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

• Multimedia messaging service (MMS) guide to dimensions and sizes

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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