SMS / Text Message marketing is a mobile phone based interactive communications platform that can be used independent of other marketing media, or as a part of a campaign involving other forms of advertising. You can place marketing keywords on your vehicles, business cards, real estate, radio and TV ads. These advertisements direct mobile users send a SMS / Text Message with your keyword to your CSC (common short code). There will be an auto-response with a personalized message (coupon, promotion etc...) sent back to the mobile platform, and if the campaign dictates, a live response can be incorporated into the messaging.

It is a 5 or 6 digit number, similar to a telephone number that makes it much faster and easier to respond to than full cell phone number. By using a Short Code in marketing efforts, you will quickly generate quality leads from consumers who have shown direct interest in your products & services.

There is no difference; this is two ways to describe the same thing. SMS stands for Short Messaging Service.

A SMS (Short Messaging Service) message is text only, whereas an MMS (Multimedia Message Service) message is multi-media (video, graphics, games, etc.)

The difference is a Standard SMS (text message) is a message where there’s no charge for the content (assuming the user has a SMS / Text Message plan from their carrier), and Premium SMS (PSMS) is a message where there is an additional charge per message.

1. Sweepstakes: Examples include giving away an item at a booth at a convention by routing signups through a CSC campaign and notification of the drawing time.
   
2. Voting applications: Examples include voting for your favorite booth at a convention or for a favorite sports player.
   
3. Information alerts such as weather and road conditions
   
4. Downloads such as ringtones, music and graphics
   
5. iTV/iRadio, such as streaming audio/video and Podcasts.
   
6. In-venue
   
7. Movie promo
   
8. Coupons and advertisements
   
9. Chat

Keywords are how you identify one campaign from another. Mobile phone users looking to receive information from you will SMS / Text Message a keyword, such as TRAVEL to 288288. Your customer will automatically get a respond with your personalized message/promotion related to the keyword that was sent.

Campaigns are how you communicate with your potential & existing customers. Campaigns can either be inbound or outbound. For inbound campaigns, you can place marketing messages in various places to prompt potential customers to opt-in to receive information from you immediately or opt-in to receive information in the future.

The number of characters varies by carrier. In the US, the limit is 160 characters, and in Canada, the limit is 136 characters per message.

Nearly all phones purchased in the last ten years are capable of sending and receiving SMS / Text Messages.

SMS / Text Messages are a brief, effective, inexpensive means of communication. Most people carry their cellular phones with them wherever they go, so unlike email, SMS / Text Messages can reach people when they are away from their desks.