There are many ways to implement text marketing in your institution, but here are the top four to optimize your SMS marketing campaign and increase student engagement.

1. Market Programs and Courses Using SMS

Many universities and educational institutions are still struggling to figure out how to market courses using SMS, but with platforms like launch.ai, you can get students signed up in no time. All you need to do is implement a few keywords and shortcodes that make it easy for prospects to opt-in to your SMS list. 

You can ask interested individuals to text a keyword like “JOIN” to a shortcode. Alternatively, ask them to text a keyword that enables receiving targeted text information about a specific course. After opting in, text them valuable information such as: 

• Updates about enrolling in a specific course
• Application deadlines
• Open days
• Scholarship opportunities
• Program highlights

Text marketing platforms will also allow you to segment your SMS contact list based on prospects’ interests in specific educational programs. Segmentation enables you to create targeted text marketing campaigns that resonate with different groups of potential leads. That way, you can ensure the content is engaging, informative, and personalized to cater to each subscriber’s specific interests.

Once a prospect converts into a lead, you can follow up with personalized messages geared towards convincing prospects to join your school or compelling existing students to enroll in a newly introduced course. 

2. Keep Students in the Loop with Timely Academic Announcements and Reminders

The need to communicate with students doesn’t end after admission or enrollment. While internal memos, emails, and posters are useful, they can easily go unnoticed and may not be reliable for communicating time-sensitive information. 

SMS text message marketing provides a direct, instant channel to deliver essential reminders right into students’ inboxes within seconds. This means you keep them on top of deadlines and urgent announcements. 

Your text is more likely to be read than emails or other push notifications. According to statistics, SMS has a 98% open rate. People also carry their cell phones nearly everywhere, so it’s almost guaranteed your message will be noticed and read as soon as it arrives. Additionally, because SMS doesn’t rely on apps or internet access, even those who don’t own a smartphone will still receive the message.

Examples of timely announcements and reminders to send via SMS include:  

• Examination schedules
• Project deadlines
• Links to relevant study materials
• Career opportunities (job fairs, internship programs, etc.)

Sending timely notifications helps students stay organized, manage their time effectively, and avoid the last-minute rush.

3. Conduct Interactive SMS Surveys and Polls

Collecting student feedback is critical for creating an inclusive, student-centric educational environment by getting students engaged in decision-making processes. Conducting interactive surveys is a great way to gauge student satisfaction, assess learning needs, and gather student opinions on potential improvements.

SMS, with its instant deliverability, ensures that students see your questions. It also has fast and high response rates. Statistics say that the average response time for an SMS is only 90 seconds, and most people (about 60%) reply within five minutes.

You can conduct all forms of student surveys via SMS, including:

• Course evaluation surveys: Ask about the strengths and shortcomings of a course and how they impact learning. Request students’ thoughts on improving and making learning more impactful.  
• Mental health surveys: Allow students to rate their mental health and mention risk factors in order to launch more effective mental wellness campaigns.  
• School environment surveys: Learn about student experiences on campus, from faculty engagement to social habits among students.

Successful SMS surveys can help schools make informed decisions based on collective thoughts from students. Students will feel like the school listens to them and value their needs, which can boost engagement and satisfaction. 

4. Promote School Events Via SMS

SMS is great for event promotion because it’s more casual than other communication channels like internal memos. Such a level of informality makes your message appear as a reminder rather than a promotion. As a result, it can be highly effective in your education campaign.

SMS can be especially useful for staying in touch about upcoming events, such as:  

• Workshops
• Extracurricular activities
• Social events on campus

Your message should provide event details, registration links (if applicable), and any incentives for attending. The goal is to keep recipients sufficiently informed. 

Boost Student Engagement with SMS Text Message Marketing

Send essential information like upcoming events, course alerts, and career workshops directly to students’ cell phones. Texts are delivered immediately so recipients can stay informed and engaged. 

Like any other marketing channel, you need a strategic approach for SMS. Create an opt-in list and ensure compliance with relevant privacy regulations, such as obtaining permission and providing an option to unsubscribe. Additionally, messages sent should be relevant and valuable. You need to personalize the content based on individual needs and interests.

With a reliable text marketing platform like launch.ai, you can get all the benefits of SMS marketing in one place, with simple workflows that fit right into your existing marketing strategy. Get benefits like:

• Automatic responses: Reply to students quickly and in real-time, thanks to the Automatic Quick Reply feature.
• Easy personalization: Organize your SMS contact list and add the recipient’s name to personalize your text.  
• Split-test messages: Experiment with an A/B message split-testing feature to compare the effectiveness of different text messages. 

With our SMS marketing technology, students will get your text instantly on their phones. The platform is also TCPA-compliant to help you avoid legal issues and ensure customer satisfaction with every message. 

We give you access to a feature-packed analytics dashboard, allowing you to measure the effectiveness of your campaign. Choose an affordable monthly plan to launch your education marketing today.