A short code, as the name suggests, is a 5 to 6 digit number that represents the business. This number is used to both send and receive text messages.
Once the business selects its short code, it can use it to send text messages to customers. Companies can choose a short code of their liking at a cost or they can opt to use a shared short code. With the use of a short code, a business is able to send promotions and offers to its customers with a few clicks.
Before choosing a short code for your business, you need to choose a reliable short code texting service that can send all your short text messages to your customers. A short code provider will use your number to send and receive SMS from consumers.
Short code texts have become a common form of choosing to communicate with consumers and people have also gotten used to the concept of it while preferring it.
Learn more about the popularity of short code text messages.
The rise of short code text messaging
From 2015 till 2017, short code texts also known as text message marketing saw an increase of 197% in business to business marketers. It is not just businesses that have shifted towards the trend of text messaging, but also consumers who tend to prefer text messages over other forms of communication.
If you look from a global perspective, there are about 5 billion in this world who own a mobile phone with 2.29 billion of those who can be approached using text messaging and not the internet.
Source: Aviaro
The image above just represents the population of the United States where 5 times the people prefer receiving text messages over phone calls. Text messaging is a popular mode of communication not just in the United States, but on a global scale.
Mass text messaging is a convenient form of staying in contact with customers for businesses. Moreover, the price tag attached to this marketing technique is minimal as compared to other marketing methods.
Text message marketing is a very simple yet effective method of gaining the attention of your audience. When consumers prefer it over other ways of communicating, why not go for it.
While other marketing techniques can also be used, it is a better option to merge text messaging with other channels to ensure a better result for the business. A higher opening and response rate makes mass text messaging more appealing.
Types of texting short code
Even though short codes are just numbers, there are different types of short codes that exist and businesses can choose from these. These numbers can be used to code a word so you can attract customers to remember it or it can be completely random.
There are dedicated short codes and shared short codes that can be used by businesses. If you are looking for a number that only represents your business then you would be going for dedicated short code.
If you choose the number 89098 to be the short code for your company, then only you would be able to send and receive messages using this number. This type of code makes your business unique since no one else can use your number to approach customers.
Shared short code, on the other hand, is a different story. If you choose a number to be a short code, you can rent it out or let other businesses use it as theirs.
You can even approach a business that is giving out shared short codes to choose yours but keep it in mind that other businesses would also be using it.
If you are a business that needs a code to be specific to your company only, then you would be looking for a dedicated short code rather than a shared one.
People can use text message short code lookup to find out the brand that is using it to send short code text.
A Texting short code can also be divided into vanity short codes and random short codes. The former can be broken down further into three types.
If you come across a repetitive short code, it is a vanity short code that has numbers repeating themselves but giving a meaning to the number as well. A number like 606060 is a repetitive vanity code but gives meaning to the business with its uniqueness.
You can even use a short code to represent a word or ideology. If a restaurant is delivering food 24/7 to customers then they can opt for the vanity short code 247247 to let people know that they are open all day, all week.
Source: G2 Learning Hub
The image above shows that 76% of people claim that they have received text messages from one business or another.
If you want the short code to spell out a word for your business, you can opt for a vanity short code. Being a business that is offering special deals to customers, you can choose 33257 (DEALS) to be your short code which the customer can spell out from their keypad.
How does short code differ from long code?
Businesses do not just opt for short codes to text customers but can also choose long codes. The main difference that lies between the two is that the latter can be used to make and receive calls as well rather than just sending text messages.
A long code is basically a proper phone number that can be used by businesses to send and receive text messages while making calls to customers.
It depends on you which code you wish to opt for when choosing mass text messaging as a marketing technique. You can use one of them or both if the need arises and keep your numbers unique to set you apart from others in the market.
Source: Blog- Text2Drive
The picture above shows the difference between the two types of codes. While one is only 5 digits long, the other is 10 digits long. However, for texting, both work the same way.
