Being engaged in SMS marketing, it is important to know the key aspects of the work and follow the updates. If you have rented an SMS platform and are ready to sell your SMS service, then you should know the answers to questions that customers, in our case, business owners, may ask.
One of these questions may be: “Which phone number should I choose to send SMS and where can I get it?”. It is quite important to answer this question, because the nature and amount of content sent will depend on the choice of the type of sender number. That is, the amount of traffic that the client will buy from you.
Earlier we already wrote about this type of sender number as Short Code. In this article, we talked about another type – Long Code – and its scope.
What is a Long Code and what are they?
Long Codes are regular phone numbers that are used for both personal purposes and business marketing. Such numbers consist of 10 digits. They got this name thanks to the Short Code (short numbers that consist of 5-6 digits) to make it easier to distinguish between them. The main difference between Long Code and Short Code is their ability to receive phone calls on a par with SMS, that is, they can also be used for telephony.
Long Code, in turn, are divided into two types: 10DLC and Toll-free numbers.
10DLC (10 Digits Long Code) are phone numbers that can be used for A2P SMS marketing. In order to obtain such a number, a business needs to submit an application, the consideration and approval of which takes 2-3 weeks. Renting such numbers is an order of magnitude cheaper than renting a Short Code. Recall that the cost of a Short Code can reach $500-$1000 per month.
Toll-free numbers also consist of 10 digits, they are cheaper than Short Code and 10DLC and can be obtained in minutes. Such numbers start with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 and 888.
The main differences between Toll-free and 10DLC are:
- Date of receipt of the number. You can get a Toll-free number in minutes. And 10DLC requires approval, which can take 2-3 weeks.
- Throughput of the number. Toll-free numbers have an approximate SMS sending speed of up to 50 SMS / sec (it all depends on the number provider). 10DLC have different throughput and it is determined for each brand individually during the application review.
- Number rental price. Toll-free is cheaper than 10DLC.
What are Long Codes used for?
Long Code is great for a business that is just starting out in SMS marketing and where constant two-way communication with the client is important. They help improve customer service, increase brand awareness, send out to a large audience of customers, and so on.
Here are the types of content that are sent using the Long Code:
- Marketing offers and campaigns;
- Two-factor authorization;
- Appointment reminders;
- Notifications and critical information;
- Two-way mailing list to collect feedback, ratings and customer experiences.
Benefits of Long Code
Due to their technical characteristics, Long Codes have a number of advantages over other types of numbers:
- Economically beneficial. Renting Toll-free and 10DLC numbers is several times cheaper than renting a Short Code. This makes it possible to quickly join the SMS marketing and earn income.
- Easily installed. Toll-free number can be used on the day of purchase.
- Easily remembered. The client will easily remember your brand number, and the prefix 800 will increase trust.
- Communication with clients. Thanks to Long Code, you can make two-way mailings and get to know the client better.
- Call support. From such numbers, you can make not only text mailings, but also calls, as well as receive them from customers.
As you can see, you can choose a number for any type of business and SMS content. It depends on the size of the audience to which the mailing will be made, the speed and frequency of sending.
In addition, it is also important for specialists who provide SMS services to be confident in their platform. SMS platform GATUM supports sending from any type of numbers, and a convenient web panel will make their connection fast.
If you have any questions, please contact sales@gatum.io!
