SMS marketing -- Txt for the early bird?

Nonprofits the world over are trying to tackle sms marketing.  Whether it's list building, earned media, or fundraising, text messaging or sms is all the rage. 

From the commercial field comes another great idea: advanced sales or information via text.  This campaign speaks to the immediacy and viral marketing potential of text.  An event venue in Portland, Oregon with a database of 3,000 mobile numbers announced an 'exclusive pre-sale" for a popular concert to those 3,000.  All opted-in text subscribers received a password and link to buy tickets before they went online to the general public. According to Pollstar, the venue sold $25,000 worth of tickets on the first day.  It is unclear how many people forwarded the message but a clever social marketing campaign can build this into the program. 

Bottomline: Nonprofits who sell tix should txt.