Should I Use a Dedicated or Shared Short Code?

In the world of text marketing there is one thing that is a constant. That is the short code. It could be 5 digits or it could be 6 digits but regardless of the length, its an important part of the process.  Now the question becomes…should I get my own dedicated code or use a shared short code? Lets take a look at some of the differences and benefits of each.

Lets start with a dedicated short code. Typically you will find that the sort of businesses that are utilizing a dedicated short code are fortune 100 and 500 companies. The reasons for this are two fold. The main reason is because they can afford it. The cost to set up and provision your own dedicated short is expansive. Typically the cost to set up a dedicated short code is about seven to ten thousand dollars and that’s before you can even use the dedicated code because it takes typically at least 3 months to get it provisioned. Then about twelve thousand dollars a year to maintain. The benefit to this however is great. These companies don’t have take the risk that someone else using the short code may make a mistake and do something to get the code shut down by a carrier. In addition they will want to run a variety of campaigns, spread over a large amount of  territories and specific keywords may be crucial to these campaigns. As a rule of thumb, the more people using a code in the shared code scenario, the fewer the premium keyword availability will be.

Now lets take a look at the benefits of using a shared short code. The major benefit is that is much more cost and time effective. By essentially leasing a code from a Tier 1 provider you eliminate the high cost of establishing your own short code and can literally be using the shared code the the same day. Of course there are some risks involved with sharing a code with a pool of other companies, but your major providers do a very good job of regulating these risks according to the CTIA’s guideline of standards.

Should I Use a Dedicated or Shared Short Code? In conclusion, if you are looking to start your own mobile marketing company from the ground up, or just looking to use mobile marketing for your business, then there are plenty of shared code solutions for you out there. Leave the dedicated codes for the fortune companies…for now. You can read more about shared codes here.