Th eUl tima Guideto C om n Short Codesmobilestorm.com/wp-content/uploads/The_Ultimate... · MOVIE2 to 46882 | T ext MOVIE3 to 46883 | T ext MOVIE4 to 46884 | T ext MOVIE5 to 46885

Text MOZART to 833833 | Text PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS (33257) | Text HOMES to

BUILD (28453) | Text QUICKFLIGHTS to PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to 119955 | Text BLUNDER to

66779 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text MOVIE1 to 46881 | Text MOVIE2 to 46882 | Text

MOVIE3 to 46883 | Text MOVIE4 to 46884 | Text MOVIE5 to 46885 | Text MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text

46886 | Text MOVIE7 to 46887 | Text MOVIE8 to 46888 | Text MOVIE1 to 46888 |

Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text SHOP to 34477 | Text LOUD to 89111 | Text VOTE1 to 747474 |

Text POLITICS to 18946 | Text VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 | Text

SAVOR to 39456 | Text DANCE MIX to MUSIC (68742) | Text HEALTHY to 949411 | Text FOREVER to

49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to BRAND (27263) | Text MOZART to 833833 |

Text PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS (33257) | Text HOMES to BUILD (28453) | Text QUICK

-

FLIGHTS to PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to 119955 | Text BLUNDER to 66779 | Text

Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text MOVIE1 to 46881 | Text MOVIE2 to 46882 | Text MOVIE3 to

46883 | Text MOVIE4 to 46884 | Text MOVIE5 to 46885 | Text MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text MOVIE6 to

MOVIE7 to 46887 | Text MOVIE8 to 46888 | Text MOVIE1 to 46888 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676)

Text SHOP to 34477 | Text LOUD to 89111 | Text VOTE1 to 747474 | Text POLITICS to 18946 | Text

VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 | Text SAVOR to 39456 | Text MIX to MUSIC (68742) |

Text HEALTHY to 949411 | Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to

45 MOZART to 833833 | Text PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS (33257) | Text FAB23 to

326988 | Text HOMES to BUILD (28453) | Text QUICKFLIGHTS to PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to

119955 | Text BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text MOVIE1 to 46881 | Text

Text MOVIE2 to 46882 Text MOVIE3 to 46883 | Text MOVIE4 to 46884 | Text MOVIE5 to 46885 | Text


Text FINAL4 to ESPNGO (377646) | Text DIABLO to 238455 | Text CRAVING to PEPSI (73774 ) | Text

ENOUGH to 989898 |Text NOTENOUGH to787878 | Text OSCAR 1 to OSCARS (672277)

| Text OSCAR

2 to OSCARS (672277) | Text OSCAR 3 to OSCARS (672277) | Text OSCAR 4 to OSCARS (672277)

Text OSCAR 5 to OSCARS (672277) | Text FRESHNOW to 592384 | Text BASSBOAT to 37745 | Text

POLITICS to 18946 | Text VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 Text SAVOR to 39456 | Text

DANCE MIX to MUSIC (68742) | Text HEALTHY to 949411 | Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to

OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to BRAND (27263) | Text MOZART to 833833 | Text MOBILE to STORM

(78676) | Text SHOP to 34477 | Text LOUD to 89111 | Text VOTE1 to 747474 | Text POLITICS to 18946 |

Text VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 | Text SAVOR to 39456 | Text DANCE MIX to

MUSIC (68742) | Text HEALTHY to 949411 | Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA

(62262) | Text IMAGE to BRAND (27263) | Text MOZART to 833833 | Text PROMO1 to 42275 | Text

SHOP to DEALS (33257) | Text HOMES to BUILD (28453) | Text QUICKFLIGHTS to PLANE (75263) |

Text SLEEP to 119955 | Text BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text MOVIE1 to



46888 | Text MOVIE1 to 46888 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text SHOP to 34477 | Text LOUD to

89111 | Text VOTE1 to 747474 | Text POLITICS to 18946 | Text VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON

to 94941 | Text SAVOR to 39456 | Text DANCE MIX to MUSIC (68742) | Text HEALTHY to 949411 | Text

FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to BRAND (27263) | Text

MOZART to 833833 | Text PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS (33257) | Text HOMES to BUILD

(28453) | Text QUICKFLIGHTS to PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to 119955 | Text BLUNDER to 66779 |

Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text MOVIE1 to 46881 | Text MOVIE2 to 46882 | Text MOVIE3 to


46886 | Text MOVIE7 to 46887 | Text MOVIE8 to 46888 | Text MOVIE1 to 46888 | Text FINAL4 to

