Schools use both SMS gateways for promotions as well as for transactional purposes. Communication is very important between students and parents during school days. A child is in the observation of school where they are responsible for students.
Parents should be aware of what their children are doing when they are not under their supervision. Communication should be formal and direct with lucid words so that it can be understood quickly.
Why SMS marketing for schools and academic institutes?
SMS marketing is a powerful tool for schools to communicate with students, parents, and staff members. It is necessary for schools or educational institutes to send daily text messages (SMS) to staff, students, and parents.
What can you send students, parents, and staff using SMS alerts?
Admission confirmation messages
Class cancellation notifications
New class times
Attendance updates
Links to submit assignments
Assignment / registration deadlines
Links to join online classes
Links for online parents’ meetings
Feedback to parents
Event announcements
Payment reminders & payment links
Students' academic performance results
Send schedule for staff meetings
Update on emergencies
Best practices of texting for Schools
Obtain consent
Texting can be an incredibly valuable tool for colleges and universities to assist their students. However, it is crucial that you avoid overusing the medium by spamming students with unwanted messages.
To prevent this, we suggest obtaining consent from students, parents, and alumni, and being transparent about the type of messages your school plans to send, as well as the frequency in which they will be sent.
It's important to note that carriers are highly sensitive to spam and opt-out rates through third-party texting platforms, including all higher texting solutions and CRMs. Therefore, it's essential to follow best practices to ensure compliance and prevent opt-outs, or worse, having your numbers blocked.
Establish a collection Process
To avoid any issues when texting students, it's important to collect their consent before initiating any messaging. One straightforward way to collect consent is by adding a checkbox next to the phone number field. We suggest including opt-in language in the following areas:
Application or document submissions
Forms that require contact information
Websites or student portals (including chatbots and webchat)
Event registrations
Appointment scheduling
Store Texting Preferences
To ensure effective communication and compliance, it's important to list separate preferences for each department or team that sends texts to contacts in your database. In order to achieve this, you must have the following data fields populated and on record:
Student's name
Mobile number
Opt-in status
Date and time of the last opt-in status update.
If it has been 10-12 months since any messages were sent, consent must be re-established.
Additionally, it's crucial to maintain a record of any opt-out requests from students, which can be done by having them text a keyword such as "STOP".
Identify Yourself
To ensure a positive response from students, it's important to introduce yourself and establish a connection. As the text will appear from an unknown sender, consider identifying yourself by name and mentioning your role at the school.
If this is the first text you're sending, be sure to include instructions for opting out, such as "Reply STOP to unsubscribe."
Add College Students directly
Directly addressing students in your texts can help them feel valued and not just like another number in a large group. Including a student's name can also help to eliminate confusion and establish that the text is intended for them specifically.
Strike the Right tone
To build trust with students, it's important to strike a balance between being too personal and too formal in your SMS messages. Use a professional but human tone and don't hesitate to use emotion, especially when sharing good news. Keep your messages personal, concise, and relevant, while respecting a student's personal space.
Ask questions that prompt action
To increase engagement, students need to receive ample information. When sending event reminders or invitations, it's essential to ask if they plan to attend or if they need any assistance. By making yourself available and establishing a rapport, students are more likely to engage.
Have a Goal and a Focus
Personalization is key in school texting. Although most students want to receive texts from their colleges, it's important to avoid spam-like messages. Focus on important and helpful information and involve your department to ensure everyone is on board. Segmenting your audiences can also help avoid unnecessary texts for students.
Be ready to respond
After developing a plan to build trust with your students, it is essential to maintain that trust by being responsive. If a student responds to a text asking for more information or with a question, it is crucial to reply promptly to avoid damaging your credibility.
It can be done by assigning staff to a particular number of students so that they can reply to each of the students’ messages on time.
Express your enthusiasm and have a good time!
Embrace the excitement of this important and freeing moment in your students' lives! Don't hesitate to express emotions when appropriate.
If a student shares an emoji with you, that’s a green light to send one back!
Before sending a text message, always ensure that you have the student's consent, the information you're providing is valuable, and the topic is relevant. Additionally, enjoy being part of your students' educational journey.
When do Schools send SMS text messages?
Usually, schools use text messaging to instantly share important messages with students, teachers, parents, and staff, whether it’s an emergency, school alerts, or general information. The following are the major use cases where schools send SMS messages.
SMS text message templates for Schools
Promotional messages
01. Event promotion
02. New courses promotion
03. Admissions
Student Coordination
04. Curriculum materials
05. Grades
06. Upcoming exams
07. Application reminder
08. Registration confirmation
09. Remote support or tutoring
10. Send important notices
11. Request documents
Parent Messages
12. Final Grades Notification
13. Request for Meeting
14. Meeting Confirmation
15. Meeting Reminder
16. Request for Absence Explanation
17. Behavior Report Sharing
Staff messages
18. Elementary School Shortened Day Reminder
19. Field Trip Chaperones Request
20. Substitute Teachers Request
21. Event RSVP Reminder
22. Class Cancellation Notification
Fees Collection Messages
23. Tuition Fees Reminder
24. Activity Fees Collection
25. Exam Fees Collection
26. Late Fees Notification
27. Outstanding Fees Notification
Collect Feedback
28. General Feedback Request
29. Parent-Teacher Meeting Feedback Request
30. Event Feedback Request
31. Curriculum Feedback Request
32. Teacher Feedback Request
School Bus Schedule and Transportation Messages
33. Bus Delay Notification
34. Bus Cancellation Notification
35. Bus Route Change Notification
36. Bus Departure Reminder
37. Bus Driver Change Notification
Emergency Messages
38. School Closure Due to Weather
39. Emergency Lockdown Notification
40. Evacuation Notification
41. Medical Emergency Notification
42. Natural Disaster Notification
Admission and Enrollment messages
43. Admission Offer Notification
44. Enrollment Confirmation Notification
45. Enrollment Deadline Reminder
46. Enrollment Status Update Notification
47. Admission Test Result Notification
Holiday regards
48. Holiday wishes
These are templates for common messages that you can tweak to suit your exact needs. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for, they’ll give you an idea of how to phrase your messages.
Please note that these templates are just a starting point and can be customized to fit your specific campaign.
Conclusion
Hence, SMS templates for schools are pre-written messages that can be sent to students, parents, and staff using text messaging. These templates are designed to cover a wide range of school-related topics, such as emergency notifications, event reminders, enrollment and admission, transportation schedules, fees collection, and feedback requests.
Best practices for school texting include obtaining consent from recipients, being transparent about the types and frequency of messages being sent, using personalized messages, and keeping accurate records of opt-in and opt-out preferences.
It is also recommended to establish rapport with students and identify yourself as a human when sending texts.
If you are looking for an SMS marketing software to start texting for your school, let's talk!
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