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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.

Creating your first SMS campaign can be a daunting task. in this post we take it back to basics and discuss the different types of SMS marketing campaigns. To begin with we focus on the simplest distinction between campaign types, whether it is primarily inbound (receiving) or outbound (sending).

Text message marketing works because it is short, quick, personal, and immediate. You don't want to annoy the people you're reaching out to. If you're running an opt-in campaign, or a contest, keep the process to as few steps as possible.

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Part two of a two part article explaining the differences between SMS Shortcodes and Virtual Mobile Numbers. Here we explain in detail the costs and characteristics of Dedicated Shortcodes and Shared Shortcodes. You can also get advice on how to choose between shortcodes and VMNs.

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Part 1 of a 2 part article comparing Virtual Mobile Numbers (VMNs) and SMS Shortcodes as means of receiving inbound SMS messages. The first part focuses on how VMNs work, what they are typically used for and what they cost. Part 2 follows with details of SMS Shortcodes.

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