ESPNGO (377646) | Text DIABLO to 238455 | Text CRAVING to PEPSI (73774 ) | Text ENOUGH to

989898 |Text NOTENOUGH to787878 | Text OSCAR 1 to OSCARS (672277)

OSCARS (672277) | Text OSCAR 3 to OSCARS (672277) | Text OSCAR 4 to OSCARS (672277)

OSCAR 5 to OSCARS (672277) | Text FRESHNOW to 592384 | Text BASSBOAT to 37745 | Text

POLITICS to 18946 | Text VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 | Text SAVOR to 39456 |

Text DANCE MIX to MUSIC (68742) | Text HEALTHY to 949411 | Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text

CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to BRAND (27263) | Text MOZART to 833833 | Text CREDIT

to 638594 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text SHOP to 34477 | Text LOUD to 89111 | Text VOTE1

to 747474 | Text POLITICS to 18946 | Text VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 | Text

SAVOR to 39456 | Text DANCE MIX to MUSIC (68742) | Text HEALTHY to 949411 | Text FOREVER to

49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to BRAND (27263) | Text MOZART to 833833 |

Text PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS (33257) | Text HOMES to BUILD (28453) | Text QUICK

FLIGHTS to PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to 119955 | Text BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to

STORM (78676) | Text MOVIE1 to 46881 | Text MOVIE2 to 46882 | Text MOVIE3 to 46883 | Text


MOVIE7 to 46887 | Text MOVIE8 to 46888 | Text MOVIE1 to 46888 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676)

| Text SHOP to 34477 | Text LOUD to 89111 | Text VOTE1 to 747474 | Text POLITICS to 18946 | Text

VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 | Text SAVOR to 39456 | Text DANCE MIX to MUSIC

(68742) | Text HEALTHY to 949411 | Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text

IMAGE to BRAND (27263) | Text MOZART to 833833 | Text PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS

(33257) | Text HOMES to BUILD (28453) | Text QUICKFLIGHTS to PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to

119955 | Text BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text MOVIE1 to 46881 | Text



MOVIE1 to 46888 | Text FINAL4 to ESPNGO (377646) | Text DIABLO to 238455 | Text CRAVING to

PEPSI (73774 ) | Text ENOUGH to 989898 |Text NOTENOUGH to787878 | Text OSCAR 1 to OSCARS

| Text OSCAR 2 to OSCARS (672277)

| Text OSCAR 5 to OSCARS (672277)

BASSBOAT to 37745 | Text POLITICS to 18946 | Text VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941

written by mobileStorm CEO Jared Reitzin

THE DIGITAL MARKETING COMPANY

The Ultimate Guide to Common Short Codes

MOVIE3 to 46883 | Text MOVIE4 to 46884 | Text MOVIE5 to 46885 | Text MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text 46886 | T

MOVIE7 to 46887 | Text MOVIE8 to 46888 | Text MOVIE1 to 46888 |

Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text SHOP to 34477 | Text LOUD to 89111 | Text VOTE1 to 747474 | Text POLITICS

to 18946 | Text VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 | Text

Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | SAVOR to 39456 | Text DANCE MIX to MUSIC (68742) | Text HEALTHY to 949411 |

Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to BRAND (27263) | Text MOZA

Text PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS (33257) | Text HOMES to BUILD (28453) | Text QUICKFLIGHTS to

PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to 119955 | Text BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | T

46881 | Text MOVIE2 to 46882 | Text MOVIE3 to 46883 | Text MOVIE4 to 46884 | Text MOVIE5 to 46885 |

MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text MOVIE6 to MOVIE7 to 46887 | Text MOVIE8 to 46888 | Text MOVIE1 to 46888 |

MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text SHOP to 34477 | Text LOUD to 89111 | Text VOTE1 to 747474 | T

VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 | Text SAVOR to 39456 | Text MIX to MUSIC (68742) |

THY to 949411 | Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to 45 MOZA

ext PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS (33257) | Text FAB23 to 326988 Text HOMES to BUILD

ext QUICKFLIGHTS to PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to 119955 | Text BLUNDER to 66779 |

ext MOVIE1 to 46881 | Text MOVIE2 to 46882 Text MOVIE3 to 46883 | Text MOVIE4 to 46884 |

ext MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text MOVIE7 to 46887 |

Text SAVOR to 39456 | Text MIX to MUSIC (68742) |

ext CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to 45 MOZA

AB23 to 326988 Text HOMES to BUILD (28453) |

ext BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676)

ext MOVIE4 to 46884 |



The Ultimate Guide to Common Short Codeswritten by mobileStorm CEO Jared Reitzin

Published by

mobileStorm Inc. 7900 Haskell Ave. Van Nuys, CA 91406

Telephone (818) 465-6500 Facsimile 1-877-801-4208

Copyright 2012

No part of the contents of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the mobileStorm Inc.

