How To Create SMS Applications - FINAL

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Mobile Messaging 201:

How to Create Compelling SMS Applications
Mobile Messaging 201: How to Create Compelling SMS Applications 1

Contents
Why Use SMS? 4

Market Opportunity 5
Benefits of Mobile Messaging 5
User Texting Behavior 6
Messaging Facts 7
Mobile Originated (MO) Messages 7
Mobile Terminated (MT) Messages 7
Messaging Programs 7
SMS Applications 9
What is an SMS Application? 9
How to Build a Compelling SMS Application 10
Know Your Customer 10
Sign Up Users Effectively 10
Interactive SMS 11
What is a Good Mobile Terminated Message 12
How to Design Your Mobile Originated Message 13
Maximize Your 160 Characters 13
Monetizing Your SMS Application 14
Advertising 14
How To Charge for Your Application 15
Customer Service in SMS 16
SMS Examples 17
Finance 17
Health Care 18
Games 18
Entertainment and Hospitality 19
Social Networking 19

Contents continued...
Setting Up Services 20
How to Select a Short Code 20
Long Code or Virtual Mobile Number 21
Operator Guidelines around Mobile Content 21
Campaign Management Tools 22
Get Started Today! 23
About OpenMarket 23
Useful Contacts and Resources 23

Why Use SMS?

With nearly five billion mobile subscribers in the
world today, mobile is here to stay. And consumers
are demanding a more personal, richer mobile
experience now more than ever. As text messaging
has become the most popular, fastest way to reach
people, the potential of mobile is clear. Now is the
time to tap into the mobile market and unleash new
revenue opportunities for your business.
By using the mobile channel as part of your product and marketing

initiatives, you can:
• Engage more consumers effectively with your products
• Increase brand awareness by directly connecting with consumers
• Improve customer loyalty and retention
• Boost revenue streams via high campaign response rates
• Tap into a growing global messaging market
OpenMarket’s objective is to provide the most reliable mobile

payments, delivery and messaging services for companies that
want to use mobile as a marketing and communications channel.
With our Mobile Messaging 101 guide, we described how a company
can get started with mobile messaging. Mobile Messaging 201
expands that guide for companies that wish to create compelling
messaging applications using SMS.

According to research Market Opportunity

published by Ovum: Text messaging has gone mainstream. SMS gives you a distinct
• Globally, mobile subscribers send opportunity to reach consumers in real time with your brand
and receive more text messages in a
month than they make phone calls
or product. News, alerts, coupons, breaking deals or promotions,
advertising, and access to social networks are just a few of
• More than 370 million people
around the world regularly use text the ways you can keep connected to your customers using
messaging to communicate text messaging.
• In 2010, mobile subscribers are
expected to generate 144 billion Text messaging can be used as an entire product or application in
text messages itself, such as creating an SMS multi-player game. Text messaging
• 2009 global mobile messaging can also be incorporated as a mobile component into nearly every
revenues were more than $7 billion
product, including websites, fleet tracking systems, online games,
with nearly 10 percent growth
projected by 2013 to over $11 billion health and bank information updates, and more. An experienced
mobile business partner can help you integrate text messaging
into your current marketing efforts.
Benefits of Mobile Messaging

The mobile messaging channel gives you nearly instant access to
your target audience. Within seconds, users can interact with
your offer and purchase or use your services. You can incorporate
mobile messaging as part of your product or simply use it for
marketing purposes.
By using mobile messaging as part of your product, you can:
• Increase product usage in mobile use cases, thus increasing loyalty
• Add features that make your product competitive and compelling

• Up-sell mobile features and increase revenues from product sales.
As part of your marketing efforts, mobile messaging can benefit

you by:
• Providing a higher response rate as compared to traditional

marketing channels
• Increasing brand awareness
• Providing a higher ROI while reducing marketing costs.
More users look at their text messages than their email or other
forms of communications. The response rate with text messaging
is more than 10 percent—far exceeding that of any other medium
like Web or TV.

