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How
to run a mobile advocacy campaign
Kubatana.net
October 28, 2008
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Why
SMS?
In a 'mobile
advocacy campaign,' your organisation develops a communication strategy
that incorporates the sending of text messages to your members'
mobile phone numbers. There are many reasons why you might want
to do this. Texting gets the attention of your members as it is
delivered to a device they carry wherever they go - their
mobile phone. It opens up channels for speedy, affordable two-way
communications with your members. And in many contexts, more people
have access to a mobile phone than they do to email or the Internet.
Importantly, they don't have to be at work or go to an Internet
café to get your communications.
However, SMS
also has some constraints, and it is important to bear these in
mind in your work. A text message can contain only 160 characters
, which limits how much you can say. This makes SMS a great tool
for getting people to meetings and events, prompting them to act
on an issue you've already informed them about, or directing
them to alternate sources of more information about an issue. Remember,
mobile numbers can also change owners - if someone sells their line
or gives it to a friend, you may have people getting your messages
who aren't the same people who originally subscribed.
SMS should be
used to supplement an organisation's other communications
methods, not replace them altogether.
There are essentially
four key components to running a Mobile Advocacy Campaign:
- a creative
outreach and publicity campaign to attract subscribers
- selecting
the most appropriate technology and/or SMS gateway
- securing
the budget and resources to implement the mobile advocacy campaign
- integrating
SMS within your communications strategy
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