mobileStorm is a registered trademark of mobileStorm Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

www.mobilestorm.com

Text 46886 | Text

ext VOTE1 to 747474 | Text POLITICS

ext HEA LTHY to 949411 |

Text MOZA R T to 833833

ext QUICKFLIGHTS to

ext MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text MOVIE1 to

ext MOVIE5 to 46885 | Text

ext MOVIE1 to 46888 | Text

ext VOTE1 to 747474 | Text POLITICS to

Text MIX to MUSIC (68742) |

Text IMAGE to 45 MOZAR T to

AB23 to 326988 Text HOMES to BUILD

ext BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to

ext MOVIE3 to 46883 | Text MOVIE4 to 46884 |

ext MOVIE7 to 46887 | Text MOVIE8 to

ext MIX to MUSIC (68742) | Text HEA LTHY

ext IMAGE to 45 MOZAR T to 833833 | Text

ext HOMES to BUILD (28453) | Text

ext BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676)

ext MOVIE4 to 46884 | Text MOVIE5 to


Text



Text MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text 46886 |


Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text SHOP to 34477 | Text LOUD to 89111 | Text VOTE1 to 747474 |

to 18946 | Text VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 |

Text

Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | SAVOR to 39456 | Text DANCE MIX to MUSIC (68742) |

Text HEA

Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) |

Text IMAGE to BRAND (27263) |

Text PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS (33257) |

Text HOMES to BUILD (28453) | Text QUICKFLIGHTS to

PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to 119955 |

Text BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) |

46881 | Text MOVIE2 to 46882 | Text MOVIE3 to 46883 |

Text MOVIE4 to 46884 | Text MOVIE5 to 46885 |

MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text MOVIE6 to MOVIE7 to 46887 | Text MOVIE8 to 46888 |

Text MOVIE1 to 46888 |

MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text SHOP to 34477 | Text LOUD to 89111 | Text VOTE1 to 747474 |

ext VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 |

Text S AVOR to 39456 | T

THY to 949411 | Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) |

ext PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS (33257) |

Text FAB23 to 326988

ext QUICKFLIGHTS to PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to 119955 |

Text BLUNDER to 66779 |

ext MOVIE1 to 46881 | Text MOVIE2 to 46882 Text MOVIE3 to 46883 |


Text MOVIE7 to 46887 |

ext INFINEON to 94941 | Text S AVOR to 39456 | Text MIX to MUSIC (68742) |

ext CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to 45 MOZA

AB23 to 326988 Text HOMES to BUILD (28453) |

ext BLUNDER to 66779 |





The Ulti mate Guide to Co mmon Sh ort Code swritten by mobileStorm CEO Jared Reitzin

Contents

The Ultimate Guide to Common Short Codes ............................................................... 1

What is a Common Short Code? ..................................................................................... 2

Who is in Charge of Short Code Leasing? .................................................................... 2

Short Code Types ............................................................................................................. 3

Obtaining a Common Short Code .................................................................................. 3

Short Code Squatting ...................................................................................................... 4

Choosing a Short Code Number ................................................................................... 4

Short Code App roval P rocess ......................................................................................... 6

Why Does a Short Code Take So Long to Get Certified? ............................................. 9

The P ros and Cons of Going Sha red or Dedicated ..................................................... 10

Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 12

About mobileStorm SMS .............................................................................................. 12

About mobileStorm ....................................................................................................... 13

MOVIE3 to 46883 | Text MOVIE4 to 46884 | Text MOVIE5 to 46885 | Text MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text 46886 | Text





Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to BRAND (27263) | Text MOZART to 833833


PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to 119955 | Text BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text MOVIE1 to

46881 | Text MOVIE2 to 46882 | Text MOVIE3 to 46883 | Text MOVIE4 to 46884 | Text MOVIE5 to 46885 | Text

MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text MOVIE6 to MOVIE7 to 46887 | Text MOVIE8 to 46888 | Text MOVIE1 to 46888 | Text

MOBILE to STORM (78676) | Text SHOP to 34477 | Text LOUD to 89111 | Text VOTE1 to 747474 | Text POLITICS to

18946 | Text VAN HALEN to OU812 | Text INFINEON to 94941 | Text SAVOR to 39456 | Text MIX to MUSIC (68742) |

Text HEALTHY to 949411 | Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to 45 MOZART to

833833 | Text PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS (33257) | Text FAB23 to 326988 Text HOMES to BUILD

(28453) | Text QUICKFLIGHTS to PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to 119955 | Text BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to

