SMS Marketing Glossary: Part I
There are a lot of new SMS marketing terms popping up every day to describe portions of our industry and related text marketing terminology. In fact, our most common questions are asking us to define certain market related terms. To help out those interested in starting a text marketing campaign for their business, we bring you Part I of our glossary:
1) Bulk SMS: Bulk SMS is sending a text message to multiple recipients at once. When you send a text message or broadcast message to your opt-in list, you are engaging in bulk SMS messaging. All text message marketing companies are in the bulk SMS business by default. There is a negative connotation of this term in the market by spammers who purchase illegal lists of mobile numbers and then send a bulk SMS message. This is illegal and Moto Message does not engage in this form of Bulk SMS messaging.
2) Application Provider: Moto Message is an application provider. We developed an application that allows end users to send text messages for marketing purposes.
3) Carriers: Carriers are cell phone companies also known as wireless carriers.
4) Aggregators: These companies provide the crucial link needed when you send a text message through Moto Message and want it to reach your subscriber through their carrier. There are only a handful of aggregators in the United States that control the delivery and flow of text messages.
5) Subscriber: These are your customers that subscriber or opt-in to receive text message communication from the business. Also known as end users.
6) Keyword: A keyword is the name or even number in some cases that your end user will type to our short code, 83936 to opt-in to your list. You can have multiple keywords for each account and some of our clients use multiple keywords for each campaign to track opt-ins from different sources.
7) Opt-In: End users must opt-in, or give permission, before you can send them any form of text communication from an application provider. Users can opt-in by texting the keyword to our short code or use a web form which will generate a confirmation message the user must respond Y or N to be full subscribed.
8)Short Code:A short code is a 5 or 6 digit number used by application providers to allow end users to subscribe and receive text messages. We use a 5 digit short code at Moto Message, 83936. Each company will have a different short code and multiple clients will use the same short code for their campaigns.
9) Long Code: A long code is a ten digit number, think telephone number with area code. At this time there are fewer restrictions on text marketing with long codes and the start up process is less stringent for application providers. We do offer long code text marketing but self impose the same regulations and rules as if the business is using a short code.
10) SMS: Short Message Service (SMS) is the most widely used form of communication on mobile devices today. It is the method of sending text messages and has become widely known as the main form of mobile marketing.
Check back for our SMS Marketing Glossary: Part II in the future and if you have any questions about mobile marketing terms, please let us know.
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About the author
Shane has been in the restaurant business his entire life. Working as a cook in fine dinning, owning multiple pizza parlors around Boston and as a one time owner of the oldest bar in Boston, The Red Hat. Now he uses his experience to write marketing guides and articles and act as customer support liason, all in the name of helping his fellow small business owners succeed.
