Companies today have a lot of channels to reach out to their customers.
Among them, texting stands out as the most effective method, as 9 out of 10 consumers prefer messaging rather than other methods. But how can you know when customers engage with your text messages?🤔
Long codes and short codes are like two sides of the same SMS coin for sending text messages to customers, each with its pros and cons. But which one’s the secret weapon for best SMS marketing? The answer might surprise you.🤯
But first, let’s compare long code vs short code and determine what works for your business.💼
🔑 KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Long codes are for personalized, low-volume messaging, while short codes are for high-volume, fast-paced campaigns.
- Long codes have limitations like mass messaging and memorability, while short codes face higher costs, longer setup times, and potential spam complaints.
- Short codes include vanity, shared, random, and dedicated codes, offering different levels of customization and cost. Long codes include 10DLC and toll-free numbers used for alerts, customer support, and more.
- Choose short codes for broad outreach and time-sensitive campaigns while choose long codes for personalized, cost-effective communication that doesn’t compromise on quality.
Long Code Vs Short Code: At a Glance
Long codes are 10-digit numbers, just like regular phone numbers. They’re best for low-volume conversational messages, faxes, and calls for appointment reminders or customer support. They’re cheaper & quick to set up.
On the other hand, short codes are 5-6 digit numbers that only work for high-volume, rapid messaging, mass alerts, marketing campaigns, and more. However, they’re relatively expensive and take time to set up.
| Features | Short Code | Long Code |
| Looks like | 5-6 digit numbers | Standard 10 digit numbers |
| Best for | High volume application to person (A2P) | Person to person (P2P) |
| Medium | SMS | SMS/MMS/Voice calls |
| Receipt of delivery | Yes | Yes |
| Cost | $500-1000/month (varies according to providers) | $1-2 per number/month (varies according to providers) |
| Setup Time | Longer | Faster |
| Throughput | Higher up to 400 messages per second | Lower around 1-30 messages per second debut also vary by providers |
| Vanity numbers | Available (often at a higher cost) | Available |
Types of Short And Long Code Numbers For SMS Marketing
Types of short code numbers for SMS marketing are:
1. Vanity Short Codes
- They are custom short codes that businesses can create using specific memorable keywords related to their brand.
- They help to improve brand recognition and customer recall due to ease of remembrance.
- They are more expensive as they involve customization to pick up the desired word or pattern.
2. Shared Short Codes
- 5-6 digit numbers that allow numerous businesses to share the same short code.
- Each business is assigned various keywords for identification purposes with common keywords like SALE, DEAL, etc.
3. Random Short Codes
- These are system-generated short codes that are assigned to companies randomly.
- They are cheaper than vanity short codes.
- Not customizable for branding purposes.
- Still effective for high volumes of text messages, thus giving a cost-effective solution to marketing campaigns.
4. Dedicated Short Codes
- They could be vanity or random short codes that are owned by only one business for its SMS campaigns.
- Helps to improve brand personalization, with unrestricted messaging on as many keywords as chosen.
- Ideal for high-volume messaging and marketing campaigns.
Similarly, now, some of the types of long code numbers are:
1. 10-digit Long Codes (10DLC)
- Standard 10-digit phone numbers are used for A2P 10DLC messaging.
- It is best for alerts, marketing messages, notifications, etc.
2. Toll-free Numbers
- Numbers starting with specific area codes, such as 800, 844, 888, that are free of cost for the caller.
- Primarily used for voice calls but can support two-way SMS communication.
What is an SMS Long Code?
SMS long codes are standard 10-digit phone numbers used by businesses to send and receive text messages and voice calls. They are reliably used in business communications to create a personal touch and two interaction channels with customers.
For instance, it generally comprises the first three digits as prefixes of an area code like (888), and the rest of the numbers are unique, looking like (888) 234-9879.
Use Cases of Long Code
Longs codes are used for various purposes, but some of them that stand out are:
1. Customer Support and Service
- Businesses can communicate directly with customers and provide personalized responses to their inquiries.
- Long codes can be used for appointment reminders, confirmations, follow-up messages, etc., thus facilitating customer support and service.
2. Order Updates & Notifications
- Long codes can be used in application cases like updating the customer about order status, shipping notifications, and delivery confirmations.
- These are very useful in keeping customers updated and engaged during their buying process.
3. Feedback and Surveys
- Businesses can avail of the facility of long codes to seek input from their customers through SMS surveys or polls.
- Long codes help to understand customer perceptions and preferences, as customers can respond quickly to this kind of survey or poll.
4. Two-factor Authentication (2FA)
- Long codes can be used to send verification codes to secure user accounts, making the login process two-layered with security added to it.
- Long codes are valuable for such businesses handling sensitive customer information, where secure, personalized communication is vital.
