Non-profit organizations must use innovative forms of advertising because they cannot exploit the usual tools of ‘cool’ advertisement – sexual appeal and alcohol – to promote campaigns for rain forest preservation, or civil rights, or human trafficking. They must use the art of human emotion and ethical perspectives with a hodgepodge of events like auctions, selling tickets for art exhibits, restaurant profit turnovers, etc. The bottom line is that a nonprofit organization needs to either get the supporter in front of the website to donate or at an event where a supporter can donate. It does not need to be this complex anymore.

Within the last few weeks I have seen more and more articles pop up about how nonprofit organizations should implement mobile apps, mobile sites, and mobiles ads. I must admit, now that I look back, I find it shocking that it took this long for brands to see how applicable and efficient mobile marketing can be. After all, 85% of people read an unread text message within 15 minutes of receiving one. Compare that to 15% of readers who actually open an unread email (and that’s actually considered a good rate for email marketing!).

Nonprofit organizations, this is your wake up call. Your target audiences all have a cell phone! They are more then willing to support you; after all, you do have their contact information and monetary donations. Now give them something back that they can carry around with them, aside from their big hearts and pocket. Give them the luxury of convenience and accessibility, the art of modern technology with the oldest of traditions – helping others.

Whether you want a mobile ad, a mobile app, a mobile site, or even an SMS alert system, stop limiting your fans. Engage your devotees’ day or night and build a modern mobile relationship both parties can benefit from. And if you are worried less people will donate, just let the numbers do the talking. Last year, over $50 million dollars were given via mobile donations. And this is $50 million through a channel that has yet to utilized to its full potential. Can you imagine if all nonprofit organizations allowed supporters to make a mobile donation and to access company information whenever they pleased? The predictions are insurmountable. Isn’t that impressive?

Demographic wise – you are probably catering to a more mature and affluent demographic. Today’s generation, both young and old, is one of mobile addiction. Extend your reach to all age groups with the use of mobile marketing and advertising, and watch your support list go through the roof. Do your country a courtesy, and provide a healthy alternative to sexting and Facebooking, inspire our youth to assemble and become an active participant in the global community – to make a difference right through the palm of their hands, with one click.

It’s that simple (and brilliant!).

So, for current nonprofit organizations that are utilizing mobile marketing, I applaud you for staying with modern modes of promotion. But please, question your mobile components and make sure that 1) your mobile site is actually optimized for a mobile phone and not simply a trans-coded redirect from your regular website and 2) that you are utilizing the best mode of mobile engagement for your organization (i.e. mobile site, mobile ads, mobile apps, mobile donation, SMS alerts, etc.). For nonprofit organizations that are currently not utilizing mobile marketing and advertising, what are you waiting for?

Allyson Kapin’s article ‘Jumo: A Social Network #Win or #Fail?’ summarized a few perspectives a handful of people expressed about Jumo. From statements like “Jumo needs to question what makes them different” to “I don’t see Jumo filling the gap” and “the space is already crowded”, I was surprised by the lack of encouragement. After the earthquake in Haiti, mobile made news about the numerous amounts of donations it accumulated in just a matter of hours. mGive alone passed along $37 million in mobile donations to Haiti Relief funds.

So what are non-profits waiting for? Why is another addition to the nonprofit family a crowd? Well, because mobile is not being utilized as a mediator, a tool almost 5 billion people in the world hold in their pocket. Mobile is the ultimate social network.

Who are the top ten global brands?

Coca Cola, IBM, Microsoft, Google, General Electric, McDonalds, Intel, Nokia, Disney, and HP.

What do all top ten global brands of 2010 have in common?

Besides 90% of these brands originating in the US and having an extremely high monetary value, they all have a mobile component.

So what do Jumo, mobile, and successful brands have in common?

