Double The Effectiveness Of Your Text Messaging Using Keywords
by Andrew Lisa

A keyword is a word or phrase that that can enhance communication and engagement with your customers through SMS marketing. Keywords can be tracked, their effectiveness can be measured and they can be use in conjunction with other channels, such as social media. Keywords can be customized to individual campaigns, they can help promote your brand and they can help build contact lists. But not all keywords are created equal. Here are some powerful ways to use keywords and some tips on how to choose good ones.

Use keywords to stay connected and build your contact list.

Use Keywords to Build an Opt-In Contact List

The number one rule of text marketing is to never include someone without their permission. If you send unsolicited texts, you're a spammer. When you use a keyword as part of a campaign, on the other hand, you encourage the recipient to proactively engage you by texting AwesomeKeyword to 12345, or whatever your word and number happens to be. Not only have they given you permission to include them in your campaign, but you can now measure that keyword's success against other keywords that you tested throughout the same campaign.

#UseKeywordsToCrossPromote

Keywords make great hashtags. SMS is a crucial part of an overall campaign, but so is social media. Keywords drive both platforms. This is a rare opportunity for true cross-channel integration. Social-media management tools that track keyword likes, shares and comments can be a powerful companion to a keyword-driven SMS campaign. This is especially true when you're trying to generate buzz through giveaways, contests and other promotions prior to a product launch or another major event.

What's in a Keyword?

As discussed in the article "How To Use Keywords with Your Text-Messaging Service," brevity is crucial – keep keywords short! The ideal length is under 10 characters, unless there is a compelling reason to go long. Use your keyword selection as a chance to associate the keyword with your brand, product or service. Also, resist the urge to use characters, such as dollar signs. They are harder to remember and they are more likely to be typed incorrectly, which means you lose a lead. Also, do a dry run – from several different kinds of popular phones to make sure that your word doesn't get autocorrected by the sender.

SMS campaigns are intimate, powerful and reliable – and good keywords make them even better.

Keywords can help you build a mailing list, they can encourage real engagement between you and your customers, and they can support special promotions such as sales or giveaways. They can be tracked, modified and merged with social-media campaigns. Keep them short, avoid using characters or difficult numerical combinations, and always make them relevant to your brand or product.

Photos: Flickr users Cristian Cardenas and SEO ndKhanh

Andrew Lisa is a freelance marketing writer. He covers mobile marketing and SEO.

Using Lisa's advice will lead you to the Smooth Sale!

Read Additional Sales Strategies:

Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, Sourcebooks

HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews, Career Press

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