The A2P (application to person) messaging space has continued to evolve over the past few years, and businesses now have a lot of options when it comes to reaching their customers via SMS or MMS messaging.
If you are looking to launch, grow, or optimize your SMS program at scale, you should consider the sender ID type called a short code. Here’s more on what you need to know about how to acquire and properly utilize an SMS short code for your business.
What is an SMS Short Code?
An SMS short code is a 5-digit or 6-digit number, allowing two-way text message communication between a business and its customers via a recognizable sender ID. If you are launching or optimizing a mobile program with a large mobile database, a short code is essential.
What Are the Different Types of Short Codes?
There are two primary types of dedicated short codes you can use to reach your customers via SMS: Random short codes and vanity short codes.
- Random short codes: Just like it sounds, a random short code is a randomly generated five or six-digit number assigned to you once you complete the process of leasing your short code.
- Vanity short codes: More expensive than random short codes, vanity short codes are a five or six-digit number you select to be your brand’s short code. Businesses who opt for a vanity short code may do it because they want to customize the number for branding purposes (particularly if your brand name is five or six letters). Or they may want a repeatable numerical sequence to make the number easier for their customers to remember.
Short Codes vs. Long Codes and Toll-Free Numbers
In addition to short codes, 10-digit long codes (10DLCs) and toll-free numbers (TFNs) are two other options for you to reach your customers via SMS. Here are a few key differences between these sender ID options.
- Expected reliability and speed. 10DLCs and TFNs typically have less reliability and slower speed when compared to short codes.
- Brand recognition and credibility. Your customers are more likely to recognize your brand on a short code since messages would be coming from an identifiable sender ID. A con of a 10DLC is it looks like a regular phone number and may get confused with personal numbers, and a 1-800 TFN has more risk of being perceived as possible spam.
- Cost. Short codes are the most expensive option with higher lease fees starting at $500/month, but if you are launching or optimizing a mobile program with a large number of SMS subscribers a short code is essential to be able to successfully deliver a high volume of messages.
What Are the Benefits of Using Short Codes?
There are several benefits of using a short code for your SMS text messaging campaigns, including:
- Your customers are more likely to recognize your brand since messages will be coming from an identifiable sender ID.
- They are more reliable than 10-digit long codes and toll-free numbers for SMS and MMS messages.
- The U.S. wireless carriers provide a handset delivery receipt, meaning delivery confirmation is sent upon arrival to the handset.
- It’s easier for your customers to opt in and remember a shorter number, allowing you to grow your SMS database faster.
- You can send more than 160 characters to arrive as one long message on the user’s handset.
When to Use a Short Code
There is certain criteria to consider when evaluating if a short code is the best fit for your company to use.
- Scale and volume. Since short codes have the greatest reliability, most businesses using short codes are larger enterprise brands sending large subscriber-based campaigns with anywhere from many thousands to several million subscribers. While short codes may be the most expensive at $500/month, if you are launching or optimizing a mobile program with a large number of SMS subscribers a short code is essential to be able to successfully deliver a high volume of messages.
- Brand reputation. Any brand that wants to gain credibility and send timely and secure text messages will use a dedicated short code. From enterprise retail brands to a new insurance startup, short codes are used by companies that care about their reputation and take mobile messaging seriously.
How to Get Short Codes for Text Messaging
Registration with and approval by the wireless carriers is required prior to being allowed to send messages to your customers on a short code. Here’s how this process works:
- Create an account with The Campaign Registry.
- Register your brand, campaign use case (i.e. marketing vs. transactional-based messages), and associated short code(s).
- Provider your SMS aggregator with the registered Brand ID, Campaign ID, and associated short code(s).
- Aggregators submit the request to the regulator (The Campaign Registry) to review and approve, and then notify the brand when the technical setup has been completed.
SMS Short Code Compliance & Rules
There are SMS compliance regulatory rules and laws established by several organizations and legislatures across the country that are to be abided by when brands send text messages to consumers. Here’s a breakdown of the different parties that establish mobile marketing rules and key terms to know.1
CTIA
Formerly known as the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, the CTIA is a nonprofit that develops and monitors rules, regulations, and voluntary best practices to guide the mobile industry.
FCC
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is government agency that monitors and regulates communications. It serves as the primary regulator for U.S. communications laws and technological innovation.
