Has your school used texting for student recruitment?

1. Text Messaging for Student Recruitment
Text Messaging for
Student Recruitment
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2. Text Messaging for Student Recruitment
Overview
Text Messaging
2) Student Recruitment
3) Example: St. Mary’s University
4) Other Uses for Texting
5) Texting Strategy
1)
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Text Messaging For Student Recruitment
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3. Text Messaging for Student Recruitment
1. Text Messaging

Text messaging is a particularly personal form of interaction
that cannot easily be ignored, resulting in annoyance and a
resistance to further communication when used improperly.
 However, when the content is relevant and helpful, it can strengthen
relations and lead to enrollment conversion.
 It is very important that some form of relationship has first been
established with the student before a text message is ever sent.

Best practice is to let prospective students choose whether
or not they would like to be contacted in this way and then
it's up to content strategy for schools to nurture this trust.
 Unsolicited advertising may backfire by turning the student away
from the university.
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Text Messaging For Student Recruitment
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4. Text Messaging for Student Recruitment
2. Student Recruitment

The challenge is to engage students sufficiently without
overdoing it.
 Giving prospective students the option to sign up for text updates
from their first contact with the institution opens the door for personal
correspondence over time through a potentially more convenient and
less intimidating communication channel.

Reaching out to students as individuals, personalizing
messages with their first name or referring to their interest in
a specific program, can make them feel valued and further
the relationship.
 If even a "thank you" is received after a helpful alert, it may indicate
that texting is an effective means of communication with that student.
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Text Messaging For Student Recruitment
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5. Text Messaging for Student Recruitment
3. Example: St. Mary’s University

St. Mary's University in Texas has been a successful
advocate of text opt-ins for prospects to stay connected with
individual “meaningful messages.”
 While only about 5% of 40,000 inquiring students opted in for text
updates, 30.8% of those did end up applying, compared with 10.9%
of all prospective students.
 The yield rate of texting students that paid a deposit to attend the
university was 42%, compared to 26% of all accepted students.

This opt-in is easily accessible on their admissions page.
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Text Messaging For Student Recruitment
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6. Text Messaging for Student Recruitment
4. Other Uses for Texting

Many schools have made use of the ubiquity of texting to
engage with students.
 A tool called "Poll Everywhere" can enhance admissions or
classroom presentations by allowing speakers to create poll
questions, voted on by the audience through text messages, with
results instantly posted in real time.
 A presenter could theoretically apply the results by focusing on
subjects of highest interest.

Schools such as Dalhousie have developed an integrated
messaging service for broadcasting important information.
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Text Messaging For Student Recruitment
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7. Text Messaging for Student Recruitment
5. Texting Strategy

Like any campaign, recruitment teams need to consider how
SMS marketing fits into their overall integrated
communications plan.
 Texting is better for some applications than others - sometimes email
may be preferable.
 Coordinate admissions, financial aid and campus life departments to
craft direct, informative and valuable messages at appropriate time.

Researching with your own prospective students to reach
them on their own terms is a proactive step towards
recognizing recruitment marketing requirements of today
and tomorrow.
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Text Messaging For Student Recruitment
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8. Text Messaging for Student Recruitment
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