This brings us to the question, how to get short codes for text messaging? To get text message short codes, you have to sign up on a platform like Express Text. Pick a plan then you select your unique short code.
Texting short code benefits
- Unique codes: As a business, you want to stand out and be remembered by people. When you choose a short code, you have the option of making it exclusive to your brand so no other business can use it to send text messages to customers.
You want your messages to be opened and read so the content can create an impact on customers.
Source: Visually
According to the image above, text messages are read within 5 seconds of being opened and 90% of the text messages sent are opened by people. With such high statistics, businesses should take advantage of and use this tool tactfully to target their audiences.
- Convenience and ease: Mass text messaging is a highly convenient and easy marketing technique that can be used by both old and new businesses in the market. With the use of a short code, it becomes even easier since customers have higher chances of remembering a 5 digit code when they receive a text message.
Moreover, all that a business needs to do is type out a message and send click while selecting the contacts through a list.
Source: Fusion Marketing
When looking at convenience, you can see that the image above shows that an average person only takes 90 seconds to respond. That is how easy it is to send a text message.
As a business, you just need a good service provider, a shortcode, and an updated contact list to start sending text messages. So if you are thinking that you need to sit down and type out each text message, you are highly mistaken.
- Cost-effectiveness: Text message marketing is seeing such a high rise in usage because of the money it saves businesses.
When you are sending out bulk text messages, the cost per message decreases as the number of text messages increases. This really helps companies, especially those who are new and have a tight budget to follow.
Like any other business, you want to save money and earn profits. Using shortcodes for text messaging keeps you restricted to your business while promoting your business. Also, free short code text number are available to test how it works.
- Save time: A business requires time and attention as well which is why every single second of your work is precious. Even when it comes to marketing, you need to save time and make it quick.
Mass text messaging has a great benefit of being quick in relaying information to the customers. With the development in technology, mobile networking has seen some great evolutions one of which is text messages being sent within the spur of a second.
Moreover, using text message marketing allows businesses to create and draft messages beforehand saving them time. If you categorize your contact list, it is possible for you to send personalized text messages using your short code by simply selecting the entire list and hitting send.
Source: Hootsuite Blog
The world is becoming a digital place and with such fast growth in mobile networking, both businesses and customers have shifted to text messaging.
- Engaging with customers: For any business, it is necessary to create a bond with customers. Text messages are a reliable way of building a good relationship with your audience.
You can personalize text messages and address customers by their names to engage them. Moreover, you can ask customers to send their replies, feedback or queries on your short code so a two-way communication can begin with them.
Short code text messaging allows interactive communication between a business and its customers so all information is relayed.
Source: Trumpia
When compared to other forms of marketing, text messages have a higher response frequency and speed making it a better mode of communication with customers. This also shows that text messages have a higher rate of response, unlike other marketing methods.
Conclusion
Texting short codes are a part of mass text message marketing for businesses and have an important role to play in creating an image of a business.
You obviously want people to know and remember who is texting them so using a short code, especially a vanity one, can really ensure that customers save your number.
With the help of a service provider, you can select a unique short code to use for your texting while making sure that the number is restricted for your business only. A number that is used by one company only makes it easier for consumers to remember that brand and associate themselves with it.
A service provider like Express Text can enable direct to consumer short code text.
Sending out text messages to promote your business has lower costs attached to it. Sending out one text message can cost approximately $0.08 or 8 cents which also tends to lower when the number of messages being sent out increases.
The best part about using a short code is that people can end up saving the number as a part of their contact list making it easier for them to know when they receive a text message from the business.
Source: SlideShare
The picture clarifies that text message marketing is much more effective than other forms of marketing for businesses.
If you want to form an engaging relationship with your audience then short code allows them to text back and send queries allowing two-way communication. Businesses looking to personalize their text messages for customers and maintain a good relationship with their clients should know how to set up short code text. Learn more about how you can start using short code texting aka text message marketing with Express Text.