By now, you may have heard that mobile marketing is the way to go if you want to reach customers anywhere in the most reliable way possible. After all, 98 percent of text messages are opened by the recipient. But how do you use keywords to get customers to sign up for your mobile list? What are keywords, anyway?

Keywords are a great way to get customers to join your loyalty programs.

What is a Keyword?

A keyword is a short word or phrase, which may include numbers, that customers text to opt-in to a mobile list. For example, 'Text FLOWERS to 25827 to join our text messaging list' is an example of an advertisement using the keyword "FLOWERS." That would be a good keyword for a florist.

How Do Keywords Work?

Customers text your keyword to the specified short code to join your contact list. They then receive a legally required automated response that thanks them for joining and tells them how to opt out if they no longer want to receive messages. Keywords usually identify a product, service, business or action. Businesses use them to entice customers to opt in to loyalty programs and special mobile offers. You can have as many keywords as you like.

What are the Benefits of Using Keywords in SMS Marketing?

Keywords offer customers a way to immediately engage with your brand when they see your advertisements. Use them on billboards, flyers and in commercials. Put them on your website and post about them on social media by incorporating them into branded graphics and videos.

Some businesses choose to have multiple keywords because it helps them break customers down into specific groups for more targeted advertisements. Keywords also provide the ability to track traditional advertising campaigns.

What Makes a Good Keyword?

Not all keywords are good ones. Combinations of letters and numbers are difficult to remember and should be avoided, if possible. Single words are best because some customers may add a space between multi-word keywords.

You can use multiple keywords to segment users by different campaigns and interests.

You'll also want to keep the following pointers in mind when selecting your keywords:

• Keep keywords as short as possible. Stick to words or phrases that are 10 letters or fewer, and the shorter they are, the better.
• Ditch the special characters. While it may look fun to throw in a dollar sign or asterisk, it's more work for the user because he or she will have to switch from the letters to the numbers. Make it as easy as possible for customers to type in your keyword.
• Try your keywords on different phones to see if the word or phrase gets autocorrected to something else. This may be a problem for brand, product or program names that are not made up of common words and phrases. If your keyword gets autocorrected, consider choosing a more common phrase or purchasing the autocorrected keywords as well.

Now you know what keywords are, how they work and how to choose a good one. Want to give it a whirl? Try ClubTexting for free.