When your mission is urgent, your communication should be too. Action Network's mobile messaging bridges the gap between intention and action.
Many organizations struggle with reaching supporters at the right moment. Email inboxes are crowded, and important calls to action can get lost. Action Network's mobile messaging provides a way to cut through the noise and connect when it matters most. This tutorial will walk you through how to use Action Network's mobile messaging features to strengthen your digital engagement.
1. Understanding Action Network Mobile Messaging
Let's explore what Action Network's mobile messaging is. Then, we'll jump into the different numbers you can get in Action Network—short codes versus toll-free.
Action Network's mobile messaging allows you to use text to take action. Let's look at creating a mobile message in Action Network. Action Network's mobile messaging tools help organizations of all sizes access a broadcast mobile tool with integrated targeting at an affordable price.
A broadcast tool means you are one individual sending a message out to a bunch of people. This is not peer-to-peer. You aren't able to have one-on-one conversations with organizations through Action Network's broadcast messaging.
The goal is that you don't have to be a huge organization to have a robust mobile program anymore. With Action Network, you can easily target emails and mobile messages. All of the data is brought into one place. Action Network pulls whatever you need when you're targeting using a particular channel like email versus mobile.
This presents a bunch of new opportunities for testing. Action Network wanted to have this all-in-one solution since there's no point in creating a totally separate tool for email and mobile messaging. Ideally, your programs are working together and building up on one another.
Action Network partners with Twilio to bring this tool to you. Action Network manages accounts, so you don't have to worry about anything. Action Network will request some information from you.
Key considerations:
- Get short codes versus toll-free numbers in Action Network.
- Use Action Network's text to take action feature.
2. Choosing the Right Number Type in Action Network
Action Network has a help article on that. You can reach out to Action Network support for more on what that application process looks like.
There are two different numbers that you can get in Action Network. First, we have short codes—these are the classic numbers that you are used to. These are the short little five or six digit numbers.
Short codes in Action Network can send an unlimited number of messages a day, but these are very expensive. They start at around $1,000 a month. You can add local numbers for call campaigns.
If you expect to send more than about half a million messages a day, most organizations—and by most I mean almost all—should go with the toll-free number in Action Network. You can still send unlimited messages a day. You'll be able to still add local numbers for call campaigns.
That is useful if you are one specific organization, but you need to create different groups or maybe if you're in a network. You want to share the number between other groups in Action Network. You have an MMS or an SMS option. SMS is text only.
MMS will include photos or GIFs. Both are options for any group with a toll-free number in Action Network, but on a short code, not all groups have MMS enabled. That's something to keep in mind.
3. Creating Effective Messages in Action Network
Now, some things to be aware of when writing your message in Action Network. Clips are identical between the email and mobile list in Action Network.
Just as with email in Action Network, you can write and personalize your mobile message. You can do all those same personalizations with the mobile message. You have a 160 character limit until it splits. We'll leave that there.
We'll circle back to it when we get into writing our message, but there are some quirks to character limits that exist across the industry based on how SMS was built.
Key considerations:
- Personalize your Action Network mobile messages just like you do with email.
- Be mindful of the 160 character limit before messages split.
4. Managing Engagement and Replies in Action Network
You'll want to think about that. Then, of course, you can do some A/B testing in Action Network, and the targeting is identical to what you've previously seen with email.
Now, let's go into writing our message in Action Network. We'll get into these defaults later on. To start off with, I want to create a form where I can do text to take action. Let's create a new signup form for my group in Action Network.
And, since I want to show you Action Network's text to take action feature, we'll be breezing through the action creation. If you want a more in-depth look at creating actions in Action Network, explore more advanced features. Let's add our action here.
5. Setting Up Automation in Action Network
We'll add a quick description. We'll add a heading. In the Action Network form, if you are going to grow your mobile program, you should use the mobile number field that says core phone.
That's the one I'm dragging out here. You should always collect opt-ins in Action Network. Opt-in is required.
That is not required by law on the email side. It is legally required on the mobile side. You cannot legally message people who have not opted in to receive messages from you.
Be sure you're always collecting opt-ins on all Action Network forms where you collect that mobile number so that you can text those organizations later on.
Key considerations:
- Always collect opt-ins on all Action Network forms where you collect mobile numbers.
- Use the mobile number field that says core phone in Action Network.
- Opt-in is legally required for mobile messaging.
6. Best Practices and Compliance in Action Network
We'll move on to the next step. Save and publish in Action Network.
Here is where I can do text to take action in Action Network. I can edit the keyword. I can add any keyword I like here. It is not case sensitive.
The important thing is that it must be unique to this action in Action Network. If it is being used, Action Network will link to it here. You can remove it from the old action and add it to the new one.
You can also add multiple numbers or multiple keywords to this section here in Action Network.
7. Advanced Features and Tips in Action Network
This will apply to Action Network forms like I've showed you here, petitions, so you can collect signatures and events so people can RSVP via mobile message. We'll go to that people menu in Action Network.
Go to mobile messages in Action Network. At the top where we have an administrative title. These apply to things like reports, actions, emails—they apply to everything in Action Network.
They're an internal name for something that you and other admins can use to quickly search and find something in Action Network.
Key considerations:
- Use Action Network mobile messaging to collect signatures and allow people to RSVP via mobile message.
- Administrative titles in Action Network help you organize and find your content quickly.
8. Getting Started with Action Network Mobile Messaging
We're going to be sending out a link to my organization's email here or my organization's fundraiser here in Action Network. We'll copy this link and let's go ahead and write our message in Action Network.
We'll use a clip like I mentioned now. These clips in Action Network are identical to what we saw with email. One thing I do want to note, let me delete this clip, is the character count.
You'll find the character count goes down pretty dramatically when you use the clip in Action Network. Then if we add our donation link—if you add our donation link, you'll see the number of characters goes down even further.
Now, when you hit send and use clips in an Action Network message, the final character count is going to be different from person to person because everyone has different information.
Final Thoughts
Every message you send through Action Network is an opportunity to deepen connection and drive action. Use it thoughtfully.
If you're planning to expand your digital engagement with Action Network's mobile messaging or wondering if it's right for your organization, Action Network support is always available to help guide you through the process.