SMS short codes are one of the backbones of text messaging—they are four-, five-, or six-digit numbers that can be used for mass texting. Using an SMS short code optimizes marketing via mass messaging because it is faster than other messaging options.
A dedicated code can only be used by a single organization or user. While obtaining a dedicated shortcode can require a significant financial investment, the cost is worth the benefit for many organizations. It offers a range of improvements compared to messaging with a 10-digit phone number.
Dedicated codes are allowed by carriers to run otherwise prohibited types of text campaigns, including text-to-win and text-to-donate programs.
Since these codes are only used by a single organization, inbound messages can be accurately delivered to them.
A shortcode can be as recognizable to your customer as your Twitter account or website address.
You aren't limited by other people already using your SMS mobile keyword, which gives you the creative freedom to choose whatever keyword you like.
Random short codes are 4, 5, or 6-digit codes that are provisioned en masse and assigned to a customer. A vanity code is a specific short code that you choose to boost the recognizability of your code (as long as that code is available). Both types of codes effectively function the same and share all the advantages of shortcodes, the only difference being that vanity codes cost more.
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Automatically orchestrate text, MMS, and email, so campaigns are coordinated throughout your customer's experience.
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You need to work with a team of experts (like those at Trum·pia who are ready to help) to get a short code number provisioned. Here are the steps:
You can either choose a number from the list of available codes (which costs more), or you can select a random number. Our team can help you decide which is better for your business and navigate any short code registry.
Trum·pia can help you fill out the necessary forms so your code can be provisioned to fit your messaging needs. Make it official with no hassle involved.
An SMS service like Trum·pia can connect with aggregators and submit your code application for review by the wireless carriers. We need some basic information, like how you expect to use your code and verify that your program follows messaging best practices. Please note this process can take a few weeks to complete.
Once your code is provisioned we can help you build SMS marketing campaigns that help you accomplish your messaging goals. Use Trum·pia's tools to develop effective and engaging marketing plans that draw in your client or audience base.
There are many regulations that govern who you are allowed to text, when, and with what content. These include the TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) and the CTIA, and they both have different guidelines everyone needs to follow to ensure compliance and not be levied fines or have your shortcode shut down. To read more about these, click here.
One of the only drawbacks of SMS shortcodes is the fact that they can be pricey. Shared shortcodes helped to mitigate costs by allowing organizations to share one single shortcode. Unfortunately, shared shortcodes also come with some drawbacks, which is why wireless carriers have shut them down. Here's why:
Keyword Competition:
Because the single code is shared across multiple users, the "pool" of available keywords for any business to use becomes limited. So for example, if two athletic stores with the same shared code wanted to use the mobile keyword “Tennis”, only one of them would be able to.
Message Routing:
Imagine that 1,000 people lived in your home with you, and when someone tried to send you mail, they could only include the address, not your name. It would become incredibly hard to decipher which piece of mail was meant for which person. Similarly, shared codes make it incredibly difficult to route inbound messages to the correct user's inbox.
Reliance on Other Users:
There are many compliance regulations that govern text messaging for businesses. With a shared code, if a single user out of 1,000misuses the code and sends non-compliant messages, wireless carriers could shut down the entire code, leaving the 999 other users out of luck.
Carrier Shutdown:
Carriers have discontinued shared short codes because of all of these drawbacks and their ability to be used by bad actors. High-throughput toll-free numbers have many of the same benefits as shared codes without any of these drawbacks.
A short code audit is the monitoring of shortcodes by wireless carriers. This usually occurs when a wireless carrier finds that the short code is not following the rules and regulations that they set out. Be careful to read up on all of the rules and regulations of your wireless carrier to avoid this common short code mistake. Otherwise, the punishment can widely vary depending on the severity of the violation. You do not want to have your code taken away from you by a silly mistake. Remember to always include opt-out disclosures in messages to protect yourself better for any text message marketing.
When you apply for a short code, you make an agreement to follow the content regulations when you send and receive text messages. This pre-approves the messages you end up sending in the future.
For this reason, SMS messages sent by shortcodes are not filtered by carriers unless carriers receive spam complaints about a certain code or the code is audited.
In essence, most businesses should be able to acquire their dedicated code with little to no problems. However, for businesses whose services promote or produce content that is not within the guidelines (ex: Alcoholic products, firearms, tobacco, etc.), getting a code approved becomes substantially more difficult and at times can be denied. The type of SMS and the content matter in these cases.
The price that companies pay for codes usually only includes your ability to lease a short code. This means it does not include the services needed to provision the code for use on the different wireless carrier networks. At Trum·pia, we provide such short code services for a fee so that our customers do not need to go through the painstaking process of keeping their codes active on the various networks.
Though it is common to call these SMS codes, they can be used to send MMS texts as well. Rates for sending multimedia messages can be different than bare text, but all types of short codes can still be used for messages containing video, image, and other multimedia.
With Trum·pia, you can add a dedicated short code to any of our plans. This gives you the freedom to build a brand with your number and eliminates any messaging throughput issues due to Trum·pia's high volume. To see our plan's pricing, please see our pricing page.