Why texting needs registration
A2P 10DLC, in plain English
The short version
Before any texts go out under your business name, the mobile carriers have to approve you as a registered sender. It's a one-time setup, I handle the filing, and I need a few things from you to do it.
Why this exists
A few years ago anyone could blast texts from any number, and consumers were drowning in spam and fraud. The carriers' fix was to require that businesses sending automated texts identify themselves first — real business name, real address, real tax ID, real website.
What happens if you skip it
Nothing dramatic — and that's the problem. Unregistered messages don't bounce with an error. The carriers quietly filter them, so they simply never arrive. You'd see a campaign that appears to have sent perfectly and produced nothing, with no way to tell the difference between "nobody was interested" and "nobody received it."
You're probably already registered — just not for this. If your booking software sends appointment reminders, it will have handled registration for its own number.
This new campaign sends from a different number, under your business name, so it needs its own registration. That's the one I take care of.
What I need from you
- Your exact legal business name — it has to match your EIN letter character for character, not your DBA or the sign on the door. This is the number one cause of rejections.
- Your EIN — the same information you'd give a payment processor.
- Your business address — as it appears on your IRS records.
- Your website address — a reviewer will actually load it.
- A privacy page and a terms page on your site — two separate pages on your own domain, with specific wording about how mobile numbers are handled. Feel free to look at my privacy and terms links below.
- A photo of the consent line on your intake form — the section where clients agree to be texted.
After that you're done.
When your site goes through A2P review, an auditor will read these pages. They're not a formality — a missing or thin privacy page is one of the common reasons a registration comes back rejected.
What I handle
The filing itself, the cost of it, any follow-up if the carriers come back with questions, and the resubmission if something needs correcting. Registration is on me — you give me those items once and shouldn't have to think about it again.
How long it takes
Several days to two weeks.* This is the one part of the process nobody can speed up.
One thing worth knowing
This registration is yours. It's tied to your business, not to Marigold, and can be used for automated texting whether or not you continue working with me. The privacy and terms pages are yours too, and can support future marketing outreach beyond this campaign.
Questions about any of this? Book a free call and I'll walk you through it — or just reply to any email from me.
* Registration requirements come from the mobile carriers, administered through The Campaign Registry, and follow the CTIA Messaging Principles & Best Practices. Review times are set by the carriers and their registration partners, not by Marigold.