Every once in awhile, I stumble upon some new technology or software and think, “That is so PERFECT for associations!” I’ve got two to highlight today: TextMarks and Phonebooth.
It’s no secret that people’s use of mobile phones is constantly increasing, and important messages can be passed via text messaging (or SMS). Mass donations can even be accepted via text message, as we saw during the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti.
TextMarks is a service that makes it easy to set up marketing campaigns through text messages. An administrator chooses a word (or even acronym) to be your “textmark.” Members then can subscribe by texting that word to 41411. Once members subscribe to your service, they’ll receive any updates you choose to send out via text message.

TextMarks works with tons of providers in the U.S. (check out the list) and doesn’t charge users any extra for receiving a text message (standard rates do apply). If you want to use the service for free, your messages to subscribers will contain ads. Ad-free plans start out at $9.95 per month, which is a fairly cheap way to get your messages out en masse.
With all the talk about mobile in the association community and the need for associations to embrace different marketing platforms, TextMarks could be a great option if you’re interested in starting a mobile campaign. Your association could send reminders about event registrations or volunteer opportunities, or any short announcements. (I’d definitely recommend not abusing the service though – no one needs spam sent to their cell phone!)
The second service also deals with communication: your phone system. If you’re a smaller organization and are in need of a phone system that won’t break the bank, take a look at PhoneBooth, an alternative to Google Voice.
There is both a free and a paid service, and the free one is pretty comprehensive. You get a local number with up to five extensions, call forwarding to multiple sources, voicemail with transcription and the ability to get users connect with you from the Web – all for free! (Two-hundred in-bound minutes are included, and each additional minute is 6 cents.)

If you need more options, such as the ability to handle conference calls, Phonebooth OnDemand is $20 per month and unlimited local and long-distance calls on the Phonebooth.com nationwide network and support for HP VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and IP phones.
One downside to Phonebooth Free is that masking services aren’t available, so your outbound calls will still appear on Caller IDs as the number you’re actually calling from, rather than your Phonebooth number. But, if you need an easy to route calls and don’t need too many extensions, Phonebooth could be a really great option.
Does your association use text messages in its marketing plan? What kind of phone system do you use? Would you ever consider using an Internet service, such as Google Voice or Phonebooth?
Image credits: One, Two