What’s in a Keyword? Three Rules to Using Keywords in SMS Marketing

You’ve probably seen keywords used in marketing text messages you’ve received. They’re short, easy to remember words you can type into a text message reply. A common example you’ll see is something like “reply STOP to unsubscribe” at the end of marketing text messages. STOP is the keyword.
But they really could be any words right?
Technically yes, but some are better than others.
Just think about what you want to use a keyword for. They are a mechanism you provide your customers, clients, or members to reply to your text message. Now consider that your customer is typing their reply on a small keyboard on their mobile phone. Even those who excel at texting (almost anyone under the age of 18) don’t want to have to type in a long word. So keeping it a short word is the first rule of keyword choice.
Beyond using simple, short keywords to instruct your customers (like “STOP”), you can use keywords to help track marketing campaigns. Whether you are running a contest, promoting a sale, or looking for feedback, choose a unique keyword for each campaign. This will let you determine which campaigns are the most effective. The second rule is use as many keywords as needed. Imagine you are an electrical retailer running a discount campaign using SMS messaging. You could have a single keyword such as “BARGAINS” for the customer to access a list of prices for all items but wouldn’t it be better to break the list down? How about “TV” for televisions, “HIFI” for music systems and “CAMERA” for photographic. Response rates and conversion rates will benefit by sending prospects straight to their area of interest.
Many of the text messages I get use different keywords. For example, a music venue frequently sends me texts asking me to reply in order to win tickets to a show. They could simply ask me to send the keyword “Enter” or “Yes” in order to enter the contest. But they don’t. For each musical act, they use a keyword related to the artist: their name, portion of the name, or a song title. This helps me know, or realise in the moment I’m texting, what exactly it is I’m agreeing to in my reply. And that’s the third rule, make the keywords make sense. For brands this might mean using a product name, or the brand name itself.
Bear in mind also that you can use keywords in conjunction with either SMS shortcodes or VMNs (Virtual Mobile Numbers). For a fuller explanation of these click here.
Following these three rules of keyword choice should help you in creating effective text marketing campaigns. You can always learn too, from the marketers texting you. Have you received any awful keyword choices? Please share with us in the comments.
Related Articles
6 Psychological Tips for SMS Marketing Success
Getting to grips with the underlying psychology of how audiences react both consciously and subconsciously to your message is key to achieving the maximum effect in any type of marketing. All kinds of things come into play with different media, from colours and shapes to images and videos. Even the way things move can have a powerful effect on a viewer. Unlike many other forms of marketing, however, SMS marketing is unique in that the only tool you have is words - and not many of them. But armed with a basic knowledge of consumer psychology, 456 characters is more than enough to get the desired effect. In this article, we present our six top tips to take advantage of the psychology of SMS messaging.
What’s in a Keyword? Three Rules to Using Keywords in SMS Marketing
Keywords are single words that can be used within two way SMS marketing campaigns. They can be used in conjunction with SMS shortcodes or with Virtual Mobile Numbers. Learn three basic rules for the use of SMS keywords that will increase click-through rates and conversions.
3 Common Errors That Will Ruin Your SMS Marketing
You worked hard to get those customers on your SMS marketing list. But now they are unsubscribing like crazy, or maybe just no longer responding to your messages. What happened? Maybe you’ve committed one of the following common, but easy to fix, errors that can completely drive your customers away.
6 Tips To Help You Get The Most From SMS Marketing
What are the dos and don’ts of SMS marketing? How can you get the most from your business text messaging? We’ve put together six actionable tips to help you get the best from your SMS marketing campaigns.
What You Need to Know About Choosing SMS Keywords
Keywords are a big deal in SMS marketing. They’re more important than ever, whether you use a shortcode or a virtual mobile number (VMN) if you’re planning on using two-way messaging. Here's what you need to know to help you choose the right keyword for your SMS marketing campaign.
Getting a Reply: Should You Choose a VMN or Shortcode? Part 2
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.
Top Three Things Retailers Should Do to Keep Customers on Their SMS Opt-In List
You've run a successful SMS opt-in campaign for your retail store. Now that you have your list, do you have a plan to keep them from opting out? Wait, you mean there's more to this than just sending out coupon codes? There is if you want to keep your customers from opting out.
Using Keywords with VMNs and Shortcodes (Part 2)
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.
Be Careful When Reading About Shortcodes and VMNs
When you start using SMS marketing, one of the first decisions you need to make is whether or not you’ll need to get replies. If you do, then you’ll need to decide between shortcodes and a virtual mobile number (VMN, also called longcode). If you don’t, then that’s alright too.
3 Important SMS Marketing Concepts You Need to Know
If you are looking to get going with SMS marketing it's worth learning a bit about the "tricks of the trade" so you avoid the common pitfalls and get off on the right foot. Read about three important marketing concepts that will maximise your success in this venture.