The American Red Cross has raised over $25 million with their “Text for Haiti Relief” effort.  

You may think texting is just for the kids.  We see teens and young adults texting all the time.  It is their primary mode of communication.  But make no mistake about it, texting is a powerful force –  even among adults.  The Red Cross’s use of texting to contribute $10 to the Haitian Relief Fund has raised over $25 million thus far.   At $10 per text, that translates into 2.4 million texts.

So texting is not just for the kids.  The effort by the Red Cross effort proves that people in very different demos utilize test messaging. And it proves texting can be very useful for more than just social communication.  In this case texting has even become a powerful force in fund-raising.  About 20% of all the funds raised for Haiti relief by the Red Cross have come from texting “Haiti” to 90999 to make a $10 contribution.

Just a year or so ago, who would have thought that $25 million could be raised from texting?  Texting is becoming more mainstream and is showing its usefulness in marketing.

This is a wake up call to healthcare marketers that text is emerging as a significant and powerful tool. Just when we decide to dip our toes in social media like Facebook and Twitter, along comes texting.  The Red Cross demonstrates the impact and power smart phones and texting are becoming.  It can no longer be ignored.

We are just on the front end of the learning curve of what cellphones and smart phones can do.  Marketers must pay attention, learn and explore creative uses for texting. $25 million dollars is a lot of money, especially in increments of $10.  A whole new adventure is in front of us.  There will be countless possibilities and opportunities to effectively use text messaging to achieve useful and worthwhile objectives.  What power we hold in our hands!