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shortcode Tag

News, tips & advice from FastSMS

An SMS shortcode is a 4, 5 or 6 digit number which can receive text messages but not voice calls. Mostly they have 5 digits starting with 6 or 8 – e.g. 87007 or 61612. Whilst it is possible to have your own dedicated shortcode, this is relatively expensive both in setup costs and monthly rental fees. So it is most normal to rent a keyword on a shared shortcode from an agent such as Fastsms.

A keyword can be any combination of letters and numbers. The keyword defines who the message is for and also the actions prompted by the keyword. For example the keyword “QUIZ” might be related to a text based competition by a specific party and their user base might be invited to text QUIZ followed by the answer to the quiz question. Equally the keyword FASTSMS might simply be used to indicate that the message following the keyword is intended for Fastsms.

One of the great advantages of SMS: it's completely trackable so you know exactly how your campaigns are engaging your opted in customers and clients. And if you’re a small business, operating in a specific geographical location, then that local knowledge can be invaluable in targeting your campaigns to a local audience.

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We’re all familiar with shortcodes without actually knowing what they are. Shortcodes are the 5 to 6 digit numbers that businesses use for sending and replying to their text messages. To keep costs low and to get into the mobile space as quickly as possible, your small business needs a shared shortcode, here's why.

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Whether you have a VMN or a shortcode, you probably want to use keywords for your SMS marketing. In Part 2 of this series you’ll find out how to pick keywords and what can happen if you don’t follow those general guidelines.

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Keywords are important in SMS marketing. In order to use them, you have to have two-way messaging. But does it matter if you have a VMN or shortcode? Yes, and no. In principle, they are the same. But practically there are differences. Find out all about them in this blog.

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