.
A short code is a marketing-focused approach. It requires specific registration to access a code and for you to collect initial opt-ins to begin.
What are toll-free numbers?
Toll-free numbers are 10-digit numbers that don’t charge the caller a fee. They’re a smart (and popular) marketing choice for anyone wanting long-distance communication with customers.
The main difference is that short codes are better for texting, whereas you associate toll-free numbers with calling. Short codes are also easier to remember.
How are vanity codes different from SMS short codes?
SMS short codes are shorter phone numbers. Traditional phones are harder to remember and more complex to handle, so this structure offers an alternative. Vanity codes are a special version of that short code that’s even more memorable.
For example, instead of 15689, a dance company might use the vanity code DANCE. This is a great enhancement to boost marketing efforts.
It goes without saying that you need to establish a list of SMS contacts. You cannot run a texting message marketing campaign without actually collecting phone numbers, at least legally. The answer to that is to invest in captive portal marketing.
Captive portals are temporary webpage pop-ups that contain forms that you can personalize. For instance, one form might request email addresses for future marketing. And the other might request (you guessed it) phone numbers for SMS campaigns.
These portals pop up when guests attempt to join your network. Only when they comply with the form do they receive full WiFi access. It is a small switch to make for anyone already offering guest WiFi. Better yet, prices start at just $20 a month for captive portal software.
At Beambox, collecting SMS contacts is our bread and butter. This is precisely what we do, and we can help you! Our all-in-one WiFi marketing platform allows you to customize a portal to collect valuable phone numbers.
Start your Beambox free trial today and start to build contacts to facilitate your SMS short code campaign!
