What is mobile terminating?

Mobile terminating (MT) is an outbound message sent to a mobile device. In SMS marketing, mobile terminating messages most commonly include promotional messages, shipping notifications, and customer service messages.

What is the difference between mobile terminating and mobile originating?

Whereas MT messages are outbound messages from your brand to your audience, mobile originating (MO) messages are inbound SMS messages sent from someone’s mobile device to your brand. MO messages and MT messages work together to establish two-way conversations between mobile marketers and their audience.

How mobile terminating messages are used in SMS marketing

  • Time-sensitive communication: MT messages are convenient for time-critical alerts like flash sales or limited-time offers.
  • Automation: MT messages may be triggered by customer actions such as abandoning an online shopping cart or making a purchase, after which someone would receive a message with next steps or more information.
  • Customer service: MT messages are part of two-way conversations that can help customers have a better experience with your brand.

How do MT messages work?

Here’s an example of what MT messages look like in practice:

  1. Your brand sends a promotional SMS—an MT message—to your SMS subscribers, instructing them to reply with a certain keyword to trigger an action. Example: “Send DISCOUNT to 12345 for a 30% discount on all sweaters now! Offer valid today only.”
  2. Your subscribers send an inbound MO message that contains the keyword DISCOUNT to a short code 12345.
  3. Subscribers receive an SMS reply—an MT message—from your brand confirming the discount. Example: “Use discount code WARM30 to redeem your 30% discount on your next sweater order. Stay warm!”

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