How to Choose the Right Keyword for Your Texting Campaign

Keywords are the cornerstone of your SMS marketing program. Depending on the purpose of your program, the size of your company, and many other factors, you might have one or hundreds of keywords.

No matter how many keywords you have, it is important to spend time choosing each one to ensure your keyword attracts the attention of your potential customers and gets the job done. The following are a few factors to bear in mind when choosing the perfect keyword for your SMS marketing program.

Understand How It Will Be Used

When your team gets together to choose a keyword, start by defining the objective of the campaign.

When selecting the keyword for your texting campaign, you first need to know how it is going to be used. Potential uses include:

• Included on radio or TV spots
• Included on print ads or other marketing collateral
• A recurring message or action

There are many additional uses for your keywords. You will have some standard ones that you will use for many of your programs, such as STOP to opt out or HELP to get assistance. However, you will also have some that you choose specifically for particular programs and objectives, and these are the ones that require a little more thought.

The keywords you should focus the most attention on are the ones that will be part of your marketing campaigns. This is because you want to use something that attracts and motivates potential subscribers. The following are a few key attributes of a strong keyword.

Make It Easy

First and foremost, you need to have an easy keyword. That does not mean it cannot be creative, unique or attention-grabbing. However, you need to keep in mind that people are going to have to type this into their phones, and some mobile users might not have QWERTY-style keyboards. Remember, only about 64 percent of Americans own a smartphone.

Another consideration is that potential subscribers might hear the keyword, such as on a TV or radio ad, or might see a print ad or billboard in passing. Therefore, it needs to be memorable. If it becomes too complicated, there is a strong chance a potential subscriber will give up, especially if they cannot remember what they just read or heard.

Some good rules to follow include:

• Avoid special characters
• Keep it short
• Limit it to one word
• Make it easy to spell

Opt for Versatility  

For many texting programs, you have to create a new campaign for each keyword. In some instances, this might cost you money, depending on the plan you have. Therefore, it is often a good idea to create a versatile keyword. This means that you can use it for many different campaigns throughout the lifespan of your SMS marketing program. There are many times that unique and individual keywords are beneficial, such as with helping you track your metrics or keep things fresh. However, it is equally powerful to have the same keyword you can easily slip into calls to action on different mediums and use for various campaigns.

Therefore, always think about versatility when you choose a keyword. For example, keywords like the name of your company or something affiliated with your business are typically more versatile than keywords for a specific campaign.

Just think of the different uses for PIZZA if you run a pizza business. It can be used in your promotional campaigns, and it can also be used for contests. Compare that with the keyword WIN for a text to win promotion. You can really only use WIN for the one type of campaign; in any other scenario, it loses its relevancy. There are situations where you might want to have a unique keyword you just use once for a specific campaign, but it is often better to choose more versatile keywords so that you can get the most out of it.

Plan For Mistakes

Avoid losing subscribers simply because autocorrect changed the text of their message to you.

When you develop your keyword, you also want to plan for mistakes. These include:

• Autocorrect changes
• Misspellings
• Omitting a character
• Adding a character

There are many other ways that people might make a typing mistake. Each time someone makes a mistake, you lose a potential subscriber. This is a person who has taken the time to text you, but it is not successful due to a mistake. They might never know, or they might see it is wrong but decide it is too much effort to text again.

How can you plan for these mistakes? There are two ways. The first is to simply choose a keyword that minimizes mistakes as much as possible. The second is to create a list of the most common mistakes people might make with this keyword. Then, you could always buy those keywords as well so that subscribers connect with you even if they make a mistake.

When selecting a keyword for your campaign, make sure that you choose something that is simple to use, memorable, grabs attention, and is versatile. Then, plan for any mistakes. By following these simple guidelines, you will choose better keywords that will help your program to be a success. Ready to get started? Try GroupTexting for free today!

Categories: Text Message Marketing Tips