August 17, 2021

A mass notification system with SMS opt-in simplifies populating your system with the correct contacts and their contact information.

The average texter has a problem: Given the massive amounts of texts that we receive daily, no one wants to receive a message that they don’t need. However, we also want to receive relevant information from organizations that are a big part of our lives, whether that’s news about our favorite retailer’s upcoming sale or an alert about an earthquake from our county. So how can your subscribers ensure that they receive critical event communication from you via the most direct channel (text messages) while also maintaining the ability to easily cancel these messages if they become irrelevant?

If your mass notification system is set up with SMS opt-in, then the answer to this question is opt-in and opt-out requests through keywords sent to a specific SMS short code.

What is SMS Opt-In?

SMS opt-in allows the public to subscribe to specific messages from an organization by texting a keyword to a specific short code. ‍

• SMS Keyword: A specific word that is tied to an opt-in or opt-out request. For example, a public subscriber could text “FAIR” to a short code to opt in to receiving messages related to a county fair. Once the fair was over, the subscriber could text “STOP” to the same short code to opt out of receiving the messages. If someone opts out of SMS messages, texts from the organization would no longer be sent to their number, and the number could be removed from the system that sends the messages.
• SMS Short Code: A specific number (5-6 digits long) which subscribers can text a keyword to so they can opt in to, or opt out of, receiving specific messages. For example, Konexus’ short code is 38276.

Organizations can lease specific short codes. Then, these organizations can register specific keywords so subscribers can opt in to SMS messages and receive information about important events, whether that’s an earthquake or a county fair, delivered directly to their device.

What Pain Points Do Mass Notification Systems with SMS Opt-In Capabilities Solve?

Purchasing SMS opt-in can have a big return on investment (ROI). Some retailers utilize SMS opt-in to enhance their marketing campaigns. For example, Kohl’s offers discounts to consumers who text their short code a specific keyword in exchange for the consumer’s opt-in request for additional marketing information. Clearly some businesses already effectively utilize SMS opt-in, but how does SMS opt-in improve a mass notification system? Well, a mass notification system with SMS opt-in capabilities makes collecting your public’s contact information, identifying the correct audience for specific emergency communication, and sending that communication much easier.

A mass notification system with SMS opt-in could be used to easily populate the system with contacts and their information. SMS opt-in could even help organize these contacts into relevant groups. If a mass notification system can associate a specific keyword with a specific group, then subscribers could automatically be added to that group when they text the group’s associated keyword to a specific short code. Managing a mass notification system’s groups via SMS opt-in simplifies critical event communication for the system’s administrator (or administrators). Once contacts have been added to groups via SMS opt-in, an administrator could share pertinent information with specific groups so long as the mass notification system can send messages to groups. Administrators will have the right message plus the right people, and before that, an easy process for populating the system with correct contact information via SMS opt-in.

Public organizations can utilize a mass notification system with SMS opt-in to inform their public about critical events. For example, perhaps a county needs to send specific alerts about all critical events (fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc.) to public subscribers. A county with the right mass notification system could associate a keyword to a specific group. Then, they would advertise the correct SMS short code and keyword so public subscribers would text the keyword and opt in to critical event information that is relevant to their county. Once subscribers texted the correct keyword, they’d be added to a specific group. The county could then include this group in any critical event alerts.

Best Practices for Advertising SMS Opt-In Opportunities

Clearly, SMS opt-in can be a valuable tool for a mass notification system. Once your organization is ready to implement SMS opt-in with your mass notification system, you need to get the word out to your audience. Here are some ideas to inspire your efforts to inform your public about SMS opt-in options:

1. ‍Post to Social Media: When it comes to spreading the word, there are few more effective tools than social media channels. Much of your audience probably already follows your social media channels, which makes platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram great places to tell your audience how they can opt in to your messages. Then they won’t even need to make a quick Facebook stop to see your news. EZ Texting, an SMS marketing software provider, has used social media to promote an SMS opt-in opportunity so people can easily opt in to messages about EZ Texting’s service.‍
2. Post to Your Website: Your audience probably frequently visits your website. Why not add a page to your website so visitors will know that they can get SMS messages from you delivered directly to their device? Major League Baseball (MLB) utilizes a portion of their website to inform the public of their SMS opt-in opportunities. ‍
3. Advertise SMS Opt-In Around Your Community: In a digital world, spreading the word about a tech update via posters or flyers may sound old-fashioned. However, this can be a great way to spread the word about SMS opt-in options. For example, Konexus offers a flyer that can instruct the public on how to opt in to your organization’s messages.

SMS Opt-In: Another Way that Konexus Helps You Connect When It Counts

If SMS opt-in sounds like a feature that your mass notification system could use, you’re in luck. Konexus allows users to offer SMS opt-in options to public groups. It’s just another way we can help you connect when it counts.

Updated on: October 28, 2022