Everything You Need to Know About Short Codes
What Is a Short Code?
So, your business is ready to join the digital age with text message marketing. You’ve likely heard of the term “short code”, but you may not have any clue what these words mean. A short code is a five or six-digit phone number reserved for a specific business or brand. When people opt-in to receive your text marketing, they’ll text a keyword or phrase to your short code to get started.
Short codes are shorter than traditional phone numbers, which makes them more memorable. Short codes are ideal for brands looking to send text blasts to a large audience in a short time. Short codes can be used in TapOnIt’s SMS and MMS marketing. How you optimize our short code service is up to you. Reach out to our team today to begin exploring the possibilities!
Are There Different Kinds of Short Codes for SMS & MMS?
While short codes used to be shared among various organizations, recent shifts in the cellular industry have led to the banning of shared short codes. Having a dedicated short code helps prevent message spam and gives brands full control over the content shared through their number. You have two choices when it comes to short codes for SMS and MMS marketing. Both offer the same functionality and are used as a dedicated short code unique to your brand:
Random Short Codes
If you don’t care what phone number is assigned to your brand, a random short code is your best bet. Also called non-vanity short codes, random short codes are the cheaper of the two options available because they’re randomly generated. They work the same as the other option and are preferred by companies on a tighter budget.
Vanity Short Codes
Just as vanity license plates are available to those willing to pay a premium price, so are vanity short codes. For a higher fee, you can select the digits used in your short code. Vanity short codes are usually easier to remember or relate to your brand, perhaps spelling out an on-brand phrase or slogan.
How Do You Get a Dedicated Short Code?
To get a dedicated short code, you must first fill out applications with cellular carriers. They’ll want to know your intended use and verify that everything on your application is accurate. The approval process can take up to six to eight weeks. Short codes are leased through the U.S. Short Code Administration. TapOnIt can take care of this whole process for you.
How Successful Are SMS + MMS Marketing Efforts?
The benefits of SMS and MMS marketing messages include reaching an expanded target audience with high conversion rates and personalized brand messaging. Effectively build relationships by sending engaging content like event reminders, special promotions, or “we miss you” messages to customers who haven’t recently interacted with your brand. With more people on their phones, can you afford not to be one of the businesses in their text thread?
Reliable Delivery
Dedicated short codes ensure reliable delivery, which is essential if you’re sending high volumes of texts. With full control over your messaging, you won’t have to worry about carrier violations or tarnishing your brand’s image with message confusion.
Unlimited Keywords
Short codes allow you to use unlimited keywords for your text marketing campaigns. Use any keyword at any time without restrictions to maximize your mobile advertising efforts.
Optimized Branding
Having a dedicated short code makes promotion across various types of marketing more impactful. Once people see your short code across billboards, print ads, videos, and text messages, they’re more likely to remember it and your brand.
Why Choose TapOnIt?
When you partner with TapOnIt, we’ll ensure everything complies with the FCC’s (Federal Communications Commission) regulations. You’ll also enjoy many user-friendly features from our text marketing platform, including:
Custom Content Hubs
Our custom content hubs offer superior tracking, sharing, and redemption features. Sending customers to these hubs strengthens their bond with your brand, making it easy to redeem coupons in-store or online through barcodes, QR codes, or alphanumeric codes.
Simple Sign-Up
Simple sign-up options make it easy to grow your database. People can opt-in to receive your texts via a QR code, web form, mobile ads, and more.
Automation
Do you need to schedule a text blast to your customers in advance? Just set the date and time, and our automated text marketing platform does the rest!
First-Party & Zero-Party Data
Text message marketing allows you to collect valuable data directly from your customers. You own this data, meaning it can never be taken away from you.
Robust Reporting & Analytics
Track the effectiveness of your text marketing campaigns to see which pieces of content have the most engagement.
Smart Audience Builder
Our Smart Audience Builder tool allows you to segment and target your intended audience based on demographics, behavior, engagement, and other factors.
Sweepstakes
While running sweepstakes through your texts is optional, it’s a massive database booster. Our team can help you secure a domain and structure your sweepstakes page.
Enhanced Text & Social Sharing
Our texts have built-in sharing capabilities for many popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook Messenger.
Dedicated Client Support
Our client support specialists can answer questions, set up analytics reporting and campaigns, ensure your compliance with text marketing regulations, and more.
MMS Marketing
We can send multiple images or an animated GIF per text, giving you more opportunities to engage and drive buyer action.
Contact Us to Learn More About SMS & MMS Short Codes
Curious about the current SMS & MMS short code craze? Contact TapOnIt today to learn more about our customized solutions for businesses across all industries. We can help you create powerful content!