When’s the best time to send a text message? Your Rally Point podcast hosts James Martin and Jack Bobin explore SMS timing, from the best day of the week to the best time (spoiler alert: “Catch me after lunch!”). But perfect is the enemy of good. Don’t belabor your timing, make sure you’re actually hitting send. Authentic, human messages connect at any time of the day. And people want them! Nonprofits give people a chance to be involved and participate in the greater good. But you have to hit send.
What You’ll Learn
- Start with a proper ratio of messages—they can’t all be donation requests.
- Optimal send time: Thursday at 1:03 p.m.
- Be aware of timezones, especially for national or international campaigns.
- Three rules: 1. Always a good time to say thanks. 2. Be aware of timezones. 3. Hit send.
- Perfecting a message can lead to inaction; it's better to send imperfect messages than none at all.
- Be real: Authenticity resonates more than polished content.
- Day-to-day timing accounts for a 2-3% difference; just send it.
- Engage people now. Don’t trickle out content over six months because you’re worried about offending them.
- Never had a client who was sending too much; you’re not sending enough.
- If you’re sending high-volume text messages, there are limits around timing and we can work with you to ensure deliverability.
Resources
- Never Lose a Customer Again: Turn Any Sale into Lifelong Loyalty in 100 Days by Joey Coleman
- Your Rally Point Episode 5: The Four Types of Text Messaging
Quotables
- “I don't care what time of day you send a message, if they're all asks, you're going to get ignored.”
- “It's text messaging. It's not like a formal invite to a grand ballroom somewhere. I'm a big fan of this phrase: Perfect is the enemy of good.”
- “Knowing comes in the doing. We can sit back and hyperanalyze everything all day long. Do I do this? Do I not? And have analysis paralysis.”
- “Facts and data shall set you free.”
- “At the end of the day, it's just about getting the message out there. It needs to be relevant, of course, and encouraging and helpful. But at the end of the day, not having a message go out is not going to get you any results.”
- “I'm rapidly getting tired of this fake stuff. So if you're a nonprofit, just be real.”
- “If you have people watching or reading your blog posts or binging, it's way more valuable than me trickling out a message over the next six months because I'm afraid I might offend you. It's going to take you six months to get a point across. Say it now, say it fast, say it loud.”
- “I cannot think of a single time when I told a client or customer, you're doing too much. You're usually not doing enough.”
- “You're actually doing us a favor by asking us to be involved. You're creating an outlet and a path to participate in a greater good.”
Skip to What You Want to Hear
- 00:00 - Introduction to Timing and Outreach
- 02:57 - Understanding Optimal Send Times
- 10:24 - The Importance of Action Over Perfection
- 18:22 - The Power of Human Connection
- 24:45 - Navigating Regulations and Vendor Limitations
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