User Texting Behavior

The way in which people communicate via their mobile phones
is changing dramatically. Texting is not just for teens anymore.
A growing number of sophisticated users are relying on text
messaging and demanding a more personal experience in
the process.
Mobile Drivers According to Gartner the top ten drivers for mobile usage between now
and 2012 are expected to be:
1. Money transfers
2. Location-based services
3. Mobile search
4. Mobile browsing
5. Mobile health monitoring
6. Mobile payments
7. Near-field communications services
8. Mobile advertising
9. Mobile instant messaging
10. Mobile music

Messaging Facts
Mobile Originated (MO) Messages

A Mobile Originated Message (MO) is a text message sent by
the user. MO SMS enables businesses to effectively interact with
consumers and staff by receiving SMS messages from subscribers
directly into their application. MO SMS enables a range of
applications, such as TV voting, chat services, product promotions
and more. The popularity of MO SMS continues to drive consumer
loyalty and generate additional revenue channels for businesses.
Mobile Terminated (MT) Messages

A Mobile Terminated (MT) message is the delivery of messages from
an application to a subscriber’s handset. MT messages can be bulk
SMS, standard rate or premium SMS. Examples include stock alerts,
sports scores, weather reports and restaurant menus; more interactive
examples include transactions, reservations and lookups. Message
delivery across various operator networks and handsets is paramount
to ensuring the broadest reach of applications to consumers.
Messaging Programs
There are three main classes of messaging programs—bulk,
standard rate and premium. Each service allows you to send
and receive SMS messages to subscribers, but they each handle
billing services to subscribers differently.
Bulk SMS is a type of standard rate program that enables companies

to send or receive a large volume of SMS messages to and from
consumers – typically at low costs. For example, companies can use
bulk SMS campaigns to advertise their services to a large audience.
Consumers are not charged by the content provider for messages
received. The sender usually pays operators that support this type of
SMS message campaign. Other than the United States, bulk SMS is
the most common form of MT in most countries.

In standard rate programs, consumers are not charged by the

content provider for the text message received. Instead they are
charged by the operator per their texting plan for receiving and
sending SMS messages. Examples of standard rate programs are:
• Alerts - news, weather, traffic, travel, entertainment and sports
• Content - internal content, supply chain and customer

relationship management
• Coupons - instant coupons from a favorite store
• Customer response-type messages, such as surveys and sweepstakes
Premium programs are generally used by content providers to

charge users for the services they provide. In premium programs,
there is a specific charge to end us ers associated with receiving the
text message, and generally a charge for receiving mobile content.
When a content provider wants to charge a price for the application
or service they provide to the user, they can use a premium SMS to
bill the user. Premium simply means there is a fee associated with the
application. Content providers must connect to a payment processor
like OpenMarket to benefit from this service.
Examples of premium rate programs are:
• Buying content for your phone such as games, ringtones or images
• Premium information alerts like fantasy football information
A premium SMS message has special information encoded in the

message. When successfully processed by the operator’s billing
system, a charge will be placed on the end user’s phone bill for the
amount specified by your company. You will receive your payment
from the payment processor less any operator fees. The availability of
premium messaging has led to the creation of entire companies that
thrive on premium content offers billed through SMS.

SMS Applications
What Is an SMS Application?

An SMS application is simply a program or campaign where mobile
subscribers interact directly with your company or product using
text messaging. Just like a user might interact with an application
Transit
Reply with #
on a smartphone or a desktop, the interaction between a user
1. To find nearby stops and an SMS application is entirely using SMS. The user provides
2. To find bus schedule
3. To find subway schedule
input to the application using SMS (analogous to a click or a
4. To find bus fare info search term on a smartphone application) and receives output
5. To find subway fare info
H for Help
using SMS (analogous to the feedback received inside a
smartphone application).
Examples of SMS applications include playing games, updating

Facebook pages, receiving tweets, finding the nearest retail store,
looking up directions, receiving e-commerce and credit card
transaction alerts, flight time updates, celebrity and entertainment
news flashes, weather and sports alerts.
We’ve shown an example of an SMS application for public transit.

