Associations Increasingly Turning to Texting to Reach Members

As information overload and inbox clutter continues to challenge the membership communication model, more and more associations may be turning to text messaging to reach members of all ages. According to our latest unscientific reader poll, more than half (54 percent) of Association Adviser eNews followers say they are either texting, or planning to text members within the next 12 months.

As ASAE’s chief information officer, Reggie Henry told Association Adviser TV last month, younger people aren’t communicating by email anymore. You must communicate with people where they are, and you must have an established relationship with them before you can market to them, he said.

Marcus Underwood, Naylor’s vice president for online media is not surprised. He notes that relationships are best formed when there is two-way versus one-way communication. In the past, the association sent out information and expected the member to listen. True relationships involve both sides participating, he added, and text-messaging seems ideally suited for two-way communication.

Also, don’t miss Underwood’s thought-provoking piece about managing your passwords in today’s issue.

Many of our recent polls are still open. Visit today and tell us where you stand.