The 2020 election took us all by surprise. This most recent election cycle addressed many issues in the United States and drew more attention than many past elections. Not to mention, the 2020 election cycle was also historically significant because it took place during a global pandemic.
As a result of all these factors, political campaigns got creative with their marketing and communications strategies. Many political campaigns and organizations added text message marketing to their arsenal of tactics to grow support. In fact, political candidates and organizations sent more than 5 billion election-related text messages in October 2020 alone!
But how’s it going today now that the election has passed? Is political text message marketing dead? Is political text message marketing old news? Is it too late for political candidates and organizations to take advantage of this medium?
You’ll be happy to know political text message marketing is flourishing, and candidates and organizations preparing for the next election cycle should absolutely consider including this medium in their marketing and communications strategy. In this blog, we discuss why political organizations use text message marketing, share examples of political SMS messages, and show you how your campaign can take advantage of this medium.
Why Are Political Campaigns Still Using Text Message Marketing?
Although political text message marketing has picked up traction in recent years, it hasn’t reached its peak. SMS messaging is still one of the best methods to grow support for candidates and organizations. The popularity of political text message marketing doesn’t change the facts. The data about SMS marketing speaks for itself.
Open Rate
Marketing professionals from any industry understand the heartbreak of spending days crafting an email and seeing the surprisingly low open rate. On average, a marketing email sees an open rate of around 20 percent—on a good day.
On the other hand, text message open rates exceed 99 percent! No matter what you want to send to your supporters, you can rest easy knowing your subscribers will receive and open your message.
Read Rate
Here’s some excellent news for political candidates: 90 percent of SMS marketing messages are opened within three minutes. Political candidates and organizations often need to send urgent messages that recipients will read as soon as possible. For this reason, SMS messages are the ideal communication method.
And remember, SMS marketing read rates exceeded 99 percent! Not only will subscribers open your political text messages quickly, almost every single one of them will read it.
No Censorship
Another popular medium for political campaign communication is social media. But as some individuals have experienced within the recent election cycle, there’s a risk of censorship on social media.
For candidates and organizations worried about censorship, text message marketing is worth exploring. SMS messages are not at risk of censorship, which gives campaigns the freedom to engage in open discussions with their supporters.
High Return on Investment
Political candidates and organizations rely on fundraising to help spread the word about their work and grow their supporter base. Political campaigns have to make sure they get the most return on their fundraising investment.
On average, Tatango’s political clients see an ROI of $5 for every $1 spent on SMS marketing. Tatango integrates with political fundraising technology to ensure the donation process is simple. Technology integrations between Tatango and political fundraising platforms help campaigns father funds safely and efficiently. Currently, Tatango integrates with all political SMS fundraising software and CRMs, such as ActBlue, WinRed, EveryAction, Anedot, NationBuilder, and many others.
Examples of Political Text Messages
Research shows that 58 percent of consumers are more likely to engage in mobile advertising if it includes an offer, deal, or coupon. While a political candidate or organization might not be able to offer a coupon the same way a retailer would, they can still offer incentives that make potential voters want to join their list.
To grow their list of subscribers and supporters, political candidates and organizations must ensure they’re providing some level of value with their SMS marketing campaign. Let’s take a look at a few examples of how your political campaign can offer value to supporters with text message marketing.
Voting Reminders
Sending voting reminders, hours, and locations is a great way to provide value to your supporters. Although most voters know when Election Day is, sometimes we get busy, and a detailed reminder can be extremely helpful.
Data has found that people who received political text messages were 1 percent more likely to turn out to vote! Although 1 percent may seem like a very small number for national campaigns, candidates running in local elections can significantly benefit from this number. Also, consider how close general elections have become—1 percent can make a difference between winning or losing altogether.
Surveys
Surveys give your supporters an opportunity to tell you about what matters most to them. The data you gather from a survey can help you better understand the issues important to your demographic, and the survey can help your supporters feel heard.
Additionally, when you know what’s important to your supporters, you can send information about those issues. Data shows that subscribers who received SMS messages with information about candidates or district-specific issues were 8.2 percent more likely to vote.
Fundraising
Many political candidates and organizations have discovered that SMS messaging is highly effective for fundraising. On average, Tatango’s political clients see an ROI of $5 for every $1 spent on SMS marketing and MMS marketing.
Using SMS messages to gather donations is safe and efficient for subscribers as well as the campaign. Consumers are used to shopping, banking, and paying bills on their mobile phones. Ensuring fundraising is accessible via text message makes it easier for your supporters to donate to your campaign or organization.
Volunteer Communication
Political candidates and organizations heavily rely on volunteers to do many important tasks on the campaign trail. Because SMS messages have exceptionally high open and read rates, they’re the best medium for communicating with volunteers.
With text message marketing, you can schedule messages for your volunteers and send last-minute alerts when changes occur. Text message marketing allows you to efficiently organize and openly communicate with your volunteers, creating a streamlined process for everyone involved.
Event Registration and Reminders
Throughout the election cycle, candidates and organizations create a wide range of events to support growth and fundraising. Use SMS messages to create distribution lists based on geographic locations so you can invite attendees, get them registered, and send reminders on event day.
Additionally, people who responded to text message CTAs were 9.6 percent more likely to vote than those who didn’t respond. The more calls to action you send your supporters in your SMS campaign, the more likely they are to vote.
Partner with Tatango for the Next Election
Tatango is a political SMS marketing software provider, and we’ve been partnering with political candidates and organizations for more than 13 years. We strive to create an effective and streamlined text messaging process for our clients by providing high-quality technology that’s extremely simple to use.
We understand that every industry is different. Our client success managers work with our political partners to help address their questions and concerns promptly.
To learn more about how you can improve communication with your constituents and get a $5 return on your $1 text message marketing investment, schedule time to chat with an SMS expert.
