As someone who primarily focuses on B2B and Account Engagement, I’ll admit I was a little lost the first time I approached the topic of SMS and Marketing Cloud Growth Edition. SMS was just not regularly part of my Marketing world, so trying to figure out the difference between Long Code and Short Code, go through the provisioning process, and advise others on which code is right for them felt overwhelming. However, thanks in large part to my B2C and Marketing Cloud Engagement focused co-workers, I now have a good handle on this topic and want to make sure others in the community can too!
Long Code versus Short Code
The first thing to make sense of is the two types of SMS codes within Marketing Cloud on Core, their provisioning process, and which type is right for you.
Note: For some countries only one type of SMS code is currently supported (for example, only Short Code is available for Canada). If you are outside of the US, ensure you check the SMS Rate Card to see which SMS Codes are currently supported for your country.
Long Code
Long codes are a good choice for businesses that want to send messages to a smaller number of customers or create a more personal touch. Long Code SMS is also
- More cost-effective and take less time to set up
- Needed for International SMS
- Needed for Conversational SMS
- Has a longer send time (roughly 1 sec per message per recipient)
In summary, if you are sending delivery updates, appointment or event reminders, customer service communications etc. Long Code is likely the better choice.
Long Code Provisioning
Long Code Provisioning takes between 4-6 weeks and is a multi-step self-service process.
Step 1: Request a Brand
You’ll need to compile some basic info about your company for this form and then wait roughly 5 business days for the Brand to be approved (aka verified).
Step 2: Request a Campaign
After your Brand is “verified” you can then request a Campaign. This step is a little more complex and you’ll need to provide some sample SMS messages for the form. Campaigns take roughly 10 business days to be approved (aka registered).
Step 3: Request a Code
Once your Campaign is “Registered” you can complete the final step of requesting your Long Code. This step should only take 2 business days to complete.
Short Code
Short codes are the preferred method for organizations sending high volumes of SMS and expect very fast delivery times.
Short codes are also country-specific. A short code is only able to send messages to and receive messages from, same-country phone numbers. US short codes can only send to US phone numbers on US carrier networks that have approved that short code.
Short codes are the better choice if you intend on sending promotional messages to a large audience, such as sending limited-time offers and discount codes to all your current customers.
Short Code Provisioning
Short Code Provisioning takes an average of 12 weeks to set up and can only be done through a Mobile Approved Partner. Each partner has their own fees for Short Code Provisioning, but you can expect anywhere between $8k-$15k for this process.
That was a lot of information, could you put it in a chart?
You got it!
| Scenario | Long Code | Short Code |
| Provisioning Timeline | 4-6 Weeks | 12+ Weeks |
| Provisioning Cost | None, Self Service | $8k-$14k |
| Purpose | Small sends, personal touches | Large sends, promotions |
| Supports International Recipients | Yes | No |
| Supports Conversational SMS | Yes | No |
| Send Speed | Slow – 1 sec per message per recipient | Fast – can handle large sends quickly |
SMS Credits
Both Short and Long Code SMS require Salesforce Messaging Credits to send SMS. Credits are consumed differently based on their multipliers (which can change so ensure you check the multipliers page for the most up to date info). For example, US Short Codes currently have a multiplier of 4 and Long Code a multiplier of 5. Based on 15K text sends, Short Code US requirement will be 60K of Credits , Long Code: 75K of Credits.
SMS and Consent
Consent for SMS channels can’t be imported until after the SMS Code has been provisioned. Once provisioned you can proceed with importing existing consent records to tie opt-ins and opt-outs to your unified individuals. Ensure your phone numbers use the E164 format in your consent files!
What’s next?
After your SMS code has been provisioned and you’ve imported your Consent Records there are a few additional setup steps you’ll want to tackle before you start sending:
- Create a Branded Domain – This allows you to shorten URLs sent via SMS into personalized links.
- Vet your SMS Brand – Improve your sending reputation by validating your identity.
- Set up Analytics – Ensure you’ve installed the SMS Analytics packages
