There’s little doubt that political text messaging is among a campaign’s best tools to mobilize voters. In 2016, a mere 19% of voters indicated that text messaging was the best way to contact them. Four years later, in 2020, that number had quadrupled to 78%.
But the real question isn’t whether your campaign should use political text messaging. It’s beneficial, without a doubt. The question your campaign needs to be asking is which political SMS platform you’ll choose as your text messaging partner. This blog post discusses why Tatango is your best choice.
Why Does Political Text Messaging Work?
According to a 2021 study by Pew Research, cell phone ownership in the U.S. is at 97%, and 85% of cell phone owners use smartphones. From ages 18 to 49, ownership jumps to a statistical 100%. These numbers hold across racial and ethnic lines and income levels. It drops down to 92% for people over 65 and 94% for people who self-identify as rural dwellers.
Texting capabilities are standard on smartphones. The latest statistics show that an astounding 99% of all text messages are read, and of those messages, 90% are read within three minutes of being received. In contrast, just 28% of email messages are read.
What to Look for in a Political Text Messaging Platform
There are a lot of text messaging platforms out there. But political candidates need a partner with the expertise, reliability, and functionality to help their campaigns win. Below are a few things to look for in a political text messaging platform and why Tatango is the industry leader.
Experience in Political Campaigns
Tatango has been working with political campaigns on their text messaging for 14 years. We’ve been there since the very beginning of this technology, and we’ve helped political campaigns send more than 10 billion political text messages to more than 50 million voters.
We’ve worked with the top political campaigns, helping them with every facet of their political text messaging. We monitor voter engagement in relation to messaging frequency, message content, TCPA compliance, and follow-up.
Segmentation for Political Text Messaging
Tatango uses segmentation to help you mobilize your subscriber list based on a variety of factors. We help you collect subscriber information—where they live (including zip codes), issues they care about, whether they’re interested in volunteering for the campaign, and even their donor history.
We then help you use this valuable information to customize your messaging. When a candidate makes a local appearance or your campaign schedules a rally, you have instant access to a list of volunteers in that area. And when you’re gathering donations, knowing a voter’s donation history and the issues they care about most allows you to tailor your fundraising appeal. The more information you have, the better the results you’ll get.
Tatango Leads the Way in Integrations
Political fundraising tools are powerful vehicles for small-dollar fundraising for political campaigns. As soon as a supporter donates on the political fundraising platform, they’re automatically linked to your text messaging program via Tatango’s political text messaging software—no coding required.
ActBlue, which launched in 2004, has allowed candidates up and down the ballot to collect more than $8 billion. WinRed took in $130 million during its debut in the first quarter of 2020. Tatango integrates with all major political fundraising platforms and many other political fundraising platforms.
Political Fundraising Capabilities
Just a few decades ago, elections were primarily funded by big money, and lots of it. Small-dollar donations (defined as $200 or less) were difficult to acquire. To send a donation, a supporter had to write a check, address an envelope, find a stamp, and drop it off at the post office or a mailbox. That’s a lot of work, and many people would never get around to it.
Political text messaging has changed that by simplifying the donation process, making it more convenient. In the 2016 presidential campaign, small-dollar donations made up 15% of all contributions to presidential campaigns. In 2020, that number was 22%, just shy of a 50% increase in four years.
Tatango’s integrations with fundraising platforms, and its ability to include a link to your fundraising screen in your text messages, allow supporters to donate with just a few taps on their mobile phones. Tatango is so effective at fundraising that our clients regularly report receiving an average of $5 in donations for every $1 invested in fundraising. That’s an ROI of 500%.
Text Messaging Speeds
Time is of the essence for political text messaging. Your campaign’s text messages need to reach potential donors when their energy and motivation are high. Voter enthusiasm is at its peak immediately after a debate (or even during the debate), after a candidate’s in-person appearance, or at a local rally. Reaching voters quickly is imperative.
Tatango has mastered the technology. Sending speed is among the highest priorities on our platform. The Tatango platform can send millions of text messages in real time—up to six million messages per hour. These are the fastest messaging speeds in the industry, built for the highest volumes to handle your list size with ease.
Security of Your Political Text Messages
Political campaigns in particular need to look out for the security of their campaigns. If their text campaigns get into the wrong hands, it could lead to serious data compromises, a public relations nightmare, and broken trust among voters. Tatango’s has the edge on security.
Two-factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication requires receiving a code on your cell phone after logging into the Tatango platform. To complete the login process and gain access to the platform, you must enter that code. Research shows that multifactor authentication is one of the most challenging barriers for hackers to overcome.
Secure Sending
Secure sending requires a user to re-enter their account password before completing a send. For example, if you’re interrupted in the middle of sending a message and step away from your screen, an unauthorized user can’t just change the message and send it. They’ll need your password to do it.
Automated Logout
With automated logout, the system will automatically log you out if your computer is idle for a specific amount of time. This security measure prevents other users from gaining access without your password.
Tatango Is the Source for Political Text Messaging
Selecting a text messaging partner is a big decision, and there’s a lot to learn. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, Tatango can help. Our website offers blog posts, ebooks, videos, and other free resources to help you get up to speed on everything you need to know about political text messaging.