STORM (78676) | Text MOVIE1 to 46881 | Text MOVIE2 to 46882 Text MOVIE3 to 46883 | Text MOVIE4 to 46884 |

Text MOVIE5 to 46885 | Text MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text MOVIE6 to 46886 | Text MOVIE7 to 46887 | Text MOVIE8 to

46888 | Text MOVIE1 to 4Text INFINEON to 94941 | Text SAVOR to 39456 | Text MIX to MUSIC (68742) | Text HEALTHY

to 949411 | Text FOREVER to 49667 | Text CHANGE to OBAMA (62262) | Text IMAGE to 45 MOZART to 833833 | Text

PROMO1 to 42275 | Text SHOP to DEALS (33257) | Text FAB23 to 326988 Text HOMES to BUILD (28453) | Text

QUICKFLIGHTS to PLANE (75263) | Text SLEEP to 119955 | Text BLUNDER to 66779 | Text MOBILE to STORM (78676)

| Text MOVIE1 to 46881 | Text MOVIE2 to 46882 Text MOVIE3 to 46883 | Text MOVIE4 to 46884 | Text MOVIE5 to




1

The Ultimate Guide to Common Short CodesThe use of short codes has exploded over the last few years. Shortcode/keyword combinations are used as a call to action on everything from print pieces to outdoor ads, television and radio — each asking people to “text-in.”

The popularity and recognition of short codes in the USA accelerated dramatically with shows like American Idol (i.e., Text VOTE to 4701 for your favorite idol) and recently when President Obama used a short code-based method to announce Joe Biden as his vice president. Supporters were encouraged to text OBAMA to 62262 to be the �rst to know who the VP candidate was going to be. The Obama VP announcement was considered the largest single mobile marketing event in history, texting 2.5 million people.

This explosive new form of marketing and communication creates a unique and powerful user experience, allowing organizations to interact with groups and individuals that may be anywhere and, most importantly, interact with them nearly in real-time.

This whitepaper explores some questions that are important to today’s marketer.

• What is a common short code?

• Who oversees them, where can I buy them, and how much do they cost?

• What is the right strategy when choosing a code?

• What exactly does it mean when your mobile partner says your short code is “approved,” “provisioned,” or “certi�ed”?

• Why does it take so long to get a short code approved?

• What is the di�erence between shared and dedicated short codes – and which is right for me?

Tex t H OME S to BU

IL D ( 28

453) — Text MOVIE2 to 46882 —

Text QU

ICK

FL

IGH

TS

to

P L ANE (75263) —

Text S HOP

to D

EA

LS (33257) — Text OU

T LO

UD

to 8

9111 —


























2

What is a Common Short Code?If you’re just getting into mobile marketing, it’s almost impossible to avoid the term “common short code.” A common short code is a �ve- or six-digit number that is leased (not owned) and used to send or receive text messages. A short code is a mobile address where people can �nd your company or brand. The short code equivalent online would be a domain name.

One major di�erence between short codes and domain names is quickly obvious: there are only 88,000 possible combinations of these �ve- and six-digit codes, making them much more valuable — and a hundred times more expensive — than a domain name.

Your personal cell phone number is 10 digits long and, in the world of cellular service, is commonly referred to as a long code. When SMS was being developed as a form of marketing, carriers saw value in

providing easier-to-remember shorter numbers for SMS messages. Now, short codes are very commonly used to promote a product or service, wherever a call-to-action can be placed. It’s a very special form of communication that can be integrated into other marketing media while allowing your targets to meaningfully interact with your brand immediately and from anywhere.

Who is in Charge of Short Code Leasing? You may have heard of ICAAN, the agency that regulates and oversees the creation of domain names (www.mobilestorm.com, for instance). ICANN’s equivalent in the U.S. mobile space is the Common Short Code Administration, abbreviate to CSCA. The CSCA is administered by an organization called the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association which is, unsurprisingly, known as the CTIA. And �nally, the CTIA chose the company NeuStar to build, manage, and operate the short code registry. Tired of acronyms, yet? I’ll go easy.

There are multiple places online to purchase domain names. You might use a business like Go Daddy or Network Solutions. Just about anyone can become a domain reseller, and there are multiple price points in purchasing a domain.

Good news and bad news: in mobile, there is only one place you can lease your code — and only one price. The website is usshortcodes.com. This is where you can �nd codes that are available and begin the process to lease your very own short code.















































3

Short Code TypesThere are two types of short codes that can be leased: random codes or vanity codes. In either case, only �ve- and six-digit codes can be leased.