Jumo, make yourself a competing brand name for nonprofit organizations seeking to change the world, one global issue at a time. Create a presence with your brand and connect users around the world via mobile and utilize all of its components. That is how you reach the masses effectively and efficiently, and this is how (like Haiti) you will see passionate global issue devotees not only follow and support Jumo, but have them use mobile to help their favorite organization make positive and recognizable change. But before you do all that, you need a multi-award winning agency that has experience with branding. Well, here we are and we already have ideas for you. I look forward to seeing your brand flourish.

Read Full Article at http://leep.it/sJ.

Text messaging is a digital and mobile tool that enables people anywhere at anytime to communicate with anyone anywhere.

Texting has been internationally adapted because it is much cheaper to send a short text message than make a phone call. In the Philippines, text messages cost less than a penny and in Europe texting is still, economically, a better form communication due to high roaming charges. For U.S text messaging fanatics, unlimited text messaging plans prove to save users money when juxtaposing how many phone calls users would typically make, if texting were not available. Source 1

The convenience of communicating on this scale has overridden talking on the phone with exponential numbers. In fact:

• There are 280 million U.S. mobile subscribers. Roughly, 91.4 percent of total U.S. population uses mobile. Source 2
• 740 billion text messages were sent during the first half of 2009. Making an average of 4.1 billion text messages sent/received a day. These statistics nearly doubled from 2008. Source 3
• As of the second quarter of 2008, a typical U.S. mobile subscriber sends or receives 568 text messages a month. While the number of calls has remained relatively steady, the number of text messages is up 450% from 2006. Source 4 / Source 5

Users also use text messaging as a social informative tool. After news broke about Michael Jackson’s death, 65,000 SMS messages were sent per second on AT&T alone. This vital information can be sent faster and easier via text message, versus calling individual, thanks to the forwarding feature. Source 6

Going back to the initial article that sparked this blog, I think the only argument worth explaining here is the argument suggesting that text messaging and its language based off abbreviations (i.e. TTYL and BRB) is preventing our youth from writing academically correct and efficiently.  This is not the case, and this is why:

• A 2010 research found that extensive exposure to texting does not erode a child’s ability to spell but creates strong literacy and spelling skills. This Phylogeny awareness indicates that although using initials, abbreviations and understanding phonetics and rhymes are a part of texting – they are also a part of developing successful reading and spelling skills. Source 7
• A 2009 survey highlights how children who acquire a mobile phone at a young age become more financially aware and learn how to manage money earlier then they would with out a mobile phone. Children want to be able to afford ringtones, call costs and computer games even offer to do chores in exchange for cash to afford mobile add-ons. Source 8
• Abilene Christian University conducted mobile research and found that iPhones present a more attractive platform for learning than current classroom tools. Research also found that mobile instruction can transition to a mobile platform with no loss in student mastery of content. Furthermore, 89 percent of students and 87 percent of faculty called the mobile program successful. Source 9
• Public educator, Edutopia launched “The Digital Generation Project”, a media-rich digital based program that helps educators and parents understand how kids learn, communicate, and socialize in very different ways than any previous generation. Edutopia believes that the collaboration of new technology with new approaches to teaching creates a personalized style of learning students can benefit more from. History, literature, and art can be taught via text, images, and sound. Source 10

In addition, I have added a couple of statements from the article, in which I will comment on:

MYTH: “Text messaging is replacing talking, hindering the ability to form a face-to-face relationship.”

FACT: Text messaging is a new form of correspondence that encourages communication and allows friends to stay in contact in situations that phone calls cannot (i.e. working, in class, in the library, on an awkward date etc.) In fact, 3 billion of the world population text messages. Source 11

MYTH: “My mom learned to text because she found it was the best way to get a hold of my sister.” (Implying that it is bad to learn how to text.)

FACT: 60 percent of adults said that the new technologies did not affect the closeness of their family, while 25 percent said cell phones and online communication made their families closer. Source 12

MYTH: “Kids are getting in trouble for texting during class.” (Implying text messaging inspires bad behavior among kids.)

FACT: Kids get in trouble in class regardless!

MYTH: “Phone bills have racked up hundreds of dollars due to texting. Most people have unlimited which is actually a good investment if it is your main way of communicating.”

