Group Texts Need Catchy Keywords

One of the main focal points of any successful SMS marketing campaign is the keyword or keywords you use. For text marketing, the “keyword” is the term that users text to your special shortcode or number that creates an action. This is usually signing up for messages, but it might also be to:

• Ask for help
• Unsubscribe
• Confirm a subscription
• Cancel an appointment
• Buy something
• Donate money

Together with your short code or long code, your keyword creates the call to action on your promotional material that motivates your customers to take action. It needs to be something catchy that attracts the attention of your customers, not just so that they opt into your texting campaign but also so that they pay attention to your ad.

The following are a few ways to create dynamite terms that will best serve your campaign.

• Memorable. Develop something that not only stands out but is also memorable.
• Clever. Creative keywords are more memorable – but there are some common mistakes to avoid.
• Simple. A simple keyword without special characters works best.
• Short and sweet. Make it short and sweet to reduce effort on the part of the customer.

Make It Memorable

A catchy keyword is a memorable keyword. Although most people will take action as soon as they see the promotion for your business or texting campaign, it still benefits you to have a memorable keyword. This makes it easy for customers to remember what to do when they reach their phones.

Memorable keywords stay in customer’s heads long after seeing your ad.

Even those who already have their phones with them might react faster with a memorable keyword. In the time it takes them to pull out their phone and start the text, they may no longer be in front of your ad, especially if the initial ad is on a billboard or part of a radio or TV spot. An easy to remember keyword ensures they will be able to continue in the action without having to relook at the original campaign.

Some things that make a keyword memorable include:

• Puns on your company name
• Type of goods or services you provide
• Rhyming words
• Your company name
• Easy to remember acronym or abbreviation

Do not think too hard about creating something so unique that it stands out. Often, something short and easy sticks in the brain better than something overly complex.

Clever … But Not Too Clever
To create a memorable keyword, it is tempting to be really clever. You search to find the right word that is catchy and attracts the attention of customers, especially when the keyword also serves as a CTA on promotional materials.

However, there are limitations to how clever your word should be. This is because once you get too clever, you might end up using something that is hard for people to remember. It might also lead to people making a mistake when texting the keyword.

For example, if you purposely misspell a word so that you can use a common keyword and add your own signature to it, you risk people not remembering the special spelling and texting the wrong keyword to the short code. You might also find that your keyword becomes subject to autocorrect when users try to type it into send to you.

Test your words on multiple operating systems to see if they autocorrect, and avoid those that constantly are corrected. If you choose to use a keyword that is constantly autocorrected, then use all versions of a word as keywords for your program to reduce missing potential subscribers.

Things to Avoid

Don’t let your team succumb to common mistakes when choosing keywords.

When you create your keyword, it is important to avoid certain items. The main one is to not use any special characters. These include:

• Ampersand (@)
• Money sign ($)
• Pound key/hashtag (#)
• Asterisk (*)
• Percent sign ($)
• Punctuation
• Smiley faces

Although a percentage of your chosen demographic might not have any problem with special characters, you risk losing some who might not be as quick to type the keyword using a mobile device. It also adds time and effort to opting in, which might lead to some people choosing not to make the effort. A simple, easy and straightforward keyword corresponds to higher opt-ins and conversions.

Short and Sweet
The final component of a dynamic keyword is that it is short and sweet. Avoid using more than one word. With multiple words, people start to wonder whether or not the keyword needs to include a space. This also leaves you with the chance of people texting the wrong keyword because they have either added or not added the space. You could sign up for both keywords, but this might add cost to your campaign.

Avoid getting too lengthy of a keyword, whether it is one or more words. If it takes too much effort on the consumers’ part, you may lose some potential subscribers.

Once you have chosen your keyword, be sure to include it in your promotional material in a clear way that tells consumers exactly how to use it. This includes not putting quotation marks around the words; otherwise, some people might text with the quotation marks, which will not end up getting to you.

By following these simple guidelines, you can create a catchy keyword that attracts the attention of your customers and makes it easy for them to successfully text you. This increases the chance they will take action, ultimately boosting the success of your program.

Do you have some keywords ready to test? Try GroupTexting for free.

Categories: Text Message Marketing Tips