Random Code: A random code is just that: it is randomly selected on your behalf, and you do not have a choice of digits. Similar to how most people get a new cell phone number, they just take what they get, no questions asked. After going through an application process, and if your application is approved, you are noti�ed of your random code via email. The cost to lease a random code is $500 per month. The CSCA collects in quarterly increments, so total upfront cost is $1,500. (By the way, you’re not quite done yet. More later.)

Vanity Code: A vanity code is any code whereby you have some say over the digits composing your short code. For example, Yahoo leased the short code “92466” which, if you go through the trouble of matching it to letters on most phones, you’ll eventually �nd spells YAHOO. However, a vanity code doesn’t necessarily have to spell out a word. It can be a simple code to remember; i.e., 123123, etc. The CSCA provides a way to search for the code you want and even o�ers code suggestions. This is similar to how a domain reseller would showcase good domains it wants to sell for a premium. A vanity code has the same approval process and time frames as a random code but costs twice as much, at $1,000 per month. Like a random code, you are billed quarterly for the lease.

Obtaining a Common Short Code The short code application process can be started on usshortcodes.com. You will need to �ll out a rather lengthy form. It asks questions such as who is your intended audience, what type of tra�c you expect, will there be spikes in the tra�c, where will the short code be promoted, how will you support the end-user, and so on and so on. And then so on some more. It is recommended you work with a mobile marketing company who knows how to �ll this form out correctly the �rst time. Filling out the application incorrectly results in your code being disapproved and results in the clock starting over on an already lengthy process.

Ultimately, when your application is approved you will need to pay for your code in advance and prior to your application being sent to each of the carriers for provisioning on their network. Your code is also undergoing a process of being certi�ed for commercial use. CSCA accepts credit cards and checks and allows you to lease a code for three, six or twelve month periods.

In the past, the CSCA would provide a discount if someone agreed to sign a longer term contract, such as six or twelve months. Alas, CSCA stopped providing discounts of

TEXTTEXTSHOP to DEALS


























4

any type quite a while ago. You, me, everyone pays the same price regardless of your bargaining prowess or your volume requirements. There have been discussions of the CSCA providing a discount for companies that lease multiple codes, but as of print time, no discounts are available.

Short Code Squatting Believe it or not, there are short code squatters. Granted, it is not as pro�table—or so much of a sure thing—as sitting on a popular domain that only costs $10 per month while holding out for a high bidder. But, in fact, most of the easy-to-remember short codes were snapped up by would-be entrepreneurs as soon as they were available for lease. Even short codes that spell out company names were leased in hopes that they one day could resell it to the brand. A customer of mobileStorm told us they were once approached by a squatter asking for $80,000 to transfer the lease of their �ve-digit code over to them. Our customer kindly told them to take a hike.

Choosing a Short Code Number If you are in the market to have your own dedicated code, be methodical about what you choose. Do you go for a code that means nothing, spells something out, or is easy to remember? If you are a small business, $1,000 a month for a code can be an expensive proposition. Most small businesses that I encounter are perfectly �ne with a random code at $500 a month; however, just the opposite is true for a larger company. Branding is vital to most large businesses, so getting a code that means something or is easy to remember is usually the path these companies take.

In studies conducted at mobileStorm, we have found that a good user experience is one of the most important features of ensuring the highest number of text-ins. Let’s say you choose a short code that spells out the word DEALS (33257).

Think of a call to action that might look like this:

Obviously, it’s hard for a consumer to understand what he’s meant to do, even someone reasonably experienced. Think about it: when texting a friend, we text his name and it goes to his cell phone number, such as text Joe, whose cell phone number is 310-555-1212.

TEXTTEXTSHOP to 33257

TEXTSHOP to 33257 (DEALS )

TEXT















































5

The user experience should be the same for mobile marketing; we text a name to a number. Here is an example of texting a word to the DEALS short code:

This is a much easier concept for a user to understand. Not to mention that trying to �gure out how to spell out a word on a Blackberry keyboard is not an easy proposition. In other situations, I have seen signage where it lists both the short code and what that short code spells out in parentheses at the end of the call to action, such as:

For “text-in” calls to action, we believe they should be short and to the point, letting the end user �gure out as quickly as possible what he needs to do. By adding more words, it can enhance the end user’s understanding of what he needs to do, not to mention avoiding room for errors.

When helping clients select their short code, we usually recommend that you make “easy-to-remember” the highest priority. Sometimes, there is more value in a code that you won’t forget — 121212 — than a code that spells out a word like DEALS. While 33257 spells out DEALS, 121212 doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but ask yourself, which code will your customers remember? And if they remember, will they remember 33258, or remember that they have to go through and decipher DEALS again?

