Text Message Marketing

10DLC SMS Guide

Respond Flow

What is 10 DLC SMS

10 DLC is a new compliance standard that every business that wants to send text messages needs to follow or risk being fined.


If you’ve never heard of the new standard, at the highest level it’s a system that phone carriers developed to allow businesses to send masses text messages (A2P) using a 10-digit local phone number.


If you’re a business that’s been using text messages or have been looking at implementing a system to reach your customers, complying with 10DLC SMS is a requirement not a suggestion. 


Those who do not register have the potential of being fined up to $10,000 by carriers.


Unsure if this affects your business? Schedule a consultation with our experts.



How to register for 10 DLC

The first step to making your business 10 DLC compliant is by registering and applying for 10DLC.


*Not every business is eligible and should consult an SMS expert before applying*


Here are all of the items you’ll need ready to register your brand for 10DLC:

  • Company Name
  • EIN (Employer Identification Number)
  • Business Adress
  • Website
  • Phone
  • Industry


Once you’ve successfully applied and have been approved for registration, you now have to register the campaigns you want to send. Unlike other marketing channels, you need to apply and be approved to send your specific use case for texting.


*If you don’t register your campaigns correctly, you may be subjected to fines*


Currently, there are over 25 campaign types you can choose from. Here is a short list of those available:

  • Marketing
  • Politics
  • Promotion
  • Higher Education
  • Social
  • Polling and voting
  • Etc.


Once you choose the campaign type that fits your business’s needs, you will then be required to get your text message copy pre-approved.


Need help navigating 10 DLC SMS? Schedule a time with our experts


How your texting volume is affected

Your texting volume may or may not be affected depending on your specific use case for texting. The factors that this new text message standard uses to set messaging sending limits is based on your brand’s trust score as well as the type of text message campaign you’re using.


Your SMS trust score:

As your business registers for 10 DLC, you will be assigned a trust score. This is your brand’s reputation with major carriers and the SMS regulatory bodies. 


If your business sends messages compliant to all the current and new standards for 10 DLC, then your trust score with improve. When your business is non compliant or sends messages that exceeds the carrier specific send limit your score will go down. As these regulations evolve it is vital for your business to stay on top of compliance standards as they evolve to maintain a high trust score.


Unhappy with your SMS trust score? Talk to our SMS experts to learn how to improve it.



Your registered campaigns:

Depending on the type campaign you register for, you will be assigned a maximum sending limit. This sending limit is also dependent on your trust score with carriers.


Types of 10 DLC Campaigns:

Declared- These are specific use cases primarily for operations and business end messaging such as 2fa (tw0 factor authentication) or notifications and alerts.


Mixed- A combination of multiple use cases


Marketing: Sending promotional content to your contacts

*Declared use cases may receive higher sending limits than mixed or marketing campaigns*


What are the costs of 10 DLC messaging

Not only does applying to 10 DLC cost money, so too does each SMS sent along with potential fines you may incur if you are not fully compliant with 10 DLC compliance.


Registration

  • $4, non-refundable, expense for registering your brand
  • $50 one time cost per campaign you register
  • $0.03 fee for assign or reassigning a phone number to a campaign type


Cost per messages

Depending on the carrier of your contacts and your text message use case, the fee per 10dlc text may change.

*The fee will sit ontop of any API or marketing software costs on every SMS provider*


  • $2-$10 monthly recurring charge based on the use cases you implement


Verizon

  • $0.0025 per outbound SMS message segment
  • $0.005 per outbound MMS message


TMobile

  • $0.003 per outbound/inbound SMS message segment
  • $0.001 per outbound/inbound MMS message



10 DLC Fines

Starting May 1st, long code messaging that is not registered as 10DLC compliant will incur the following fines.


AT&T 

  • $0.004 / SMS message pass-through fee for messages terminating to AT&T
  • $0.03/message for outbound SMS to AT&T
  • $0.0035/message for outbound MMS to AT&T

 

T-mobile

  • $10,000 fine when T-mobile receives a complaint about a number that is not registered as 10 DLC SMS compliant
  • $10/message if businesses choose to go around 10DLC and use P2P texting.
  • $10,000 if for messages that go against their content policy  

Need help navigating 10DLC?

Navigating the transition to 10 DLC SMS is an unclear one for most businesses. If you’re looking for clarity on how to approach 10 DLC, then Respond Flow is here to help guide you through the process. 


Click here to learn more about how we’re ensuring businesses stay compliant through this transitionary period.


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