Gather Opt-Ins and Sales Leads with SMS Short Codes

SMS Short codes are memorable 5 digit numbers (e.g. 51444) widely used in SMS Marketing to gather sales leads, promote discount offers, as part of charity campaigns and more. Short codes are designed to be easier to read and remembered than normal telephone numbers and can be used to capture consumer mobile phone numbers (and other data) for direct marketing purposes and as a direct response tool for TV, Radio and Print advertising.

The low-down on SMS Short Codes.

So how can your business use SMS Short Codes as a marketing or customer relations tool. Well they are an excellent mechanism for your customers to:

1. Receive a discount voucher or mobile coupon to their phone e.g. “Text OFFER to 51111 to get 10% off your next purchase”

2. Register for an upcoming event e.g. “Text OURCLUB to 51111 if you are interested in the upcoming fourball”

3. Text for a sales quote, request a call-back or text for more info e.g. “For more info or to get a quote text MYCOMPANY to 51111

4. Donate to your charity e.g. “Text DONATE to 51111 to donate €1”

5. Register a vote or take part in a poll / survey e.g.“Text VOTE followed by A, B or C to vote for your favourite act”

6. Receive a link to a mobile website e.g. “To download our loyalty card app text OURAPP to 51111”

Irish short codes can be used across all networks. However, SMS short codes are country specific and for all Ireland promotions you will need to register an Irish and UK short code.

While you can purchase a dedicated short code number i.e. a number that only your company can use, registering a keyword on a shared short code is a much more cost effective option for most companies.

There are 3 types of short codes commonly used. These are:

Standard Rate Short Code: - The consumer sending an SMS to a Short Code pays the cost of a standard text to send the SMS.

Free Text Short Codes: - The consumer sending the SMS is not charged. Instead the advertising party bear the cost of the message. This is the SMS equivalent of Freephone.

There can be a lot of confusion among the general public regarding sending an SMS to a short code, with some consumers under the impression that they will always be charged excessively for doing this. As can be seen for both the categories above, this is not the case. Also, for Free Text and Standard Rate short codes sending an SMS response back to the consumer is free to the end user and is paid for by the brand, thereby encouraging greater response rates. So when advertising your short code it is always a good idea to let the consumer know that “Standard Text Rates Apply”

Premium Rate Short Codes: - When a consumer sends an SMS to a premium rate short code they pay more than the cost of a standard text. The cost to the consumer varies based on the campaign/service. However, when considering using a premium rate short code as a revenue generating mechanism be aware that there is normally a significant set-up fee and monthly fee charged by the service provider. So do your maths carefully and be sure that you will get enough interest from the general public to cover your costs and start making a profit.

Alternatives to short codes for two-way SMS.

For 2-way communication an alternative to SMS Short Codes are Virtual Numbers (long numbers), which can be used in place of short codes to provide a two-way SMS option. A virtual number has the same format as a standard mobile phone number in your country (e.g. +353 87 1781632). Using a keyword on a Virtual Number works in the say way as a keyword/short code combination. However, while virtual numbers are not as memorable as 5 digit short codes they are a cheaper option and do work across international boundaries. It is also a much more cost effective option if you wish to have your own dedicated number rather than share a short code.

Find out more.

If you are interested in registering a keyword and short code for your business gives a ring or complete our Contact Us form and one of our team will give you a ring. We will be happy to discuss your businesses requirements and advise you on how an SMS Short Code or Virtual Number can best work for your business.