Major brands, such as our Yahoo example above, have the money to sit on their code and never use it for the next hundred years (at least they do as of this writing). But, since there is only one short code that spells out Yahoo, they feel almost obligated to own it. It becomes part of their intellectual property and for a large company, it is a must-have.

Whatever you decide to do, choosing the right code is very important because you will most likely spend good money on promoting and advertising your code in media buys. Get a code you like, one that is easy to remember, and you won’t mind branding the heck out of it and enjoying a bene�t. For a list of easy-to-remember or as the CSCA says “cool words,” visit http://www.ushshortcodes.com and look on the right-hand side of the page.


























6

Short Code Approval ProcessOne of the most pressing questions in the industry is why does it take so long for a code to be provisioned and working on all major carriers in the U.S., even after it has been approved and leased from the CSCA? This is probably one of the most frustrating aspects of mobile marketing, and quite honestly it is embarrassing for the industry. There are stories of codes taking six months to �nally launch. Imagine waiting half a year to get a print campaign out, or a radio spot, or a landing page for your website?

NOTE: Some mobile providers and aggregators say it takes six to eight weeks for a code to be live. However, in a recent poll conducted by mobileStorm of companies (both clients and non-mobileStorm clients) trying to get short codes approved, we have found that the average time it takes a code to get approved is 10 to 12 weeks.

“So what’s going on and why does it take so long to get approved?”

The �rst step in getting your code live is leasing it from the CSCA. If the application is done correctly, it should only take 24 to 48 hours for them to approve your code. Congrats! However, the CSCA’s approval just means that you can now take your code and get the carriers’ approval.

A Service Request (SR) must be created once the CSCA has approved your code. (Hint: Your mobile marketing partner will handle this for you.) The Service Request explains to the carrier exactly what service is being created and how the message �ow will work. Carriers have di�erent words and terms, so multiple SRs have to be created and sent out to each carrier one at a time. Over 95% of cell phone users in the U.S. are subscribed to “tier 1” carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-mobile, so it is very important these carriers approve and provision your short code.

However, there are a number of tier 2 and tier 3 carriers that carry a lot of weight in certain geographic markets. Important examples are Alltel (which recently became a part of Verizon) and U.S. Cellular in the Midwest. Make sure your mobile partner focuses on getting tier 1 carriers approved �rst and at all cost.















































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After a Service Request is submitted to each carrier, you wait………… and wait…………… and sometimes wait………until someone in a carrier’s short code provisioning department looks it over. Your short code will go through a number of phases before it becomes live. Di�erent carriers use di�erent terms and it can be very confusing as to exactly the stage in which your code resides and when it will be approved. We have compiled a list of those terms and what they mean on a carrier-by-carrier basis for all tier 1 carriers. Note that these stages only pertain to non-premium short codes. Also, be aware that this is not an “o�cial” carrier matrix that applies to every carrier in the same way. The terminology could be used di�erently at each carrier and they can change it whenever they like.

Carrier Provisioning Terms

Terms Description

Rejected

At all major carriers, this means the same thing and it’s all bad: the carrier has rejected the service request and a notice is sent back to your mobile marketing partner. There was some language used on the SR or a message �ow that they did not like. Getting rejected is not a good thing. Your SR can go back to the bottom of the pile of other SRs waiting for approval; i.e., the clock starts over from zero. Did I mention that it’s very important that your SR is �lled out perfectly for each carrier?

Not Submitted

This is a message from your mobile marketing partner, letting you know that the even though the SR might have been sent to the carrier, the carrier has not yet con�rmed it has received the SR.

Submitted

A submitted notice means the carrier has received the SR and has started the approval process. It is good to get to this point quickly and to get this con�rmation, but you still may be months away from getting your code certi�ed.

Resubmitted

If your SR was rejected for any reason, you might be placed into a “resubmitted” status which means that your mobile marketing partner has �xed necessary changes and has sent the SR back to carrier for approval. This would appear to give you special line-cutting rights, wouldn’t you think? Appearances are often deceiving. You have essentially gone to the back of line.


























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Carrier Provisioning Terms

Terms Description

Approved

Sounds like your code is ready to go live right? Wrong. Approved only means that the SR followed carrier and MMA Guidelines and a new department in the carrier organization, the provisioning department, now has the go-ahead to start testing the code to make sure it works exactly how the SR says it will work.

Approved Pending

Provisioning

This status alerts you that the carrier has initially approved the type of program that was submitted and that they will move to the “provisioning” process of the cycle.

Provisioned

Provisioned is a beautiful word to hear. It means your code is getting ready to go live any day. However this word has di�erent meanings for di�erent carriers as seen below.

