Let’s talk about the most effective text messages. Hosts James Martin and Jack Bobin summarize what works: Personalize your texts with a first name, write like a human, use emojis and/or images to pull people in, actually inform people, tell cohesive stories, and make a direct ask when it’s time with a clear call to action. Segmenting can be a way to zero in on the people who actually respond—it’s not all about the blast. Texts are unswipeable, so long messages can be a way to hook people with an in-depth story. Your history of texts can also show a cohesive story—you’ve got relational equity right there.
What You’ll Learn
- Text messaging can be a powerful tool for nonprofits.
- Craft messages that are personal and to the point.
- Repurpose existing content to save time and effort.
- Then compare content across platforms to gauge effectiveness.
- Engage donors through storytelling and updates.
- Long text messages can work by hooking people in.
- Segment to hit your biggest supporters, and save money by skipping those who don’t respond.
- Unlike email, multiple texts can build on each other like a continuing conversation.
- Texting can be simple and approachable.
Resources
Quotables
- “Be to the point, express your need, and give me the ‘where do I go from here’.”
- “We took their newsletter and I ran it through AI … write me three text messages that are ideas so I can get some inspiration.”
- "Just grab that same content and repurpose it.”
- “We tout texting, but it ends up being an extension of what you’re doing anyway. It doesn’t require any more resources.”
- “You don’t ever want a donor to go, gosh, I wish I knew that. I wish I had more information.”
- “The longer messages is really where it’s at—unswipeable.”
- “It’s no longer a blast life, right?”
- “I just gave a donation two weeks ago and now you're asking me again. We're better than that, nonprofits, you're all better than that.”
- “If you bring up your text message history on your phone right now, you have a story in this narrative.”
- “We're talking about these simple things, but these simple things roll up to big things for nonprofits.”
- "Make texting more habitual."
Skip to What You Want to Hear
- 00:00 - Introduction to Text Messaging Best Practices
- 00:45 - Types of Text Messages
- 02:19 - How to Write Your Text Messages
- 06:02 - Repurposing Content for Text Messaging
- 08:20 - Personalizing Your SMS Content
- 11:04 - Engaging Donors Through Storytelling
- 15:00 - Segmentation and Personalization in Messaging
- 18:05 - Overcoming Texting Concerns for Nonprofits
- 23:45 - Conclusion: Trying to Make Texting Approachable
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