Most of the actions that a consumer might want to do on a Web
or smartphone application can also be done using an SMS application,
An example of an SMS application
for public transit with the added benefit that SMS reaches more users than any
other medium.
SMS messages can also carry binary data or objects such as

ringtones, wallpapers or pictures, which means that SMS can be
used as the transport medium for wireless downloads. A few
examples are movie trailers, news bites and any other audio or
video that can be distributed as small clips. SMS programs are
sometimes combined with Multimedia Message Service (MMS)
in an application to enhance the user experience.

How To Build a Compelling SMS Application

There are several things to consider when creating an application
for your business. First, figure out who your customers are and
consider their needs. Next, figure out what your business is trying
to achieve, such as what you want to sell or offer via a messaging
application. It is also useful to understand what your competitors
are doing and who your partners (if any) are in your application.
Once you determine the content of your application, you should
decide how you will price and distribute the application. You can
use the following points to build and optimize your application.
Know Your Customers As with any product or marketing campaign, your company first
needs to figure out your target audience. Get to know your customer
demographics. Make sure your mobile messages are relevant and useful
to your audience, or add features to and complement your product.
Learn what your customers need and adjust your message to match.
For example, if you are texting a recipe containing ingredients your
company sells, you will need to know if you are building a mobile messaging
campaign for chefs or everyday cooks. Likewise, if you are building a
game, your mobile component should match a serious or casual gamer.
Sign Up Users Effectively When you launch a mobile program, think about how customers will sign
up, or opt in, for the content you want to provide. Common sense design
principles apply. You will want to keep the sign-up process simple and
short. Ask for only basic contact information via mobile message; you can
always follow up later for more details.
For website sign ups, include a keyword in the initial SMS message
for people to use on a companion Web site to opt in to your program.
Pricing information should be prominently displayed on the site.
Terms and conditions should be easily accessible.
Also, be sure to follow the published best practices for the sign up
process. For example, both the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)
and most U.S. mobile operators require that the first time consumers
try a specific service on a specific short code, they need to be given
double opt in procedures.
In a double opt in, consumers receive an SMS confirmation message

indicating the terms of the purchase. Then consumers are asked to
positively reply to that confirmation message–either from their handset
or via the Web–that they accept the premium charges associated with
the service.

Welcome to Mavs Mobile Ticket as low as $2! Buy now!

Amy texts 1 Go to www.mavs.com or Amy texts 1
1. Tickets www.ticketmaster.com
2. Merchandise 1. For ticket outlets
3. Schedule / Tune in 2. For special promos
4. Stats 3. Stop
5. Standings
6. Alerts
Amy texts 2
Amy texts 3
Mavs Schedule Tune into Mavericks @ Nets on

1. PHI @ DAL
Amy texts 2 12/2 @ 6:30 pm on these stations
11/30 @ 7:30 pm TV: FSSW-DAL
2. DAL @ NJN Radio: KESN – 103.3FM
12/2 @ 6:30 pm KFLC – 1270AM (Spanish)
3. DAL @ MEM 1. Stop
12/4 @ 7:00 pm 2. Home
S Share with a friend
An example of a text based website with interaction
Interactive SMS
Done well, SMS enables you to offer customers compelling content
and effective calls to action through your MT messages. You can
use SMS messages to engage in a dialogue with your customers just
like you might in a smartphone application or on a mobile website.
A user can respond to questions from your application or request
information from your company.
Put another way, interactive SMS can give your company a permanent
presence, similar to a website, through a text application using
menu-driven content. Examples of interactive SMS span a variety
of uses, including:
• Transactions—Buy music, purchase tickets
• Reservations—Get a table at a restaurant
• Lookups—Check wine ratings, sports standings
• Socialize—Interact with social networking sites
• Schedules—Manage calendars and to-do lists
• Finances – Manage your stock portfolio
• Locate—Find homes, apartments, businesses
• Gather feedback—Surveys, contests
Through these innovative types of campaigns, interactive SMS

can create even more opportunities for you to connect with your
customers, increase brand loyalty and drive new revenue streams.

What Is a Good Mobile Terminated Message?