1. Provisioned at AT&T, Verizon and T-mobile: The code is provisioned and now needs to go into a certi�cation status before the code will go live. Testing still needs to be done. These carriers will actually make the code live but only for a few cell phone numbers so that everything can be properly tested.

2. Provisioned at Sprint: Provisioned at Sprint means you are good to go and your code is live and working in full production. Remember, Sprint owns Nextel and Boost. Typically, Sprint has the fastest provision process.

Provisioned – Certified

When you receive this status for AT&T, Verizon, and T-mobile, your code is now live and working, and you can launch and immediately start promoting a “text-in” call to action.

What is important to learn from this section is that your mobile marketing partner should be able to provide you with frequent status reports on a carrier-by-carrier basis. If you are not getting this, make sure to ask for it. If this cannot be provided to you, you may want to start looking for a new partner.

Don’t just sit back and wait for your code to be approved. Talk to your partner and















































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ask for frequent updates. You have a right – and a need — to know. After all, you are spending $500 to $1,000 a month while your code is being approved and you cannot even use it. The faster it is approved, the faster you start making money.

Why Does a Short Code Take So Long to Get Certified?The reason a short code takes so much time to get certi�ed is because carriers are overloaded with service requests for new short codes. This in some respects is good news. It means mobile marketing is really taking o� in the U.S. and you are on the right track. The downside is that there is a human being manually reviewing, testing, and certifying each code.

Carriers are worried that certain services could upset their customer base and/or get them into legal trouble. This is especially true for premium SMS services, which could end up costing the customer a lot more than a $.20 text message. This is why all service requests are manually reviewed and put though an approval process.

At some point, this industry needs a scalable model for short code approvals. Some businesses are just throwing their hands up and walking away. We all want SMS to succeed, so we feel strongly that carriers need to improve the provisioning process and try to speed up the approval times that would rival setting up a domain name.

I write about why this is hampering the growth of the mobile industry on MobileMarketingWatch.com and o�er some suggestions as to what we can do to speed things up. You can read that article by going to: http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/short-code-provisioning-something-has-to-give/


























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The Pros and Cons of Going Shared or Dedicated

Leasing your own short code can be an expensive proposition, so a number of mobile companies now provide mobile marketing services o� a shared short code. This means that multiple companies are using the same code, and the keyword that gets “text-in” is unique to the company. So you could have one keyword named FOOD that belongs to McDonalds, and another keyword named SHOP that belongs to Sears. Both companies could use the same short code, but when texted, the consumer would see a di�erent response. Below I have outlined the pros and cons of using a shared versus a dedicated code.

Shared Short Code Pros

1. Time to market: Sharing a mobile marketing company’s short code is the fastest way to get into the mobile space. For instance, clients using the mobileStorm 4.0 platform can create a keyword like “SHOP” and within 10 seconds, that keyword is live and can receive texts from any carrier in the United States. Becoming a mobile marketer takes seconds, not months. Your time to market with a shared short code is really fast.

2. Cost: If you are sharing a code, typically there are very few additional costs involved other than paying for your messages going out and a monthly fee for the keyword being used.

Shared Short Code Cons

1. Just OK user experience: Because you are sharing your code, the user experience for your subscribers might be more tedious than if you had your own dedicated code. For example, on a shared short code everything is done with keywords. If you are asking someone to vote using A, B, and C and your keyword is FOOTBALL, you would need to get your audience to reply “FOOTBALL A,” “FOOTBALL B,” or “FOOTBALL C.” This is so the system knows which campaign/company the subscriber is voting for.

2. Brand confusion: There isn’t much brand value out of using a shared short code. In some cases, there is a very good chance someone else in your industry is using the same code you are, possibly even competitors. When the subscriber receives a text message, it comes from the �ve- or six-digit short code. If that subscriber is signed up to two di�erent companies using the same code, he or she won’t know right o� the bat what company sent the message until they read the body of the message.















































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There is the possibility that they want your campaigns, but not those from the other company. They may be upset about getting a “spam” message and reply “STOP,” not realizing it was you they just stopped.

Dedicated Short Code Pros

1. Brand-friendly: It is extremely important for any business with a well-known brand to have its own short code so there is no brand confusion. The subscriber needs to be able to recognize right away who is sending a text message. You can control your brand if you lease your own dedicated code.

2. Portable: If you lease your own code, you can take it with you no matter where you go. You can switch your aggregator or mobile service provider and not worry about having to reintroduce your subscriber base to a whole new code. The brand confusion that happens after switching aggregators or service providers can be avoided by having your own code.

