By default, Cobrand will assign you a US phone number, which you can use for outbound SMS messaging in all international markets. However, some countries have text marketing protocols which will impact whether fans can respond to these messages when they are sent from a foreign phone number. These restrictions will also prevent Contact Cards from sending with your messages.
In such scenarios, the international numbers are automatically converted from a long-form number (10-digit) to a short-form alphanumeric number (5-digit). Since alphanumeric numbers cannot receive messages or send files, you will be unable to have two-way conversations with fans or send a Contact Card.
If you plan to incorporate Contact Cards or two-way fan conversations in your outreach strategy in any of the regions, you must first set up a local phone number to do so:
United Kingdom
India
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
China
How to set up a regional phone number
Cobrand will help you set up region-specific numbers to use only for fans who live in that region. This will allow you to have conversations with fans over messaging. You can set up an unlimited amount of regional numbers. Please note, there will be an additional monthly charge of $10 per month per region.
To set this up, there are two steps:
Complete the carrier registration steps outlined in this article
Next reach out to Cobrand on Intercom to tell us which regions you wish to activate