SMS Keywords: Attract New Customers

SMS keywords can help your business increase profits, decrease costs, and acquire even more new customers. Here’s how.

What is an SMS keyword?

A keyword is a unique word or phrase customers text to your business to opt-in for specific information. They are an efficient, non-costly way to advertise your offers and attract new customers.

Keywords are primarily used to send an auto reply to anyone who texts in your keyword, or to build a group of subscribers, so you can update them on that topic as needed.

What are SMS keyword examples?

Keywords are not case-sensitive, and will work regardless of capitalized letters, so long as the word or phrase is accurate. For example, if you create the keyword “Coupon,” someone can text in “Coupon," "COUPON" or "coupon," and it will work the same. Here are some other examples of keywords:

DEAL
SUBSCRIBE
VIP
SCHEDULE
SALE
WIN

Note that all our keyword examples only contain letters and no special characters. You ideally want something that is easy for customers to remember and type.

How do you create an SMS keyword?

You need an SMS platform, like Text Request, to create keywords and manage responses to customers who text them to you.

To create a new keyword using Text Request:

Go to keywords in the Settings section of your Text Request menu
Select + New keyword
Name your keyword (this will be the word or phrase people text to you)
Create the auto text customers will receive when they text your keyword

The automated text people receive when they text your keyword could be as simple as:

“Thanks for texting [keyword] to [business]. Every Tuesday we’ll text you links to our latest deals.”

Or:

“Thanks for texting [keyword]. [link] Use that link to get 15% off your next purchase.”

The important part is to give people a next step or let them know what to expect from your future messages.

What is SMS keyword marketing?

SMS marketing is the use of business text messaging to reach a mass audience with the intention of driving engagement and sales. SMS keyword marketing naturally falls into SMS marketing and is the use of keywords to attract new customers or grow your contact list.

After you create your keyword, you need to advertise it across your website, ads, and social media to encourage people to actually text it to you.

A call-to-action, or CTA, to get people to text your keyword could be as simple as:

“Text DEAL to get 10% off your next purchase!”

Just like with any marketing, there needs to be an incentive to get people to take action. You also want to continue engaging with contacts after they text your keyword, which we’ll cover next.

What is an SMS keyword campaign?

An SMS keyword campaign includes the ongoing marketing strategy beyond advertising your keyword. This includes a plan for the kinds of messages you’ll text customers after they use your keyword, including:

Weekly new deals
Ongoing updates
Links to new products
And more

The idea is that if you keep contacts engaged after they text your keyword, you’ll see even more returns down the road.

Any contacts who text your keyword will automatically be put into a group that corresponds with the keyword, so you can send them tailored SMS marketing campaigns. This will ultimately make your SMS campaigns and customer experience smoother.

What is an SMS short code keyword?

A short code is a four, five, or six-digit phone number—like 555-55—commonly used for SMS marketing and automations. A keyword shortcode is a keyword that was made specifically for a short code number.

Short codes tend to be expensive—like $1,000 a month expensive—so businesses have historically shared them to cut down on costs. Short codes also cause problems, because SMS opt-ins for short code numbers are managed across multiple brands. This naturally caused a lot of spam and consumer frustration in the past.

For these reasons, carriers have stopped allowing brands to share short code numbers. Now you need your own 10DLC registered mobile number to send keywords.

A quality business texting platform that offers SMS keyword tools will also help you 10DLC register your business’s phone number. 10DLC registration is the process of verifying your business number and what you text for, so mobile carriers know you’re not a spammer.

Need help creating your first SMS keyword?

Text Request not only offers keywords as a feature, we also help register your 10DLC number on your behalf, and we offer 5-star support and guides to help your SMS keyword campaigns be the very best they can be. Contact us to learn more.