3. Better user experience: As I pointed out above, because you are not sharing your code with anyone, you don’t necessarily need to have a keyword sent before your action word. You can just have someone text in the keyword directly.

Dedicated Short Code Cons

1. Costly: Besides the leasing costs of $500 to $1,000 a month, don’t forget how long a code can take to get set up. Not only are you not making money while you are waiting for your code to get approved, but the CSCA makes you pay that license fee even though the code still might not be approved for another four months.

2. Time to set up: As previously discussed, getting your own dedicated code can take quite a while. Typical set-up times are around eight weeks on the low end and can take up to as long as 18 weeks on the high end, especially if you are trying to get your code approved for binary content delivery and premium SMS.

Outcome: Who is the Clear Winner?

There is no doubt that if you are a premium brand, you need your own dedicated short code. However, be prepared to pay and don’t expect to jump right in. A good strategy is to use a shared short code while your company is getting your dedicated one approved. This allows you to start integrating, testing, and proving some of your mobile marketing initiatives right away.

ABI Research anticipates

the global mobile marketing

and advertising market will

grow to $19 billion

by 2011.


























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On the other hand, shared short codes are wonderful for the small business without a big budget, or for the enterprise that wants to test the waters. Businesses can get into the market quickly, and for not a lot of money. Ultimately both models work; it really just depends upon what the companies’ needs are at the moment.

ConclusionSMS messaging is an unprecedented form of communication. No other channel in the history of marketing has the immediacy of SMS. As we move further towards tightening up our privacy policies and laws, we will see commercial “location-based” services play a huge role in getting customers exactly what they want, exactly when they want it, and wherever they are. As a mobile evangelist, I have spent the last decade in this space and have watched it grown by leaps and bounds. We need to do as much as we can to ensure that important features of the mobile ecosystem – like using short codes — have continually reduced barriers to entry and can be quickly scaled. I do believe that the short code has a shelf life, but it will be o� the shelf faster if the industry cannot create more of a turnkey environment.

SMS is not for all businesses, but when it does apply, the response rates dwarf those of traditional advertising and, in a lot of cases, even beat out email response rates.

No matter what size business you are, you can become a mobile marketer within minutes and start using a shared short code. So what do you have to lose? Try it out and see what works.

About mobileStorm SMS How do you get into this business without a big investment? How can you tell what will work for you and what kind of returns to expect?

You need a mobile marketing expert. You need to learn about mobileStorm.

As text messaging has grown into a mainstream communication tool for consumers, reaching them via SMS marketing has become an increasingly important strategy for all industries. More targets are using SMS every day—and a new generation of targets was raised on using SMS as a primary communication method.















































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Savvy marketers realize text messaging is not just critical to survive in the future—it’s a great way to promote and earn right now.

mobileStorm SMS is a solution that allows clients to take advantage of text message marketing by:

• Generating relationships and leveraging this new way of communicating with prospects and customers, without having to pay a high monthly fee.

• Letting clients engage in a two-way interaction with subscribers, such as asking them questions or prompting a call-to-action within the message.

mobileStorm can help you craft a pilot program that is uniquely tailored to your needs and which will allow you to test how SMS can give you the best results. With low start-up costs, short ramp-up times, and no long-term commitments, we are here to set up benchmarks to measure your success.

For more information about mobileStorm SMS, or for a free demo, contact the mobileStorm sales team.

866-492-7886 or 323-785-633 3 [email protected] m

Schedule a demo: https://www.mobilestorm.com/stun/corporate-client-demo/

About mobileStorm For nearly a decade, mobileStorm has pioneered the concept of digital marketing. Having successfully delivered more than two billion messages on behalf of thousands of premier customers such as MGM Grand, Palms Casino, American Idol, Qantas Airways, Carl’s Jr., Squaw Valley Ski Resort, and Horoscope.com, mobileStorm is at the forefront of the digital marketing revolution. The company provides a turnkey, hosted email and digital messaging platform backed by world-class support and expert digital marketing services. mobileStorm has created the most complete digital marketing solution available, enabling clients to reach customers via SMS messaging, email marketing, voice messaging, RSS marketing, video broadcast, or fax broadcast from a single provider. mobileStorm is a do-it-yourself database messaging system that enables companies to fully leverage their list of customers, prospects, and partners by contacting them in the ways they wish to be reached. With mobileStorm, companies can utilize their entire database regardless of contact type—cell phone, email, telephone, fax, or mailing address—through a single system, whether sending a broadcast message to all subscribers or a highly targeted message to a select few important contacts.

mailto:[email protected]

https://www.mobilestorm.com/stun/corporate-client-demo/

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