P2P SMS/MMS Text Alerts

What are P2P Text Alerts?

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) texting allows Telephone Town Hall Meeting (TTHM) to send thousands of scripted text messages an hour to your target audience. Use simple SMS (Short Message Service) texts or upgrade to MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) texts to send a more dynamic message.

P2P Text Alerts do not require recipients to opt-in because all texts are sent manually, one-at-a-time by members of the TTHM staff. We also manage replies to ensure a complete interaction.

Who uses Text Alerts?

P2P texting has the highest read and response rates of any digital outreach.

TTHM has produced Text Alerts for municipalities, advocacy organizations, transit authorities, sitting legislators, labor unions, health care providers and professional associations.

Our team tailors Text Alert campaigns to empower client communications.

Messages can drive recipients to a website, promote events, encourage action, or ask for an opt-in to ongoing interaction. Reach out to us to discuss your outreach goals.

How do Text Alerts work?

We use an Initial Message plus scripted Reply messages to engage in a complete interaction with each respondent. Replies include a general More Info response and automated Do Not Contact (DNC) message. Additional responses for Yes and/or No can be added to facilitate specific conversations.

Simple interactions require only an Initial Message plus More Info and DNC replies. Your More Info reply should generally answer “Who/What/Why is this?” messages, and can be customized by TTHM staff as they respond to specific participant messages.

A more complex chain of messages can be used to engage in short ID exchanges such as; Initial Message) ‘Do you support X?’ a) ‘Yes’ then Reply 1)… or b) ‘No’ then Reply 2)…

What are SMS and MMS?

SMS (Short Message Service) – SMS is best suited to sending short messages. The Initial Message is limited to 160 total characters including spaces; up to a 140-character message plus a required 20-character opt-out component. Longer SMS scripts incur higher charges per initial text sent.

Because real estate is limited, SMS is the ideal protocol when your message is simple and does not require an extensive explanation to your audience. SMS works well when you want message recipients to take immediate action, or opt-in for an event or ongoing outreach.

Sample Event Notice Text Alert (SMS-Only)

SMS-Only Text Alert = $0.12/txt*

*SMS messages are limited to 160 characters including mandatory opt-out language.

you plan to send a longer message, P2P MMS allows for virtually unlimited characters and would be less expensive than sending multiple 160-character SMS texts.

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) – MMS is a preferable option when sending longer text messages such as surveys or educational outreach that require detailed explanation.

Instead of a character limit, there is a 500kb size limit per attachment. So the message of your text is sent as a .txt file with virtually unlimited message length.

MMS can include media files such as an image (jpg/png), slideshow (gif), audio clip (mp3), video (mp4) or longer text messages (txt). Remember that each attached file must be 500kb or smaller.

Multimedia Text Alerts help your message stand out and convey more information than can be contained in a single-segment SMS. Combine a .txt message with a .jpg image to create a discounted Double-MMS campaign.

Sample Event Opt-In Text Alert (MMS+MMS)

MMS-Only Text Alert = $0.15/txt*

*One attached jpg/png/gif/mp3/mp4/txt file.
Your text message is delivered as a P2P .txt file.

Double-MMS Text Alert = $0.25/txt**

**Two attached jpg/png/gif/mp3/mp4/txt files.
Your text message is delivered as a P2P .txt file.

Hybrid Message SMS + MMS – Send a complete message by combining a brief 160-character SMS text with an MMS attachment. An image followed by a short text is a concise and impactful message.

The MMS attachment grabs your audience’s attention. The SMS includes a short message with limited room for important information, an action item and/or a link.

Sample Event Opt-In Text Alert (SMS+MMS)

SMS + MMS Text Alert = $0.20/txt*

*160 characters of text in each message sent PLUS one attached jpg/png/gif/mp3/mp4 file.

Setup and Reply Management

TTHM manages responses to the Initial Message using scripted reply messages.

We use a More Info reply to answer general questions or direct mobile users to a specific website/landing page to learn more. This response is also a catch-all for unique replies that can be customized by our staff.

Add Yes/No replies when using Text Alerts to ask for an opt-in to an upcoming event or to ongoing communications with your organization.

Recipients can reply ‘STOP’ to be added to our internal Do Not Call List and receive a scripted DNC reply. DNC phones are removed from future outreach for your account.

A Custom response option can be drafted and used for specific circumstances like a survey with a chain of replies, or to achieve any specific interaction goals.

Text Alert Setup ($250) + Reply Management ($200*) = $450/text campaign

*Reply Management cost negotiable for low-volume campaigns

Congressional Updates via P2P Text Alert

Using managed P2P text outreach, we can help your office generate opt-ins for ongoing updates. Our experienced staff delivers the Initial Message Peer-to-Peer to ensure the best possible delivery rate. Then we manage all replies to conclude each interaction.

Peer-to-Peer SMS Text Alerts are low-cost but character-limited, so messaging needs to be brief. Texts are limited to 160 characters including mandatory opt-out language.

Upgrading to P2P MMS allows for virtually unlimited message length and messages are sent to recipient phones as a .txt file that is then unpackaged and viewed as a normal text.

SMS and MMS can also be combined to send an image authenticating the message followed by a short SMS text asking for an opt-in for outreach or promoting an upcoming event. See the SMS+MMS Sample below.

Sample Updates Text Alert
(SMS-Only)

Sample Updates Text Alert
(SMS+MMS)

Schedule a Free TTHM Demo/Consultation

Visit our Contact Page to schedule a tech demo.

We are always happy to provide a complimentary consultation with a TTHM virtual outreach specialist to determine which services best fit your outreach goals.

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