A basic Mobile Terminated (MT) message disseminates information,
Radio Station 105.9
such as a news update or consumer tip. Companies use MT messages
as an extension of their desktop, server and mobile products, or to
To purchase reply w #
1) Buddy Guy “Done Got Old”
build brand awareness about a product or service, offer coupons
2) Robert Cray “Shiver” using keyword codes, or provide information. Since the size of an
3) Bryan Lee “Lowdown and Dirty”
4) More
SMS message depends on the device and type of service, an SMS
should be limited to 160 characters. A lot of information can be
H For Help I for Info
disseminated across this space. There are also some mobile operator
guidelines you need to follow for administrative messages such as
requesting opt-in messages from users and purchase confirmations.
For the SMS messages that carry your content, you have complete
control over these messages and should strive to make them
effective. Here are some points to consider:
• Subject: A short line describing the content can set the context easily.
For sending bulk SMS outside the U.S., you can use the ’From’ field to
say who you are or communicate a short subject.
A radio station example of • Body: When you design the copy of your message, use crisp and
a good MT message clear language right away. Create white space in the message by using
bulleted lists. (Please reference the example inside the phone.)
• Value to user: Make sure you provide value with each message. The user
should want to receive the message and find it useful.
• Call to action: Clearly state what you would like the user to do.
• Remove prior text message content in exchanges if it is not core to your

application: Replies by handsets often include the prior message text,
building up a larger text message that could exceed 160 characters and
cause concatenation – or complicate your application as it tries to find
keywords in the text.
There is also a growing trend toward interactive SMS. These MT

messages engage the subscriber by offering them a menu-based
response system to complete an action. For example, a radio
station could send a daily text message to opted-in subscribers.
The message would note the top three most requested songs of
the day with an offer to purchase one or more of the songs
or ringtones by responding to the text (see example). Similarly,
the same type of interactive SMS message could work in a game
where a user can feed his pet a different type of food. This type
of MT message can drive more immediate responses to your SMS
messaging campaign offers.

How To Design Your Mobile Originated Message

Since an MO is a message that a user sends to your application,
Welcome to “Retailer X” Mobile
it is important to make it as simple as possible for the user to interact
Reply with # to with your application. As mentioned above, interactive SMS uses
1. Join the community
a menu-based response system to engage customers and provide
2. Deals in your area more opportunities to monetize your content. Depending on your
3. Find a store
4. Order a product
objective, users respond to your MT by pressing a number or letter
5. Apply for Retailer Credit Card and sending a Mobile Originated (MO) message back to your
6. Your Wish List!
7. Invite Friends to go shopping
company. This could be as quick and easy as pressing 1, 2 or another
number on your phone (see example).
Keywords are another good way to encourage users to take action if

your technical platform can also process various words. If so, select a
memorable keyword that matches your program and is easy to type
into multiple devices. For example, if you are marketing a mobile
game about race car driving, you could include the keyword STAT to
check on the winning times of top drivers or TIX to buy tickets to an
upcoming racing event.
An example of an SMS application
for a retailer Similarly, you can build a search interface using an MO message.
For example, if you are a retailer and would like a user to search for
products in your stores, you can have the user text any name to your
application such as “Diapers” or “Jackets.” Your application can
search by keyword and reply back with the list of stores where the
product is available in your area. Note that you can have the user get
the same information by selecting a menu-based list of categories
and products.
Maximize Your 160 Characters

Mobile messages must be concise to fit on a device screen.
The maximum is 160 characters, which includes letters and spaces.
To help you keep the message brief, get right to the point of
your text. Use commonly known text abbreviations—or shortcut
language—such as RU for “are you,” EZ for “easy” and the number
4 for “for.” A helpful tool might be a shorthand guide available at
http://www.netlingo.com. You can also use a URL shortening scheme
such as www.bit.ly to minimize the length of a website address
included in the message. Using a link is similar to using a menu-based
system for information retrieval.

Monetizing Your SMS Application
If monetizing via the mobile channel is part of the mobile strategy

for your company, then you need to figure out a way to bill users for
the services you provide. The typical ways of billing on the Internet
include advertising and credit cards. Other options are debit cards,
gift cards and purchasing service credits.
Monthly billing or subscriptions are other options to consider.

