10dlc

By:  Emily Tuttle – Springbig  

10DLC stands for 10-digit long code which are numbers that can support the high volume of text messages that successful A2P, or application-to-person, messaging requires. It offers delivery reliability and security for business senders by requiring campaign registrations from the companies, cutting down on campaign approval times and increasing deliverability.

Increasing regulations

All messaging traffic for major carriers like AT&T, Sprint, and T-mobile needs to be fully vetted and approved for 10DLC. Verizon launched its version of 10DLC in early 2020 but did not require a vetting process – just an increase in filtering for spam, scams, and unauthorized content related to SHAFT (Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco), whcih includes cannabis content.

Now the cost of non-compliance is increasing which affects the cannabis industry directly. Wireless carriers have always enforced regulations like SHAFT guidelines for text message marketing but now the regulations are getting stricter and fees are higher for those who don’t comply with these regulations. We believe this makes it even more attractive than before to keep your communications compliant with regulations!

These regulations are why after 10DLC was implemented, if your text message copy contained cannabis content you may have seen a gradual drop in Verizon deliverability as your messages might have been subject to some level of filtering. Also, in 2021 carriers such as T-Mobile announced that they would be heavily increasing fees on non-compliant messages. These include a pass-through fee of up to $10,000. As 10DLC becomes more prevalent, so do the regulations and fees concerning non-compliance. By not complying you are risking significant additional fees to your campaigns.

That being said, using mass text message marketing is still very much possible for any cannabis dispensary, and from the perspective of sustainable business growth complying with 10DLC is the right call.

Navigating 10DLC guidelines

As it seems 10DLC is here to stay, here are a few tips on how to navigate the new rules while staying compliant:

By ensuring your SMS marketing platform complies with the 10DLC regulations to avoid any unwanted fees. Using evasion techniques such as dynamic routing (gray routing) to go around 10DLC regulations can come with severe sanctions. In a heavily regulated field like the cannabis industry compliance is key, so avoid using platforms that try to evade regulations. Taking risks by not complying can hurt your business in the long run Including links in your copy that direct customers to websites can be a great way to provide customers with more information about for example upcoming events or products. However, make sure that the links landing page is also compliant with the guidelines, instead of sending links directly to cannabis websites.

To learn more or see a demo of our industry leading platform please visit us at springbig.com