WANT an additional 10 memberships this month?

I help Gym Owners who are needing more memberships, generate consistent in-the-door traffic by utilizing past members and lead nurturing.

918 Wise Ave S.E.

North Canton, Ohio, 44720

Call 330-475-8275

What is A2P 10 DLC?

A2P 10 DLC stands for Application-to-Person (A2P) 10 Digit Long Code. In simpler terms, it refers to the process of registering business phone numbers to send Application-to-Person messages, particularly marketing-related SMS, using a 10-digit long code. These messages typically involve notifications, alerts, and promotional content sent by businesses to their customers.

What this means is that as of August 31, 2023, certain businesses that use SMS texting to contact customers / leads / general public (business 2 consumer B2C), need to register. This allows the mobile carriers to block any unregistered numbers from sending mass texts.

Why is A2P 10 DLC Important for Small Businesses?

Legitimacy: Registering for A2P 10 DLC lends your business an air of legitimacy. Customers are more likely to trust messages from registered numbers, leading to higher engagement rates.
Improved Deliverability: Registered numbers have better deliverability rates, ensuring that your messages reach your intended audience without getting lost in the digital ether.
Enhanced Brand Reputation: Compliance with A2P 10 DLC standards demonstrates your commitment to following industry regulations and respecting consumer privacy, which can bolster your brand's reputation.
Access to Advanced Features: Registered numbers may have access to advanced features, such as increased message throughput and improved analytics, allowing for more effective marketing campaigns.
Reduced Spam Risks: By registering for A2P 10 DLC, you reduce the risk of your messages being flagged as spam, thus avoiding potential penalties and preserving your sender reputation.
Greater Control and Monitoring: Registration provides businesses with greater control over their messaging activities and allows for better monitoring of campaign performance and customer interactions.
Compliance with Regulations: A2P 10 DLC registration ensures compliance with regulatory requirements set forth by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) and other governing bodies, minimizing legal risks for your business.
Seamless Integration: Many messaging platforms and service providers require A2P 10 DLC registration for seamless integration, enabling you to leverage the full capabilities of these tools for your marketing efforts.
Competitive Advantage: By adhering to A2P 10 DLC standards, you gain a competitive advantage over non-compliant businesses, positioning yourself as a trustworthy and professional entity in the eyes of consumers.
Future-Proofing Your Business: As SMS marketing continues to evolve, A2P 10 DLC registration ensures that your business remains adaptable and prepared for any regulatory changes or technological advancements in the field.

What happens if your business fails to comply with these regulations

Decreased Deliverability: Unregistered numbers may experience lower deliverability rates, as carriers prioritize messages from registered sources to combat spam and fraud.
Damage to Reputation: Sending messages from unregistered numbers can damage your brand's reputation and erode consumer trust, leading to decreased engagement and customer loyalty.
Penalties and Fines: Non-compliance with A2P 10 DLC regulations can result in penalties and fines imposed by regulatory authorities, potentially costing your business significant financial resources.
Limited Features and Functionality: Unregistered numbers may have limited access to messaging features and functionalities, hindering your ability to execute effective marketing campaigns and engage with your audience.
Increased Spam Complaints: Messages sent from unregistered numbers are more likely to be perceived as spam by recipients, leading to higher complaint rates and potential blacklisting by carriers.
Legal Risks: Operating without A2P 10 DLC registration exposes your business to legal risks and potential lawsuits from consumers or regulatory bodies alleging violations of telecommunications laws and regulations.
Inconsistent Message Delivery: Unregistered numbers may experience inconsistent message delivery, with some messages being delayed or blocked altogether, resulting in missed opportunities to connect with customers.
Inefficient Campaign Management: Without A2P 10 DLC registration, managing and monitoring SMS marketing campaigns becomes more challenging, leading to inefficiencies and suboptimal results.
Competitive Disadvantage: Non-compliance with A2P 10 DLC regulations puts your business at a competitive disadvantage compared to compliant competitors, who may enjoy higher deliverability rates an better customer engagement.
Reputational Damage: Continued non-compliance with A2P 10 DLC standards can tarnish your business's reputation in the long run, making it harder to attract and retain customers in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

We can help!

This process is not always easy, and requires both of us to work together to complete the registration. This process may take up to 4 weeks to complete the acceptance of an application.

Rules for passing and keeping a current A2P 10 DLC registration include:

making sure that your website has a Privacy Policy in place, having a clear "subscribe" button to all email / phone number capture forms, creating "opt-out" language in the first SMS message, moving the "unsubscribe" hyperlink to the top of the email, and one click unsubscribe automations. The business name on legal documents also has to match the website. There may be a few others I am missing from the top of my head. This all has to be in place before applying.

What is the Cost?

When your business applies for A2P 10 DLC there are a few fees involved. There is a application fee (each time your apply), a secondary fee for the application, and a monthly charge for continued compliance.

There are different prices for different types of businesses applying, such as sole proprietor, vs LLC.

After the application has passed, each SMS text message your business sends out will be billed based on the amount of characters in the text. A text message under 160 characters will be billed as one block. But if the message has 161 characters it will be 2 blocks / number texted. Emoji images, pictures, and links will require more than one block to send, and will increase the per text charged rate.