Mobile is similar to online billing with a couple of nuances of its own.
If users are signing up for your service using the Internet, then your
company can use the online ways of billing. (e.g. you can have them
pay via credit card). For users who do not have credit cards, you
can use operator billing. Both of these options are covered below.
You can also use mobile advertising to monetize your content.
Advertising Advertising is an exciting new marketing channel in mobile messaging.

Advertising in SMS simply means an advertiser wants to send a marketing
message to their target audience. If you are an advertiser, you can use
the entire body of the SMS message to send your marketing message.
Please reference OpenMarket’s Mobile Messaging 101 guide for
information on how to get started with SMS.
If you deliver some other form of mobile content and would like
to monetize the content with advertising, you can do so by going to
advertisers or advertising networks and getting text advertisements
to insert at the end of your content. People can respond to the
SMS advertisement by replying to the message if appropriate, clicking
on a Web URL (click to web) or by clicking a phone number to call
(click to call).
For instance, if you owned a rock climbing gym, you could develop a
mobile program that sent strength-building exercises for subscribers
to perform when not at the gym. At the bottom of each message, you
could insert 20 – 60 character advertisements that might be related
to the content, such as an advertisement for your customers to purchase
climbing gear from a store in the area, or an advertisement related to
a company that organizes rock climbing trips.
As a content publisher, your company can generate revenue from

SMS advertising by charging the participating companies placing the
advertisements based on different pricing models. You can also use

ad networks for sourcing the ads. An ad network matches advertisers

with content publishers. Ad networks typically keep a share of the
revenue from the advertisements they source. Another option is to
use an advertising platform like OpenMarket that aggregates several
ad networks. Ad platforms give you the choice of picking a network
or picking advertisements from several different networks. They can
sometimes help you find the best price for your content. Ad platforms
also provide you with ad targeting information and help with reporting.
How To Charge for Your Application Another option of monetizing your SMS application is to charge the
user for your content. There are two main ways in which you can charge
a consumer. One way is to use premium SMS by placing the cost of the
application on the user’s mobile phone bill. Another way is to use a credit
card. There are advantages and disadvantages to each billing method.
Pros and cons of operator billing:
• Has widest reach since anyone with a mobile phone can be

charged (in theory)
• PSMS interface is fairly straightforward when understood.

An experience where a user can purchase an item with a single
click can be enabled on a WAP site.
• Prepaid users sometimes have insufficient funds, which can lead

to failed purchase transactions
• Operators typically keep anywhere from 30 to 50 percent

of revenue
• Maximum amount spent by user using this method is limited

by most operators to under $50.00
Pros and cons of credit card billing:
• Credit card companies keep only 2 to 6 percent of revenue
• Not all users have credit cards
• Credit card numbers need to be entered manually for each

transaction (Studies have shown that successful transactions are
inversely proportional to the number of entries by the user on
a mobile device.)
• Once the credit card number has been entered, future

transactions can be completed with very few clicks
If possible, your company should consider implementing both of these

payment methods.

Customer Service in SMS
For any type of SMS program you offer, consider the best way to
provide service to your customer. Map out the types of problems
customers may encounter (i.e., not receiving requested content,
receiving the wrong content, questions about their bill) and think
about what kind of service options will be most convenient.
Examples include texting in customer service-related keywords,
initiating a text chat session with the customer, viewing FAQs
in SMS or on an affiliated website, or providing a toll-free number
to call.
At a minimum, your SMS applications should support a universal

HELP command, which gives consumers easy access to support
services and control over their participation in your mobile programs,
and STOP command to give subscribers control over when to opt
out from receiving messages from your campaign. Neither of these
keywords should result in a premium charge to the subscriber’s
account. Working with an experienced mobile business partner can
help you determine the best HELP and STOP commands for your
SMS campaign.
Where possible, design self-service options into your SMS application

to respond to issues and reduce your operational costs.

