What a brand is
In A2P 10DLC, a brand is the registered identity of the company that sends the messages. It is submitted to The Campaign Registry and verified against business records. Every campaign you register is attached to a brand, so a problem with the brand holds up everything that follows.
Think of the brand as the answer to the question carriers ask first: who is this business, and is it real? Campaign registration then answers the second question: what does it send?
What you need to register a brand
- Legal business name, exactly as it appears on tax records
- EIN (US federal tax ID) or the equivalent identifier for your entity
- Entity type, such as LLC, corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship
- Registered business address
- Business website that is live and matches the business
- Industry or vertical
- A contact person with an email address and phone number
- Stock exchange and ticker, if the company is publicly traded
Small differences matter. A trade name instead of the legal name, a former address or a typo in the EIN are common reasons verification fails. If you are unsure of the exact legal name, check a tax filing or your formation documents.
Standard brand or sole proprietor
Most businesses with an EIN register as a standard brand. Individuals and very small senders without an EIN may be able to register as a sole proprietor, which is intended for low volume and has tighter limits on messages and numbers.
Standard brand
- For businesses with an EIN and a registered entity
- Verified against business records
- Higher potential message limits, and can request additional vetting
- Can register more than one campaign
Sole proprietor
- For individuals and very small senders without an EIN
- Lower volume and stricter limits on campaigns and numbers
- Verification typically relies on a mobile number confirmation
- Suited to testing or very low-volume use
Which fits depends on how you are structured and how much you send. If you are not sure, we can look at your details and recommend one. Choosing the wrong type is a common reason people hit limits they did not expect.
Trust scores, vetting and message limits
Brands receive a trust score based on the information provided, and that influences the message limits your campaigns receive. Businesses that need higher volumes can ask for additional external vetting, which is a separate review of the business. We tell you whether it is likely to matter for your volume before you decide, so you are not paying for review you do not need.
A complete, consistent brand record helps. Accurate legal details, a working website and a clear business description all support a stronger result.
Getting your website ready
Reviewers look at your website to confirm the brand is real and matches what you registered. Before submitting, check that:
- The site loads without errors and is not password protected
- The business name on the site matches the registered brand
- Contact details, including an address or phone number, are shown
- A privacy policy and terms that cover text messaging can be found easily
- The site describes the products or services you actually sell
Why brand registrations fail
- The legal name or EIN does not match official records
- The website is down, unfinished or unrelated to the business
- The business address cannot be verified
- The entity type was chosen incorrectly
- Contact details are missing or unreachable
- The brand was registered as a different type than the business actually is
See the full list of common rejection causes and fixes.
What happens after the brand is approved
An approved brand does not send any messages yet. The next step is to register one or more campaigns under it, then attach phone numbers to those campaigns in your messaging platform. A single brand can hold several campaigns, for example one for appointment reminders and another for promotions. See campaign registration for what comes next.
What we do for you
- Check your details against what verification will compare them to
- Review your website before submission and tell you what to change
- Recommend standard or sole proprietor registration for your situation
- Submit the brand and monitor the result
- Correct and resubmit if the brand is returned
Ready to go? Start your registration, or read what A2P 10DLC is for the bigger picture.