How to Get a Short Code for Text Message Marketing

Anthony Wayne    mobile marketing, Text Message Marketing     shared short code, short codes

A short code is a truncated short phone number that is used in automated text message marketing.  It is also a highly effective means to connect with consumers and communicate short messages via SMS.

American Idol can afford its own short code, but maybe you need a shared short code.

Companies can use a shared short code that is offered by many mobile marketing companies in the USA and Canada.  With a shared short code, the marketer has the advantage of not having the high start up and monthly fees associated with a dedicated short code.  The disadvantage of a shared short code is that it is possible that a popular keyword (pizza for example) may not be avaialable on the short code since only one advertiser can use each keyword.  Most do-it-yourself text message marketing sites use a shared short code.

Larger companies may prefer to obtain their own dedicated short codes.  It may be that the company wishes to utilize a particular vanity that is associated with its business.  Or, they may be doing enough business to warrant the cost of the short code.

Short codes are not cheap.  The carriers charge a cumulative $3500 for the initial investment in obtaining a new short code.  In addition, the owner of the short code will be required to pay a quarterly fee in advance of the three month period for the dedicated short code.  A vanity short code, which is a particular number requested by the company, costs $1000 per month.  A random short code, assigned by the regulator, costs $500 per month.

To see what short codes are available, a business can visit US Short Codes.  Unless you are going to be providing the interactive text message technology yourself, however, we recommend that you reserve the code, then ask your provider to contract for the short code.  Write it in the contract so that the provider will allow you to take the short code with you should you decide to change vendors at a later date.

In the United States today, there are more than 4,200 registered and active short codes.  Of those registered, 40% are vanity short codes.

Strike Three for Newspapers

Anthony Wayne    media     baseball, demise, golden retrievers, newspapers

Like most middle-aged guys, newspapers have been a big part of my life.

My first job was delivering newspapers.  I majored in journalism in college when print media still ruled.  My breakfast as a child and teen was not complete without checking out the box scores from the night before.

In fact, I recall my parents, in a moment of austerity, threatening to cancel the afternoon edition of the newspaper, and save $1.35 per week, in my then hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  I’d have none of it.  How else would I get the west coast scores that were too late to be included in the morning edition of The Patriot-News?

In 1900, there were 600 cities in the USA that had two daily newspapers.  Today, there are 6.  We’ve stopped counting the two-newspaper towns and are instead starting to count the no newspaper towns.

Times have certainly changed.  A teenage baseball fan gets his baseball information from SportsCenter.  That is, if his local cable or satellite company doesn’t also include MLB Network.  That is, if he hasn’t already been online to check out the baseball results or received information from his Facebook or Twitter account.  Or, watched the game on MLB At Bat app on his smartphone!

Do you think that the teenage baseball fan of today is willing to wait for the evening edition of the newspaper to get the west coast results?

I still get the newspaper, but every time I read it, I feel old-fashioned.  I get it for two reasons really.  I get it because I want to clip the high school softball results for my daughter’s scrapbook that I keep for her.  I also continue to get it for another unlikely reason: it is the highlight of my golden retriever’s day when he runs out in the morning to get the newspaper.  Ironically, the only one who can’t read in our family, my dog, would be the one most disappointed if we cancelled our subscription.

But, it’s not all timber for the newspaper industry.  According to comScore, 57% of the American online internet audience visited a newspaper web site in 2010.  More than 32 million visit the New York Times online newspaper alone in a month.  I don’t feel old-fashioned reading Philly.com today.

And, I don’t have to wait for the afternoon to get the Dodgers scores.

Bob Bentz is President of Advanced Telecom Services which provides MatchLink — an online dating solution to newspapers.  You can follow him on Twitter @BobBentz or you can just wait outside his home and leave a message for him when his golden retriever gets the newspaper each morning.

Where We are Seeing QR Codes

Anthony Wayne    QR Codes     growth, QR Codes, usa

The use of QR Codes in the USA is showing phenomenal growth and QR Codes have become the hottest property in mobile marketing.

QR Code growth in USA is outpacing other countries

 Here’s where most people are seeing QR Codes.

Where are Americans seeing QR Codes?