How Schools Can Use Text Messaging To Increase Student Enrollment
A growing number of higher education leaders are concerned about their ability to maintain current school enrollment levels, largely due to 
financial cost, expected return on investment and increased competition from peer institutions.
Text messaging offers a way for education leaders to expand their prospective pool of students and increase efficiencies in the entire school enrollment process. Almost all mobile phones can receive text and 75% of all teens use their phones for texting. Providing timely information is an important part of the enrollment process, and relying on email alone to communicate may not be enough.
Here are several ways to include SMS in your student recruitment strategy and use text messaging to increase student enrollment.
1. Get the word out to prospects.
Make it easy for prospects to get information about your school by promoting your school’s website or specialized landing page through text. Add a call to action “Text MYCOLLEGE to 72345” to your booth signage at college recruitment fairs, printed materials like direct mail and brochures, and social media. Prospects who text your keyword can receive text auto-reply with a link to your site.
2. Generate leads for your school.
Build a pool of interested prospects for future campaigns. With SMS Lead Generation, you can collect mobile numbers, names and email addresses simply by asking prospects to text your keyword.
3. Gather information and segment.
Provide links by text to your an online form for all inquiries. Get more information about them, their academic interests, year of graduation and more. Ask them to sign up for different types of text notifications i.e. “Text CHEMISTRY to 81411” to receive targeted text information about specific departments.
4. Educate prospects about your school.
Send text notifications inviting prospects to an Open House or local social events where they can speak with alumni and current students. Or, send links to your latest blog post by text.
5. Keep applicants on track.
The entire application process can be overwhelming. Use text messaging as a way to keep applicants on track by providing reminders and updates every step of the way. Provide information on application status, important deadlines and key dates like orientation.
6. Engage newly admitted students.
Notify students by text when they have been admitted. Continue to message them with opportunities to visit your campus, take a tour, engage with current students and alumni or visit a class. Provide answers to most frequently asked questions by text about housing options, class schedules, etc. Remind them of deadlines for filling out FAFSA forms.
7. Improve the enrollment process.
Keep enrollees up to date with text reminders of steps they are required to take to complete enrollment. Schools can also use text messaging for internal communication with other departments like school orientation, campus residences and undergraduate department heads.
8. Keep students in the loop!
The need to communicate doesn’t end after enrollment. Student organizations, team sports, fraternities and sororities, campus lectures and events, school health services, dining halls and campus security — all have a need to reach out to students for various alerts and notifications.
Text messaging can become an integral part of how your school communicates. Contact TextMarks at 800-696-1393 or email us at tmsales@textmarks.com and let us know how we can help you use text messaging to increase student enrollment.