FACT: Phone data plans are decreasing, saving people more money. Source 13

MYTH: “How is this affecting to the up and coming generation? The generation is expecting immediate responses.”

FACT: The upcoming generation is expecting access to information on a 24 hour basis, access to social media networks in order to stay in touch with family and friends, and of course the ability to communicate on a level that is available to everyone, anywhere, anytime of the day; mobile does that. I hope the upcoming generation expects the best, because the industry is catering!

MYTH: “Cell phones are constantly glued to people’s hips, you would think it was a life-saving device. Of course, in some situations, it is. For example, if you are stranded on the side of the road.”

FACT: Text messaging does save lives, and not just for road side assistance. SMS alerts can warn students of school shootings, tornado warnings and other weather alerts, and even mobile helped Malawi people by connecting rural communities to hospitals. Source 14 / Source 15 / Source 16

MYTH: “People feel lost when they forget their phone at home. And I don’t think it is not because they are worried about being stranded on the freeway; it is the missed calls and text messages from friends they are going to miss.”

FACT: People do not wish to leave behind their phones simply because they might miss the chance to talk to a friend or family member (although I would not want to miss their message either!). People use their phones for more then texting. Mobile internet browsing and applications help people accomplish their goals through out the day. 3 billion applications have been downloaded (by iPhone and iPod Touch users ALONE) to help users receive news about stocks, financial accounts, weather reports, traffic reports, business information and more. In fact, users have increased daily use of the mobile internet by 107%. Source 17 / Source 18

MYTH: “I think it is still important to keep our verbal communication skills in tact. I just don’t want text messages to replace face-to-face contact with people.”

FACT: People around the world are not staying locked in their rooms with cell phone in hand, relying only on text messaging to communicate with the world. Living in a fast pace society, people are going to school, going to work, running errands, eating, meeting with friends and family. With this, text messaging simply suits the busy body with a means of convenience. Meaning that when you are on the go, your phone is going to aid you throughout your day and make sure things get done.

MYTH: “You lose other communication techniques as well that are involved in a conversation: facial expressions and body language. A smiley face icon is not the same as a real smile.”

FACT: Text messaging is not meant to replace real smiles or real hugs, nor will it ever. However, if you are having a bad day and a friend sends you a smiley face, the gesture of a smile will somehow make your day a little better. Moreover, if you still do not like the text smile, take a picture of your smile and send it via MMS!

MYTH:  “Communication can be easily misinterpreted over test messaging. You can’t hear the person’s tone of voice in a text message, so the content may be construed by the receiver. Sometimes technology doesn’t work and a text message doesn’t get delivered, whereas then, the sender thinks the receiver is avoiding him/her. It can get very complicated, whereas a simple phone call would have avoided all misunderstanding.”

FACT: A phone call takes more time to get the point across. If text messaging was not a suitable way for people to appropriate get their message across, then people would not be ‘texting more then talking’ (on the phone.) Source 19

MYTH: “It is rude to be having a physical conversation with someone while the other person is having a conversation with someone else on the phone. It makes that person feel like they are not important enough, and again back to the point of not being able to form in-person relationships.”

FACT: It is called texting etiquette along acquired social skills. You can’t blame text message for bad etiquette!

MYTH: “We don’t want technology to take over and become the face of all conversations.”

FACT: This is not a terminator movie, technology is meant to help us. It feeds into our naturally creative swagger and strive for innovation.

These statements (myths) are perhaps what some of the population thinks about text messaging and mobile innovation. But before you judge this incredibly convenient technology, know your facts! Then make an educated decision.

Also, understand that the group of people willing to text is 3.5 times bigger than the number of people willing to pay for TV and these numbers will only continue to grow. Maybe not necessarily in relation to watching TV, but text messaging is a part of the present, and will be part of the future. So hold on tight! And watch the wave of WAP, SMS, and mobile internet entice you (because sometimes the majority knows what is best, in this case, mobile engagement.) Source 20

Want more myths demystified? Want to talk about mobile some more? Send me an email!

For the article in question click here.