SMS Examples
The following are some examples of companies in various market

segments effectively using SMS to have a richer, more personal
dialogue with customers:
Finance
Stock alerts are a very common use of SMS. They are typically
triggered by a value provided by a user on a desktop or mobile
application due to some event in the stock market or the user’s
portfolio. As you can see from the example above, you can make
the alert more useful and allow the user to request more information
or take another action based on the information in the alert.
This engages the user more deeply with your service, thereby
increasing loyalty and revenue for your application.
Daily Portfolio Update 7/19: 7/19 Portfolio:

CGX +0.97 1. CGX +0.97
LLV -1.23 2. LLV -1.23
VVT -0.46 3. VVT -0.46
4. Dow +123.90
Dow +123.90 5. NSDQ +89.45
NSDQ +89.45
Reply with number to get trending,
history, and news for any symbol
Traditional Text App: Text Applications:

Basic, simple, low value. Interactive Content

Health Care
There are various uses of SMS in healthcare, including reminders as
shown below. The options on the right show an example where you
can provide other relevant information. For your own application,
think about the user’s overall experience, not just the content you are
trying to provide. You can generate more value for your user in your
application by considering the bigger picture.
Hospital X: Hospital X:
Reminder that you have an appoint- You have an appt. with Dr. Lincoln
ment with Dr. Lincoln tomorrow at 1:45pm
at 1:45pm at Hospital X. Call 800- 1. Directions
555-1212 2. Reschedule
3. Appt Info
4. Copay Info
Reply with # for more info
H for Help

Basic, simple, low value. Compelling, Interactive Content
Games
When developers think of games, they traditionally imagine
stand-alone games in SMS or writing smartphone applications.
You can increase playing time and interest in your game by
combining SMS with desktop and other mobile games. For example,
you can make moves in board games, strategize with teammates
in multi-player games, set up leagues, send top scores to others
and engage players in a variety of ways. Combining MMS with SMS
campaigns can also provide a more interactive experience
for games.
GangBattles Game GangBattles Game

JoeKryp has just challenged you
JoeKryp has just challenged you to a fight.
to a fight. 1. Do a job
2. Fight Him
Reply “?” or reference options on 3. Get your stats
FriendBook for all response options. 4. Check your $ balance
H for Help

Basic, simple, low value. Compelling Content

Entertainment and Hospitality

If you are a business in the entertainment or hospitality industries,
you already know how important your customer is to you. One critical
aspect of the customer is that they are also on the move, whether
it is visiting a theatre, a restaurant or a museum. SMS and MMS are
great ways of engaging your mobile customers. You should build
your mobile strategy into your overall marketing efforts rather than
keeping it a separate piece.
Topeka Entertainment for 6/17 Topeka Entertainment Guide

“Can’t Take it With You” @ the 1. Events near by
Playhouse, 8pm 2. Movies
“White Snake” Concert @ the 3. Concerts
Pavilion, 8:30 4. Plays
Local Band Showcase @ BarX, 5. Bar Specials
10-2am Reply with number for more
Call 800-555-1212 for Tix info and to purchase tickets.

Social Networking
Social media is all the rage. And just because a user does not have
a smartphone does not mean he cannot update a favorite social
networking site or receive updates from family and friends. SMS is
an effective and simple way of enabling these actions on consumer
or corporate social networking sites.
FriendBook: FriendBook (Reply with #)

Dianna Garrett has requested you Dianna Garrett requested you join
join her network. her network
Tom Cummings updated his status. 1) Confirm, 2) Deny
Log on to FriendBook to take action. Tom Cummings updated his
Reply H for Help status. 3) View
Esty Rodriguez commented on
your status 4) View
H for Help


Setting Up Services
As a mobile marketer or content provider, you must comply with

a standard set of rules and policies to market and sell mobile
content and services directly to consumers. To that end, several
industry organizations, as well as mobile operators, have created
various acceptable-use policies with best practices for interacting
with consumers. With so many policies and rules to navigate,
you need an experienced mobile business partner who can
guide you through the process.
Short codes are an important part of any mobile campaign in the

United States, making it easy for your customers to interact with you.
In the rest of the world, you can launch an MT or bulk messaging
program without a short or long code. In order to receive an MO,
you always need a short or long code. A long code is also called a
virtual mobile number (VMN) in some countries.
How To Select a Short Code

A short code is a number to which a user can send a text message
and receive information or content in return. Short codes are
typically five to six digits (i.e., 12345). They can be a random number
assigned to you or you can select a vanity code. For instance, if your
company sells painting supplies, you could choose a specific vanity
number that corresponds to your business, like 72467 for PAINT.
If you decide to select a vanity code, make sure it is easy to type into
various mobile devices. It is also simpler for consumers to remember
sequential numbers, such as 121212. In the U.S., it is more expensive
to use a vanity code.

