Editor’s Note: This column is edited from an original post to NonprofitOrgs.Wordpress.com. While the blog was written for nonprofit organizations, it has potential business applications as well. The purpose of group texting campaigns will evolve in time as the technology develops, but initially it’s best to approach group text messaging with the idea of alerting subscribers to important breaking news that is relevant to your mission and programs, and as a means of sending your subscribers occasional reminders about getting more involved.
There are some basic guidelines to follow when launching and managing group text campaigns.
In the beginning, the No. 1 objective should be to begin building your mobile list. It is illegal to buy, sell, or trade mobile phone numbers, unlike email and snail mail addresses. As a result, it takes time to build a list, so the sooner you start, the better. The open rate of text messages is more than 90 percent, since those who sign up tend to be your most committed supporters, so making the effort to promote group texting campaign(s) and build your mobile list now could prove to be extremely valuable in as the popularity of group text messaging grows.
Here’s a rundown of some best practices for group text messaging.
• Add a pitch to subscribe to text alerts on your website, e-newsletter blog and print materials.
There should be a page on your website that details the purpose of your group texting campaign, how it works, how often text messages will be sent, and, most importantly, how to subscribe. In addition to information on subscribing by keyword and short code, you should also embed an online form or widget that easily allows people to type in their mobile numbers to subscribe instantaneously. This new page should then be linked near the e-newsletter subscribe option on your website and blog. It’s also crucial to add a link to the text alert subscription page in your e-newsletter, as 80 percent of new group text subscribers come from email lists. You will also want to create a “Subscribe to Receive Text Alerts!” page on your mobile website.
• Create a “text-to-subscribe” graphic for social networking sites.
Whether it is a custom graphic designed in Photoshop or simply your text-to-subscribe keyword and short code pitch (for example, “Text PETA to 73822 to sign up for text alerts!”) embedded in a powerful photo, you want an image that you can upload to send out in Facebook status updates, link to in tweets and upload to Flickr.
• Send text messages that are timely and relevant to current events.
Most often, your group text messages should be relevant to current events or important news updates about your organization. They should be timely, should often communicate a sense of urgency, and, when possible, should include a call to action, such as to save the date for an upcoming event. Occasionally, send simple informational group text messages that are not necessarily timely, but are useful or inspirational, such as a powerful quote or statistic and health tips. Before you send out a text, always ask yourself whether the message is useful. If it isn’t, don’t send it.
• Don’t send more than two or three text messages per month.
Open, click-thru and unsubscribe rates will clearly guide the frequency of your group text messaging campaigns, but at the beginning, limit your text messages to two or three a month. Subscribers are much more likely to pay attention to your text messages and take action if they are sent infrequently. If you are to retain your subscribers, your text messages have to be good. Most subscribers hear their smartphones chime when your message arrives. If they stop what they are doing, pick up their phone, and see a mediocre text message, they will reply with “STOP” in two seconds flat.
• Link to your mobile website via text.
Your subscribers will be reading your text messages on their mobile phones, not their desktops or laptops, so don’t link to your desktop site in text messages. Not everyone will be able to view your links on their phones, but smartphones and data plans will continue to fall in price in the coming years, ensuring the continued rise of mobile Web browsing.
• Pitch social networking communities.
Every few months, send out a text message letting people know that your nonprofit has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare and other such sites. Ideally, you should link to one Web page optimized for mobile browsing that includes links to all your communities in their mobile format, or to the home page of your mobile website if you have social networking icons featured prominently. Otherwise, mention your communities individually in text messages strategically spaced out during the year.
Heather Mansfield is the owner of Diosa Communications, principal blogger at Nonprofit Tech 2.0 and author of “Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits,” published by McGraw-Hill. She can be reached at heather@diosacommunications.com.
