Unlike traditional forms of advertising, SMS and MMS text message marketing put your message at your subscriber’s fingertips. But, as Spiderman’s Uncle Ben once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” In other words, there are right and wrong ways to engage with your audience, just as there are better, good, and great ways to raise more money, lead your next political campaign to victory, and catapult your career with text message marketing. Your success with an effective SMS and MMS text message marketing campaign will undoubtedly impact your career potential.
And in this blog post, having worked with political candidates, campaigns, and strategists at all election levels, we’re sharing what you need to know to win.
Why Use SMS and MMS Text Messaging Marketing
SMS marketing reaches thousands or even millions of customers at once and is the perfect channel for marketers who want to share time-sensitive promotions or information. More than 90% of text messages are read within three minutes of being received, making it a powerful campaign tool to reach subscribers.
There has never been a more direct and effective line of communication for marketing than SMS text messaging. With 78% of consumers saying SMS is the fastest way to reach them, you’d be wise to maximize the effectiveness of your message, putting every character to work.
Some of the more traditional forms of marketing, such as print ads or commercials, don’t provide marketers the luxury of immediate feedback they can use to alter their strategy. But that’s possible with text messaging marketing. The up-to-date metrics for each message sent provide timely feedback you can use to iterate on your campaign strategy and methods on the fly—with little or no additional costs—until you reach your goals.
There’s so much competition that now, more than ever, using the most effective and efficient tools available to reach subscribers is critical. Mobile marketing campaigns are one of the most effective fundraising methods compared to more traditional marketing efforts, such as sweepstakes, events, and auctions. We found that for every dollar invested in building and operating a texting program, Tatango clients net at least $5 in donations on average.
There’s so much you can do with SMS and MMS text message marketing beyond promotion, such as host a giveaway or contest, offer consumer support, and include images or GIFs.
5 Steps To a Successful Text Messaging Campaign
Tatango has been in the SMS text message marketing game for over 14 years, and in that time, we’ve figured out five steps to creating a winning campaign that will help you raise more money, win your next election, and catapult your career in politics.
1. Define your goal.
Before creating your campaign, answer these two critical questions about what you want to get out of your campaign:
What are you sending?
Why are you sending it?
For example, if you’re a local politician, you might be sending a call for fundraising (the “what”) to find supporters who are willing to donate to the cause (the “why”). The message could look like this:
Lucille, if every text member gives just $10, we’ll have what it takes to win! Can we count on you? Act NOW: [link]
Whereas, if you work for a local advocacy organization, you might send out an invite to your next major event (the “what”) to entice people to purchase a ticket to attend (the “why”). The message could look like this:
Help us save our seas! You’re invited to our annual gala—purchase your ticket today to join us and support ocean conservation worldwide: [link]
STOP to cancel
These examples illustrate how knowing the purpose of your campaign can help you determine the best way to use SMS or MMS text messaging to achieve your goal. Not only does it help you to understand the purpose of your campaign, but it’ll help your subscriber understand how they can participate by donating, volunteering, voting, and so on.
The Tatango platform makes it easy to incorporate your goal in your text with advanced functionality to customize and target your SMS and MMS messages. A text messaging campaign to raise donations will look different from a campaign to connect with volunteers. And, once you have your goal defined, the next step will be much easier.
2. Create effective calls to action.
Create a call to action that stands out and encourages an immediate response. Bonus points that call to action carries a sense of urgency. You have your subscriber’s attention in the brief moment when your message is open on their phone. Once they close the text message, they’re not likely to return to it until they receive another message.
Reminder! Today is the last day to register to vote. Don’t miss out: [link]
The most successful text messages elicit a response from the subscriber, whether by asking a question or prompting a donation. It can all be done with the click of a button. Collecting donations has never been easier, both for the subscriber and you. Tatango seamlessly integrates with all fundraising software, allowing you to get everything done in one place, no need to bounce between different platforms, which can save you time and money.
Need a place to start? Check out five proven text message templates you can copy, paste, and send to catapult your career by winning elections. Plus, watch the following video to learn the secret to increasing SMS marketing clicks.
3. Make messages interactive.
Ask your subscriber to interact with your message in some way. Polling your subscribers not only provides you with valuable information about your campaign but also conveys to your subscribers that their opinion matters and helps make them feel like they’re part of a bigger initiative.
How do you think Candidate Jane Doe performed during the debate? Reply with a number from “0” (not very well) to “10” (extremely well)
Similarly, you can send a survey or ask subscribers direct and personal questions:
We’d like to ask you 3 questions that will help us send you more relevant information. Reply Y to participate.
These questions could be anything from a subscriber’s interests to their zip code, email address, or other demographic information. Surveys increase interactivity with your campaign and collect valuable information about your subscribers, which you can use to customize future messages, as described in the next step.
4. Personalize text messages.
Use the information collected at sign-up and through interactions and surveys to personalize your messages, so they’re tailored to each subscriber. It can be as easy as using the subscriber’s name:
Hi Andrea, are you registered to vote? Click here to find a location near you: [link] Thank you. STOP 2 Cancel
Or use the collected zip code to target special promotions or offers specific to your subscriber’s location, increasing the likelihood they’ll interact with your message or donate.
5. Use immediate feedback to increase ROI.
The opportunities to raise more money and catapult your career don’t end once you hit send. The Tatango platform offers a deep dive into your campaign’s metrics. It tracks results such as how many people received your message, clicked your message, and donated to your cause. That’s one of the impressive benefits of text messaging campaigns compared to other advertising forms. Subscribers’ direct and immediate feedback can help you improve your messaging based on what is or isn’t working and increase your return on investment. On average, campaigns see an ROI of $5 for every $1 spent on SMS text messaging.
Add Tatango to Your 2021 Marketing Campaign
SMS and MMS text message marketing are tools you should add to your toolbox if you’re serious about taking their campaign to the next level, beating the competition, and catapulting your career in the process. To learn more about how Tatango can help your SMS campaign raise more money, or if you have questions, contact the text message marketing experts at Tatango today.
