The SMS alert is a very useful tool for associations. It is well known that associations are composed of people sharing a commune passion and looking for self-enrichment in the organization they are a part of, through meeting and sharing with people equally involved.
To help those associations build a network, but also to make it more dynamic, SMS marketing can be really helpful. You work at the association office or are a motivated member looking to change things and make them more active?
Discover here all SMSFactor’s advices to help you down this path.
Discover our associations commandments
By working with several associations, we studied with them all the possibilities professional SMS can offer. It’s with great pleasure that we share that expertise with you today.
Though shall communicate with your members
The first commandment is obviously about your members, because they are the heart of the association, without them the association cannot live. To motivate and organize them, you must use the right tools. Many of you still use emails, but as you know, not everyone checks on a regular basis its personal mailbox and it’s possible that not all your members have a smartphone connected to it. Therefore, your emails might go unseen or can be seen too late.
That’s when professional SMS comes into play: thanks to it, you can be sure to quickly reach all your members. Indeed, 90% of SMS are read in the 4 minutes following their reception. And that is whether they have the latest smartphone or a good old classic cellphone: all phones receive SMS.
Now that we know the organizational problems you can face, we are going to give you examples to show you what you can do:
- You always plan your meetings on Thursday, but exceptionally this week, you are moving it to Wednesday: send an SMS to notify quickly all your members. Moreover, with the response, they can reply to say whether they’ll be here or not;
- Every year, you organize a big vote for the office, but not everyone car be there: use the SMS so each member can participate;
- One of your representative is being interviewed or going on the radio? You are organizing an exceptional conference? Let your members know when to implicate themselves in your actions and show them you acknowledge their support.
We could give many other examples, but we are not here to give you an exhaustive list, but merely to give you ideas of what you could do and let your imagination do the best for your association!
Though shall organize registration/recruitment
The second commandment is an essential part of every association, and it happens just after the return from the summer holidays: recruitment of new comers and registration of regular members.
The SMS is here to help you during this delicate time, that will impact the dynamism of your association in the year to come.
We advise you to send an SMS as soon as September starts to all your members, so they don’t forget registrations and/or subscriptions for the year coming. Indeed, with summer time comes holidays, which comes with forgetfulness, and afterwards comes the return, which comes with overwhelming days occupied by the resumption of work, school and activities. A small reminder can only benefit you! You’ll be sure no one forgets you and you’ll show then how valuable they are to the organization.
Concerning recruitment, contact the people you met during the previous year, that wanted to be a member but were too late or that were interested in your projects. It’s the best moment to remind them about your association and to suggest coming to meet you.
Though shall create events
Like every association, you organize many events all year long. Therefore, you know it’s not always easy to mobilize many people. The SMS is here to help you!
For instance, you are organizing an important last-minute event. Taking the phone to call all the members to know if they could be available would be way too long and inefficient, and emails might slip through the net and go unnoticed by numerous members. With professional SMS, you do not have this problem! Indeed, in less than 10 minutes they’ll know about your event and they’ll be able to respond to let you know when they are available to come and help.
To go further, you can also remind all your events with a simple SMS, especially not regular events, to make sure your members won’t forget them! We are talking here of cocktails, barbecues, shows, dances…
Though shall thank donors
Most associations have sponsors who are here to help them finance their projects, even if they do not invest physically. It is obvious that you must thank but also show those people what you made with their investment.
You can also use professional SMS in this situation! You can thank them after receiving their donation, you can invite them to an event, or even wish them a Happy New Year. Show them they are important to you, even if they cannot be there physically.
Though shall include SMS alert in your software
Many of you use software to have an easier internal organization. If it’s your case, we have at your disposal a free API to integrate automatic SMS sending in your software.
For instance, you’ll then be able to ask for an SMS to be automatically sent for each event added to your calendar, to let your members know about it. You can also use it to coordinate recruitment interviews. Do not doubt of the possibilities of professional SMS, the limit is your creativity!
How to realize effective SMS campaigns
To realize useful SMS campaigns for your association, you must pay attention to a few points:
- First, we advise you to identify at the beginning of each year your SMS needs (numbers of members, of events…) to be able to quantify your needs. Indeed, the SMS offers a volume discount and knowing your needs will allows you to benefit from the best price according to your needs;
- Second, take the habit to write all the numbers of your members, be also those of interested people, to have a relevant contacts list. Your list must be opt-in, so make sure they all agree to receive messages from you. Sending messages to people who don’t want to will give a bad image to your association;
- Do not hesitate to ask one of SMSFactor’s client advisers for some help, they would be glad to help you identify your needs and put in place your first SMS campaigns, as it is not always easy to write 160 characters messages when you are not used to it.
If the SMS is a very useful organizational tool, learn when it’s good to use it, and when not to!
To conclude, using the SMS for your association, one of the simplest, quickest and accessible media, will put all chances on your side to have a motivated and dynamic association. The strength of your organization is your members and sponsors, so it’s important to keep them motivated and aware of everything that’s happening.
Moreover, with rich SMS, you have the possibility to organize donations by SMS! Do not hesitate to share the ideas you have for your association, so we can help you find how to best use the SMS!