5. Marketing Campaigns
- Although not suitable for bulk SMS, long codes can still be used in any highly focused marketing campaigns where a business needs to send personalized offers or promotions to a particular customer segment.
- Long codes help create targeted surveys that gather feedback and insights from each customer segment. This helps build trust and enhance the marketing strategy.
Advantages of Long Code
Some of the key benefits when using long codes are:
- Personalized communication: Since long codes have a standard Phone Number, they appear more personal and trustworthy to recipients.
- Two-way messaging: It supports two-way communication, which allows businesses to engage with customers and fosters more personalized interactions.
- Easy setup: Long codes take less time to set up. With a few simple and direct steps, the setup process can be completed in a few hours.
Limitations of Long Code
Some of the limitations of the long code are:
- Mass messaging restrictions: Long codes can’t send a large volume of messages but instead can only send one message every 1-2 seconds.
- Memorability: Long codes have 10 digits, which makes them unlikely to be effective for campaigns that rely on easy recalls, such as contests or voting.
- Regulatory constraints: Long codes are carried out under strict regulations for A2P messaging, which can likely limit their application in marketing campaigns.
What is an SMS Short Code?
SMS short code is a 5-6 digit phone number used to send application-to-person (A2P) text messages at a huge scale. It ideally allows businesses to reach a large customer segment by sending marketing campaigns, alerts, notifications, and more.
For instance, it’s usually made out of 5-6 digits, whereas 12345 could be for only one business. Another type of short code is how common companies can use 23212. Let’s suppose PIZZA which uses different keywords but shares the same numeric code. Also, 132323 is a memorable number that makes up a certain customized keyword for a business like COFFEE.
Short Code Use Cases
Some of the cases where short codes are used that stand out are:
1. Marketing campaigns
- Companies can use short codes to enhance SMS campaigns per their planning to sell their products and services.
- Short code effectively delivers large-scale promotional messages, discounts, and special offers to a huge audience at a high delivery speed.
2. Voting and Polling
- SMS code numbers are utilized by TV shows or events for viewer participation.
- Audiences can support an individual or an idea in their favor by sending a keyword to a specified short code.
3. Alerts and Notifications
- Companies can use short codes to send notifications, updates, reminders, and important alerts.
- Short codes ensure that information reaches customers quickly and reliably, gradually increasing the efficiency of communication.
4. Subscription services
- Customers can sign in to receive regular updates about the weather, news, and more through a short code.
- With a broad audience in mind, short code, with its 400 messages per second speed capacity, helps to communicate with them all at once, fostering continuous engagement and keeping them informed.
5. Two-factor authentication
- SMS short codes are commonly used for security requirements that allow businesses to send verification codes to mobile devices.
- Short code adds an extra layer of protection for user accounts, enhancing overall security.
Advantages of Short Code
Some of the key benefits that short code provides are:
- High throughput and speed: Short codes have a low latency and can send up to 400 messages per second. This makes them very suitable for high-volume marketing campaigns and time-sensitive communications.
- Memorable and recognizable: Short and easy-to-remember digits make them recognizable and have a high recall. This helps increase brand identity and engagement.
- Dedicated options for exclusivity: Businesses can fully control their marketing campaign with their chosen short codes. With no interference on the cases like similar phone number codes ensures consistent branding and messaging with no interception.
Limitations of Short Code
Some of the drawbacks of the short codes are:
- Higher costs: There are significant upfront costs that require a substantial investment which commonly starts from around $500 or so. This could be a barrier for new businesses and startups.
- Approval costs: Running your short code for your business usually takes around 8 weeks to complete. This can take a hefty amount of time for your business to catch up on time-sensitive opportunities.
- Spam complaints: Short codes can usually give the phone systems a vibe of spam, especially when consumers feel they’ve been subscribed without any consent. This can lead to high opt-out rates and decrease the reputation.
Long Code Vs Short Code: Which SMS Code is Right For Your Marketing Strategy?
The rationality behind long code vs short code lies in one simple idea: ‘What is your purpose for using one?’
So, to be more clear on that,
Use a short code if:
- You need to target a large target group.
- You’re running a time-based promotion or contest.
- You want an easily remembered and recognizable number.
- You can afford the costs and the effort for a longer setup time.
And use a long code if:
- You want a one-on-one personalized connection with your customer.
- You’ll be taking customer queries or support.
- You are working with a limited budget.
- You urgently need to set up your campaign.
Conclusion
Understanding the differences between short codes and long codes is essential for creating effective SMS marketing strategies.
Short codes are unique and best for broad and immediate outreach, while long codes do well in more personalized and lower-volume communication. First, you need to fill out a few checklists according to your target group, campaign goals, and budget. Then, proceed to choose the best short code or long code that aligns well with your business objectives.
Regardless of figuring out what to choose for short vs long codes, one more important thing that leads to success in your SMS campaign is the quality and type of content and the timing plan for sending it to your customers.
