This article outlines some general examples for registering 10DLC brands and campaigns. These details must be included in your campaign registration submissions in order to be accepted and to allow campaign IDs to be associated with phone numbers through TELCOG Communications. Failure to include adequate information could potentially delay campaign approval.   

Fields that will be reviewed (at a minimum):

  • Legal company name
  • Brand support email address
  • Brand support phone number
  • Brand Website
  • Universal Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Campaign description
    • Content Attributes
    • Content/Prohibited SHAFT-C Content
  • Sample message
    • Opt-Out Message
  • Call to Action (CTA) field when required by The Campaign Registry (TCR)
Do… Don’t…
  • Comply with the guidelines outlined in this article. Non-compliance will result in a declined campaign.
  • Provide complete information and verify that content attributes are accurate prior to sharing the campaign with your DCA.
  • Include opt-in and opt-out language (when applicable). When a phone number is collected via a website, the brand should also disclose the privacy policy/terms of use.
  • Include a non-working website.
  • Provide content attributes that don’t match the other fields entered in TCR (embedded phone number or link, debt reduction program)
  • Use sample messages, campaign description, or website/brand information that are inconsistent with each other. Sample message entries match and make sense for the website and/or brand.
  • Register Charity or Sole Proprietor use cases for political messaging.

Brand registration best practices

Standard use case requirements

  • Remember the brand is the message sender – the EIN and company information should reflect the message sender. 
  • Website – some online presence is necessary here, social media presence is acceptable. Opt-in and opt-out information should be displayed clearly and conspicuously on the website.
  • Phone number and email – these should use the brand’s domain and the phone number should be found on the company website/social media page. 
  • Must meet the other requirements set forth by TCR to be at least a Verified Brand. 
  • We’ll be unable to support consumer information sharing with third parties.

Campaign registration best practices

The following recommendations can be applied to all campaigns.

Content Attributes

  • Please make sure your content attributes are correct while setting up your campaign. These fields can not be changed, so a brand-new campaign will have to be submitted.
      • Example: If a customer selects “no” for the embedded link, but the sample content provided clearly shows links. They will need to resubmit their campaign with “yes” selected for the embedded link.

Prohibited SHAFT-C content

The following types of content are not allowed on 10DLC: Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco (cannabis, CBD, etc.) 

  • Please note: This content is not allowed to be on the customer’s website at all. 
  • Example: If a chiropractor’s office has CDB Oils on its website, this is prohibited, and the campaign will be denied, even if not directly related to CBD marketing.

Description 

  • Must be able to tell the intended purpose of the overall messages. Your description should answer the questions:
    • Who you are 
    • Who do you want to reach
    • Why you are sending out messages to
  • Good Example: Messages aimed at customers of a car dealership service center. Appointment reminders, repair updates, satisfaction follow-up, online bill payment, and 2-way conversations.
  • Bad Example: Text messages are used for our team members to communicate with our customers and partners.
    • Why is it bad? It doesn’t say who you are or what you want to communicate.

Call to action/message flow 

As of November 17, 2022, you’re required to provide a clear, concise, and conspicuous description of how an end user signs up to receive messages. Opt-in must be 1 to 1, can’t be shared with third parties, and can’t be implied. It also can’t be obscured within the Terms & Conditions and/or other agreement(s).

Examples of how to get users to opt in:

  • Entering a phone number through a website
    • Example: Customers opt-in by visiting www.examplewebsite.com and adding their phone number. They then check a box agreeing to receive text messages from the example brand.
  • Clicking a button on a mobile webpage
  • Sending a message from the consumer’s mobile device that contains an advertising keyword.
    • Example: Consumers opt-in by texting START to (111) 222-3333.
    • Important: If consumers can opt in by texting a keyword, the response should include the brand name, confirmation of opt-in enrollment to a recurring message campaign, how to get help, and a clear description of how to opt out. 
  • Initiating the text message exchange in which the message sender replies to the consumer only with responsive information.
  • Signing up at a point-of-sale (POS) or another message sender on-site location.
  • Opting in over the phone using interactive voice response (IVR) technology.
    • Example: “CompanyNameHere: You are now opted-in to our platform notifications. For help, reply HELP. To opt out, reply STOP”

Sample messages

You must display messages that are unique and provide examples of content you may send so we can tell what the interaction may look like. The sample messages should align with the overall campaign description. We would ideally want to see the identification of who is sending the message (a brand name or sender name), meaning it shouldn’t be a generic description along with generic sample messages where the use case can’t be determined without additional research. Please make sure at least one sample message has Opt-Out language. 

  • Good examples:
    • Hello John Doe, this is a reminder about your appointment with John’s Car Dealership on April 2nd, 2021 at 10:00 AM. Please reply YES to confirm your attendance or NO if you are not able to make it. Let us know when you would like to reschedule your appointment. Thank you!
    • Good evening Church family, we are having an in-person worship service tomorrow at 10:30 am. We will also be streaming the service over Facebook Live for those unable to attend. Reminder: tomorrow is the day to bring the donation boxes.
    • Hi %FirstName%! This is Ramiro with CompanyNameHere. We’d love to invite you to visit our booth at the upcoming Conference, which is taking place virtually and in person from Nov 9-13! Tickets are available now. There will be panels relating to voice, messaging, and 911! Register at www.examplewebsite.com. Will we see you at the conference this year?
    • Reminder from Dr. Smiles, DDS, Hi Jim, we look forward to seeing you at 3:00 pm tomorrow for your cleaning. Reply OPTIONS for Notification Options, or STOP to disable SMS notifications.
    • Visit https://brandedurl.com/optout/ for options or reply with STOP to disable SMS notifications.
  • Bad examples:
    • Thanks for leaving a rating on Google Business. We would like to learn more about your experience. I will contact you soon.
    • I received your question. I will get back to you as soon as possible.
    • There’s a little favor I would like you to help me with, please.

Opt-out message 

  • Acceptable opt-out language is: End, stop, unsubscribe, and cancel must be separated by spaces.
    • Example: “[Insert Business Name:] ​You have an appointment for Tuesday at 3:00 PM, reply YES to confirm, NO to reschedule. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.”
  • Unacceptable opt-out language: Stop2End
    • Example: Luke’s Pizza: Use discount code CHEESE for 10% off of your online order. Stop2End
      • Why is it bad? There must be spaces separating each word and the word “reply” should be included before the stop keyword (ex, Reply stop to end).