Text messaging is so effective because it’s personal. People do more texting than calling, and they see those texts almost immediately. You can make it personal by reaching out at the right time. Jack Bobin talks about a nonprofit he’s given to for a decade that does a mediocre job saying thank you and talks about simple ways they could up their game. James Martin explains how a simple donation thank you can significantly increase recurring donations. Then they explore stats and the value of click-throughs to measure action. Finally, James closes with an offer to help nonprofits get started with texting.

What You’ll Learn

• Reducing barriers to taking action is key.
• It’s vital to understand the prominence of texting.
• Personal engagement at the right time can be huge.
• A prompt thank you is crucial for donor retention.
• Engagement is all about know, like, and trust.
• Segment your audience for a personal touch.
• When you have a split second to grab their imagination, video works.
• Validate your list so your stats tell the full story.
• Click-through is the key stat because it points to who took action.
• Forget all the technical jargon, it’s about helping people.

Quotables

“The technology of texting has strangely stayed relatively unchanged, but that’s the beautiful part of it.”

“Text became the number one preferred form of communication on mobile devices—it surpassed phone calls.”

“If I make a donation today and I don't hear from you at all, ever, that's a problem, right?”

“We are not anti-email. I use email just as much, if not more than text messaging. There's a time and place for both tools.”

“You've got to allow people to choose how they want to hear from you.”

“I got to be honest with you—I’m always rethinking my gift.”

“If they click that link in your text message, boy, that really means something.”

“The most important from my vantage point as a strategist is click-through because that tells me how many eyeballs saw not only the message, but took action on the message.”

“If you can't figure it out in eight months, then it's nice knowing you. Like, let's just be friends.”

“At the end of the day, we are passionate about helping organizations take action.”

“While we get all technical here, we're coming from a spot of really helping others.”

“People like being appreciated.”

Skip to What You Want to Hear

00:00 - Rallying Around a Cause

02:46 - The Evolution of Text Messaging

06:01 - Text Is Personal

09:21 - When the Time is Right

11:54 - The Power of a Timely Thank You

15:04 - Value of a Follow-Up

18:24 - How to Upgrade a Consistent Donor

24:12 - The Immediate Impact of Text

26:49 - Honing in on Engaged Subscribers

29:01 - Why Click-Through Rates Matter

32:15 - 15% Click-Through Offer

35:14 - Don’t Get Bogged Down in Jargon

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The latest episode of the Your Rally Point podcast tries to demystify text messaging. It’s not witchcraft! A lot of people don’t understand text messaging, and that leads to problems. You can’t set up a Giving Tuesday campaign on Monday and expect everything to work. There’s a lot of good legal compliance to follow, but more than the letter of the law, you want to follow the spirit of the law. Host James Martin admits how scary it can be to hit send. But it doesn’t have to be scary. Ultimately, Rally is here to help clear up the confusion.

What You’ll Learn

+ You’re not alone in not understanding text messaging technology.

+ Regulations are crucial, but it’s about ethics not just legality.

+ It can be scary to hit send, but it doesn’t need to be.

+ We demystify texting so it’s useful and doesn’t feel like witchcraft.

+ Regulation means you can’t set up a Giving Tuesday campaign on Monday.Like any marketing, it’s about the right message to the right people at the right time.

Quotables

+ “I hear this a lot: ‘We knock it out of the park with all these other things, but we just can't understand text.’”

+ “As a company, it wasn't just the letter of the law. I wanted the spirit of the law. … Not just what can I do, but what should I do?”

+ “I wish someone would have explained to me that it's not as scary as it seemed.”

+ “It's scary to hit send. … Full disclosure, we were four years as a startup before we started texting lists of people in our own company. Isn't that crazy?”

+ “I think email is still very viable … [but] it’s easy to ignore.”

+ “Send the right message to the right people at the right time. … When you do that the right way, things work out.”

+ “If you're interested in text messaging, the people that you use should be open about what they're doing, should be answering your questions, consulting with you, and really being a source of truth for you—not a source of confusion.”

+ “This is a long play. We're not interested in get-rich-quick schemes.”

Skip to What You Want to Hear

00:00 - Introduction to Mobile Messaging Strategies

03:04 - Understanding Text Messaging Basics—It’s Not Witchcraft

05:49 - Demystifying Regulations: Follow the Spirit of the Law

08:56 - Hitting Send Can Be Scary

14:58 - The Shift from Broadcast to Targeted Messaging

17:58 - Building Effective Messaging Strategies

21:09 - Closing Thoughts and Resources

Ready to mobilize better and grow smarter?

Subscribe to⁠ Your Rally Point⁠ and listen⁠ wherever you enjoy podcasts⁠. We’re here to help.

For more tips and insights, text COACH to 24365 orlearn more about our⁠ weekly coaching tips⁠ delivered via text message.

‍In the inaugural episode of the Rally Point podcast, hosts James Martin and Jack Bobin explore the significance of organizational messaging and the power of text messaging as a communication tool. They discuss the concept of 'rallying' in both military and organizational contexts, emphasizing the need for effective messaging strategies to engage and mobilize people. Jack shares his journey in the text messaging industry, highlighting the evolution of text communication and its growing importance in various sectors.

The episode concludes with a vision for the future of text messaging, focusing on a human-centered approach to technology.

Takeaways

+ Rallying is about coming together for a purpose.

+ Organizations need effective messaging to connect with people.

+ Text messaging is the most immediate form of communication.

+ The evolution of text messaging has transformed how we communicate.

+ Human-centered approaches are essential in technology.

+ Understanding the history of text messaging helps in its effective use.

+ Text messaging can mobilize people for causes and events.

+ The podcast aims to demystify text messaging technologies.

+ Engagement through text messaging is crucial for nonprofits.

+ The future of messaging will focus on humanizing technology.‍

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Rally Point Podcast
02:57 Understanding the Concept of Rallying
05:56 The Power of Text Messaging
08:54 Jack Bobin's Journey and Background
14:51 The Evolution of Text Messaging
21:04 The Future of Text Messaging and Its Impact

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