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.
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
If you plan to incorporate two-way fan conversations in your outreach strategy in any of these regions, you must first set up a local phone number to do so:
United Kingdom
India
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
China
Ireland*
* Ireland: all SMS messages sent to Irish recipients must come from a registered sender. If your business is not registered in Ireland, your messages will not deliver to that country. Email and WhatsApp are not impacted.
How to set up a regional phone number
Cobrand can 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 your carrier registration normally
Next, reach out to Cobrand on Intercom to tell us which regions you wish to activate
Depending on the country, it may be necessary to submit proof of address as a local address, and/or photo ID.