P2P Texting
P2P is short for people-to-people texting.A2P Texting
A2P is short for application-to-people texting. SMS marketing is a form of A2P texting since the texts originate from automated software.Short Code
Short code is a 5-6-digit number used for SMS marketing and mass texts. Within short code, an organization may choose between dedicated and shared short codes.Long Code
Long code is a 10-digit number used for SMS marketing. Within long code, an organization may choose between local and toll-free long code numbers.10DLC
10DLC (digit/commercial long code) is a recent SMS marketing upgrade. It is a more advanced version of the traditional long code numbers described above.The Differences
Without getting into too many technical nuances, there are three considerations that any business using SMS marketing should seriously consider.Cost
The cheapest SMS marketing approach is long code. That said, the lower price comes at a non-monetary cost, such as the threat of cell carriers blocking the number or the inability to send mass texts. For high volume texting, short code is the most expensive. Some organizations try to get around the cost of short code SMS marketing by using shared short code (instead of dedicated short code). But with shared short code, organizations risk suffering the consequences of other short code users violating marketing ethics. We will explain this further below. 10DLC is right in the middle. Currently, costs hover above long code and below dedicated short code.Ethics + Standards for SMS Marketing
As wireless carriers figure out how to make more money with SMS marketing, they are going to go to greater lengths to enforce SMS marketing ethics. For example, some carriers are kicking out long codes sent over P2P texting channels. If your organization wants to be able to maintain contact with your customers via text, you need to be aware of each carrier’s rules. Additionally, shared short codes (as opposed to dedicated short codes) allow many brands to use the same 5-6-digit number from which to send mass texts. So long as everyone using the shared code adheres to SMS marketing standards, everything will be fine. However, it only takes one spam text originating from a shared short code to get the whole number shut down. A growing unspoken rule in SMS marketing is that all shared short codes are unethical. The ethics of shared short codes remain a controversial topic, and this controversy demands that businesses think carefully about the approach they take.SMS Volume
How many texts do you plan to send at a time? If your answer is more than 100,000 texts per day, your only real option is short code. But if all you want to do is send texts to customers/clients one at a time, then you can use any of the codes available. You should pay close attention to how many texts your short or long code number supports, as well as the rate at which it will send texts.SMS Short Code
Short codes are popular for mass alerts, such as traffic and safety alerts. Government agencies, law enforcement, and the CDC are some of the most common short code users. Short codes are also favorites of fast-food restaurants, nationwide retail chains, or cell phone carriers. Because dedicated short codes - codes reserved for one organization only - are expensive, many businesses opt to use shared short codes. Shared short codes are less costly but do allow multiple companies to send texts from the same number. Organizations that opt for dedicated short codes do not have to worry about another business on the short code roster spamming their customers. Often, brands that want an easy-to-remember vanity code - like Chipotle’s 888222 short code - must secure the number via a dedicated short code.Pros
- The best for sending mass texts
- Ability to purchase a vanity code
Cons
- Carriers are targeting shared short codes for spam and will blacklist an entire short code after one reported spam text
- Most expensive SMS marketing option
SMS Long Code
Long codes use full 10-digit numbers and are more personal. However, many SMS marketing providers use long codes to send P2P texts to your customers. Even though it is cheaper to send long code over P2P, cell carriers rarely approve this strategy. SMS marketing is supposed to transmit over A2P, but standard long codes can sometimes fly below the radar of wireless carriers on P2P. However, carriers will blacklist long code numbers over P2P if they catch you using SMS marketing on a channel reserved for texts between individuals. Toll free long codes allow your organization to send and receive texts from a company landline. Some companies even use toll free long code to send/receive faxes, along with SMS marketing.Pros
- Cheaper than short code
- More personal than short code
Cons
- Some long code providers try to sneak SMS marketing through P2P and risk carriers blacklisting the number
- Your ability to send a large volume of texts is severely limited.
SMS 10 Digit/Commercial Long Code (10DLC)
Combining the mass text capability of short code with the personability of long code, 10DLC is the perfect alternative. At the time this article was written, 10DLC remains cheaper than dedicated short codes while still compliant with cell carriers. If your SMS marketing provider uses 10DLC, you can rest easy knowing that carriers will not block your texts unless you were to violate SMS regulations. 10DLC also enables calling and faxing, depending upon the needs of your organization. A non-carrier number - such as a landline or virtual calling service - can send/receive SMS, MMS, and phone calls with 10DLC. Most importantly, you can send more texts per second than you can with standard long code.Pros
- A2P-compliant
- Send more texts in a day than standard long code
- Cheaper than dedicated short code
- More personal than short code
- VoIP-enabled
Cons
- Still sends a lower volume of texts in a day than does short code