A short code may be specific to one mobile operator, or may be

common and supported by all major operators. Short code services
need to be approved by each participating operator network.
In the U.S., you can visit the Common Short Code Administration
(CSCA) website to learn more about U.S. short codes and to check
the availability of a vanity short code at http://www.usshortcodes.com.
Short codes in other regions are governed by individual country
policies and operator networks. Check with your mobile business
partner for more information on country-specific guidelines.
Long Code or Virtual Mobile Number A long code or virtual mobile number (VMN) is an 11-digit mobile number
that enables your SMS application to receive inbound SMS text messages
from almost any mobile user on any mobile network worldwide, as long as
the user is able to send a text message to an international number. Check
with your mobile business partner about program provisioning on these
operator networks.
Operator Guidelines around Mobile Content

Understanding the mobile channel can be a complicated endeavor
as there are many industry rules and operator guidelines to follow.
Mobile operators want to protect their subscribers from spam
and unwanted activity. For the latest cross-operator standards and
guidelines on what types of innovative SMS campaigns you can
run in the U.S., please reference the Mobile Marketing Association’s
Consumer Best Practices Guidelines (http://www.mmaglobal.com/
bestpractices.pdf). U.S. operators typically have the most stringent
program rules; however, there are standard guidelines such as always
having a user’s permission to send them SMS messages that should
be followed as a matter of good business practices.

Campaign Management Tools
Managing a mobile program is like juggling. There are many things

to manage at one time. At the campaign level, you have to develop
the marketing strategy, craft a concept, source content and create the
individual offer for each text message you send. You will also need
to manage your application’s subscribers and keep track of their
permissions. You will need to use a combination of advanced
technologies to deliver your SMS messages across a complex mobile
ecosystem in which dozens of mobile operators’ guidelines exist.
Campaign management tools allow you to create applications easily
and send content to users who have signed up for your services.
Campaign management tools typically include the

following functionality:
• Create and save content for individual SMS messages your

company sends
• Provide templates of standard types of programs, such as

sweepstakes, alerts, auctions, and premium purchasing campaigns
• Manage content transcoding if your company does video other

multimedia content
• Create lists of users

• Manage opt ins and user permissions; request permission if needed
• Manage user’s contact information
• Manage subscriber preferences for various content your

company supports
• Keep track of and manage mobile operator rules
Working with an experienced mobile business partner like

OpenMarket and using a reliable messaging platform with
high-volume transaction capabilities will further streamline
and simplify the process. This leaves your company free to
dream up additional ways to reach your customers and
generate revenues.

Get Started Today!
About OpenMarket If you are looking to create compelling SMS applications to engage
OpenMarket is a leading global mobile
your customers, build loyalty and increase revenue, we invite you
transaction hub. OpenMarket provides to let OpenMarket help you get started today. As a trusted mobile
a comprehensive set of payment, business partner, we help keep you connected to those who mean
messaging and emerging services
to meet mobile business needs. the most to your business through our reliable mobile transaction
From the largest consumer brands hub and industry-leading mobile operator connections. Please visit
to the smallest new digital content
www.openmarket.com or contact us at omsales@openmarket.com
ventures, OpenMarket empowers
businesses to expand their marketing for more information.
initiatives and strengthen customer
relationships by leveraging the mobile OpenMarket U.S.: +1.877.277.2801
channel. OpenMarket provides
the most direct mobile operator OpenMarket UK: +44 20 8987 8855
connections in the U.S. market today
OpenMarket Australia: +61 2 9332 2141
with rapid global expansion plans.
OpenMarket is a business of Amdocs.
For more information, please
visit www.openmarket.com. Useful Contacts and Resources
Consumers are the sole creators of demand for mobile content
and services. Therefore, to help the mobile market achieve its full
potential, every player in the marketplace needs to focus on the
consumer’s experience.
The organizations listed below provide valuable resources for