Wireless Carriers
Wireless carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon may choose to impose their own guidelines for customers to follow when sending business-to-consumer marketing messages via text. While carriers can’t legally enforce laws, they can choose to take their own course of action if marketers violate their policies.
Companies are required to follow these carrier rules to be approved to send text messages on their network, which is one of the reasons why it is very advantageous to partner with mobile marketing companies who have direct connections and relationships with the carriers.
State-Specific
In more recent years we’ve seen local laws being enacted by certain states that apply only to their residents — including Florida, Oklahoma, Washington, New York, and Maryland — and other states are expected to pass similar legislation in the near future.
TCPA
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991 established national requirements for telemarketers and the use of automated telephone dialing equipment. Since then it has been updated to include regulations for text message marketing as well, such as:
- Before sending text and opt-out instructions, your business must identify itself.
- Consumers must be able to easily opt out through any reasonable means, such as texting the word STOP to the short code they no longer want to receive messages from.
- Messages must be sent only within commercial texting times (8 a.m. to 9 p.m. based on the recipient’s time zone).
- Prior express written consent (PEWC) must be obtained prior to sending any commercial or marketing-based messages, a clause that was added in 2013.
Short Code FAQs
How much do short codes cost?
A random dedicated short code costs $500/month, and a selected, vanity short code costs $1,000/month. Codes can be leased for periods of three, six, or twelve months.
Is there such a thing as a shared short code?
The use of shared short codes is very rare these days since the major wireless carriers in the US and Canada have stopped supporting them due to concerns about spam, security risks, and poor user experience.
What’s the fastest way to get an SMS short code?
The fastest, easiest method is working with an SMS aggregator who can handle this process on your behalf. At Vibes, we have over 2 decades of experience with the short code provisioning process, and our longtime relationships with the wireless carriers result in us having the quickest turnaround times in the industry. This means that mobile numbers are provisioned 3x faster and program briefs get approved 2x faster, getting our customers’ campaigns live in as little as 3 weeks.
How fast can short codes send text messages?
The expected speed depends on what aggregator you use and how they are connected to the wireless carriers. If your aggregator is directly connected to the carriers, like Vibes, then you can expect better speed and deliverability of your text messages. Aggregators are often routing messages for multiple brands, so if other brands are sending texts at the same time as you, this can also influence the speed of deliverability.
What are zero-rated short codes?
Also known as free to the end user (FTEU)
Will short codes be disappearing?
Also known
How long does it take to get a short code?
The average time it takes has risen to as long as 16 weeks, but with the right partner like Vibes, you can get a short code approved, provisioned, and certified by the carriers in as little as 3 weeks.
What steps must be taken for a business to get a short code provisioned and certified?
Broadly, here are the necessary steps to get a short code provisioned and approved by the U.S. carriers:
- Purchase a short code from the U.S. Short Code Registry (the leasing fee is $500/month for random short codes, and $1,000/month for vanity short codes).
- Complete a program brief and submit it to the carriers for approval.
- Once the program brief is approved, the campaign will be submitted for testing and certified by the carriers.
What is a short code migration?
A short code migration refers to the process of transferring an existing short code from one aggregator or platform to another, essentially moving the destination of where a business manages its A2P text messages associated with that short code to the new provider.
Why Vibes is the Right Partner for Your SMS Short Code Needs
Vibes’ direct carrier connections and hands-on personal service makes us the most trusted aggregator in North America. We have the quickest turnaround times in the industry, ensuring your mobile numbers are provisioned 3x faster and your program briefs get approved 2x faster, and we increase throughput when your business requires it.
By being one of only four Tier 1 SMS aggregators in the United States, Vibes can rapidly scale to help you meet increased message volumes and greater throughput, ensuring ample, reliable capacity and speed of messaging on all short codes you provision with us — no matter what.
The Bottom Line
When launching and managing a mobile program, if message reliability and speed is what you want along with ensuring your brand reputation remains intact, then leasing an SMS short code is the way to go.
Get in touch with us today to learn more about using Vibes SMS aggregation services for your business.
1This information serves as general guidance on SMS compliance only and is not legal counsel. Companies must work directly with their own legal teams to determine what is required for their mobile program.
