Texting 101: Best Practices

Texting is intended to supplement communications strategies to increase University of Georgia fundraising participation and engagement. The purpose of text messaging is to relay information about UGA-organized events, programs, fundraising and other efforts in a concise personal message.

When considering texting within an overall communication strategy, here are some best practices.

1. Use text messages as a follow-up to advanced communications explaining the solicitation, event, survey, etc., such as an email, invitation, letter or paper notice, etc.
2. Evaluate if the potential texting project meets the goal of increasing participation and engagement.
3. Identify the sender within the text message to establish that it is from a human instead of a bot.
4. Address the recipient directly to show the message is intended specifically for that person.
5. Keep the message as concise as possible, while still maintaining a conversational tone.
6. Have a goal and focus for the message to avoid it being perceived as spam.
7. Ask a question to prompt action—gift, registration, survey, etc.
8. Be ready to respond. Delays damage credibility. Send responses promptly.
9. Use analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of each project related to response rate, response types, opt outs and conversations.

WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?

Contact UGA’s Engagement Center via phone at 706.542.8528.