launching compliant and successful SMS applications.
• Mobile Marketing Association — www.mmaglobal.com
• Best Practices for Mobile Marketing — www.mmaglobal.com/

bestpractices.pdf
• Mobile Data Association — www.themda.org
• GSMA — www.gsmworld.com
• Cellular Telephone Industry Association — www.ctia.org
• Common Short Code Administration — www.usshortcodes.com
Copyright © 2010 OpenMarket Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, distributed, electronically stored, or translated into any language, in any form
by any means, without the prior written permission of OpenMarket. OpenMarket and the
OpenMarket logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of OpenMarket in the United
States and/or other countries. All other trademarks and brand names used herein are the
property of their respective owners.

How To Create SMS Applications - FINAL

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How To Create SMS Applications - FINAL

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The Most Reliable Mobile Transaction Hub

Mobile Messaging 201:

Mobile Messaging 201: How to Create Compelling SMS Applications 1

Why Use SMS? 4

Mobile Messaging 201: How to Create Compelling SMS Applications 2

Mobile Messaging 201: How to Create Compelling SMS Applications 3

Why Use SMS?

By using the mobile channel as part of your product and marketing

• Engage more consumers effectively with your products

• Increase brand awareness by directly connecting with consumers

• Improve customer loyalty and retention

• Boost revenue streams via high campaign response rates

• Tap into a growing global messaging market

OpenMarket’s objective is to provide the most reliable mobile

Mobile Messaging 201: How to Create Compelling SMS Applications 4

According to research Market Opportunity

Benefits of Mobile Messaging

By using mobile messaging as part of your product, you can:

• Increase product usage in mobile use cases, thus increasing loyalty

• Add features that make your product competitive and compelling

As part of your marketing efforts, mobile messaging can benefit

• Providing a higher response rate as compared to traditional

• Increasing brand awareness

• Providing a higher ROI while reducing marketing costs.

Mobile Messaging 201: How to Create Compelling SMS Applications 5

User Texting Behavior

5. Mobile health monitoring

7. Near-field communications services

9. Mobile instant messaging

10. Mobile music

Mobile Messaging 201: How to Create Compelling SMS Applications 6

Mobile Originated (MO) Messages

Mobile Terminated (MT) Messages

Bulk SMS is a type of standard rate program that enables companies

Mobile Messaging 201: How to Create Compelling SMS Applications 7

In standard rate programs, consumers are not charged by the

• Alerts - news, weather, traffic, travel, entertainment and sports

• Content - internal content, supply chain and customer

• Coupons - instant coupons from a favorite store

• Customer response-type messages, such as surveys and sweepstakes

Premium programs are generally used by content providers to

Examples of premium rate programs are:

• Buying content for your phone such as games, ringtones or images

• Premium information alerts like fantasy football information

A premium SMS message has special information encoded in the

Mobile Messaging 201: How to Create Compelling SMS Applications 8

What Is an SMS Application?

Examples of SMS applications include playing games, updating

We’ve shown an example of an SMS application for public transit.

SMS messages can also carry binary data or objects such as

Mobile Messaging 201: How to Create Compelling SMS Applications 9

How To Build a Compelling SMS Application

In a double opt in, consumers receive an SMS confirmation message

Mobile Messaging 201: How to Create Compelling SMS Applications 10

Welcome to Mavs Mobile Ticket as low as $2! Buy now!

Mavs Schedule Tune into Mavericks @ Nets on

An example of a text based website with interaction

• Transactions—Buy music, purchase tickets

• Reservations—Get a table at a restaurant

• Lookups—Check wine ratings, sports standings

• Socialize—Interact with social networking sites

• Schedules—Manage calendars and to-do lists

• Finances – Manage your stock portfolio