1. Text Message Campaigns for Health Advocates
SMS 101

2. Agenda What are text message campaigns?
Why use them as an ACA outreach tool?
7 tips for running a successful text message campaign

3. The Situation
Open enrollment began October 1,
and consumer outreach and education must start NOW
51% of Americans ages are unaware that the ACA is the law of the land and going into effect this year
“Now it is crunch time for health insurance exchanges. The Obama administration and state governments must have a robust plan to reach Americans — especially young people — through every media available”
- Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2013
*KFF.org Health Tracking Poll, April 2013

4. Can Tweet @ Influencers or other twitter followers
Young adults between the ages of make up the largest population of twitter users as 30% of user in 2013
(Center for Disease Control office of the Associate for Director of Communications
Can be used to link to Facebook updates and connect with people that may not necessarily already be in your social circle.
Can Influencers or other twitter followers
RT messages from other advocates that you find interesting
Doesn’t always have to be directly pertaining to your organization, can tweet sometimes just for fun.
CDC Health Communicator Social Media Toolkit 2011

5. Short Message Services (SMS) or Text Messages
SMS stands for short message service
SMS are a way to communicate via text messages from cell phone/computer to cell phone
Limited to 160 characters, numbers, or symbols
Source: computer.howstuffworks.com/ -messaging/sms.htm
Photo Credit: Erin Hemlin
Picture source: Erin Hemlin

6. How to Create a Text Campaign
Step 1: Contact an outside vendor
Step 2: Lease a 5-6 digit code from mobile service provider or Neustar
You can create a “vanity code,” a code that ties in directly with your campaign
Step 3: Use keywords to create a short text that will motivate potential subscribers to sign up
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Planned Parenthood NY Text Campaign

7. How a Text Campaign Works
When someone subscribes, you can send texts through a the subscriber’s mobile carrier
Messages then go through a mobile aggregator, which means:
You can go to one place to connect to all of the wireless carriers.
The mobile carriers then distribute the message to your subscribers.
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8. 7 tips that lead to a successful campaign
Customize your message to fit your audience
Decide which demographic you’re targeting. Ways to choose:
Who will benefit the most from your campaign
Which groups are targets for your organization
Craft messages that your audience will relate and respond to
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Text4Baby
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9. 7 tips to make your text campaign successful
2. Think about your target subscribers and what’s in it for them
Make sure it’s worth their while to open and read your messages
Make the content engaging and beneficial to catch their attention
If you want a response, there must be something for the subscribers to respond to
Texas Department of State Health Services, HIV and STD Program
Text Campaign
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10. 7 tips to make your text campaign successful
3. Don’t forget to include your contact information
A marketing campaign won’t be effective if the consumer doesn’t know who is sending them the message, so be sure to include your contact information in the message!
Contact info could include your phone number, website address, but most importantly, include your ORGANIZATION NAME
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11. 7 tips to make your text campaign successful
4. Consider your ask. What do you want people to do?
Getting your subscriber to respond to your message is essential, which includes a strong call to action
Make it clear what you want subscribers to do, and give them a reason and a way to do it!
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12. 7 tips to make your text campaign successful
5. Be mindful of mobile carriers’ compatibility
Before you hit send, make sure your message can be accepted by different types of mobile devices
Otherwise you could be wasting both time and money, and miss out on reaching a percentage of your subscribers
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13. 7 tips to make your text campaign successful
6. Don’t over do it!
Do not flood your subscribers with messages
Subscribers can become annoyed and remove themselves from your list
Remember, 85% of text messages are read within 15 minutes of being received
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14. 7 tips to make your text campaign successful
7. Track and trace your campaign
Once your message is out there, the work has only just begun! To make sure it’s effective, you need to track your responses. By measuring your results you can adapt and improve future campaigns to make them more effective.
Outreach is much more powerful when you have the numbers to refine your methods
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15. What to remember! Contact an outside vendor to lease a 5-6 digit code
Use keywords to create a short text that will motivate potential subscribers to sign up
Pick your target audience and customize a message that will appeal to them
Be mindful of mobile carriers’ compatibility
Track your results and learn