The straightforward guide to text messaging for schools

Schools face a variety of communication challenges, from keeping students and families informed to sending timely alerts in the case of an emergency.  

With everyone busy and so many other businesses using the same traditional communication channels – email and phone calls – it’s easy for students to miss messages from your school. 

That’s where school SMS messages come into play. Educational institutions, from pre-K through college, use texting to keep everyone in the loop. 

Let’s dive into how schools can use text messaging to improve communication and reach people when they need to.

Most students have grown up in a world dominated by short-form, on-demand content, and they expect immediate, mobile-first communication.  

While still valuable, channels like email and phone calls are no longer guaranteed to cut through the noise. Not only do students open texts almost instantly, they pick up their phones 51 times per day.  

Schools that recognize and adopt these evolving preferences can better engage students, foster quick responses, and maintain a sense of community on campus. 

From admissions reminders to urgent updates, SMS services for schools deliver essential information in real time and on the devices students use most.  

You can incorporate a text messaging service into every aspect of your school’s communication strategy, from admissions and enrollment to campus events and ongoing engagement with students, alumni, and the local community.  

Below are six key groups you’ll want to target and how to reach them effectively: 

Increase admissions and enrollment by sending deadline reminders, application updates, and relevant information. Encourage prospective students to opt in for text alerts, and use two-way conversational messaging to answer questions and provide personalized support.

For actively enrolled students, there are many types of school updates that could benefit from being sent via text:

• Emergency text alerts for inclement weather or school closures
• Academic program updates like class cancellations, exam dates, and course recommendations
• Campus resources like links to portals, health services, campus news, jobs
• Reminders for upcoming deadlines like payment, financial aid, course registration, assignment due dates

Shrewsbury College, a leading UK university, discovered an immediate return on their effort when using SMS to scale student communication. They used Sinch Engage integrated with HubSpot to make their text campaigns more personalized, automated, and impactful (for both students and the college itself).

And for those students starting for the first time, you can use texting to welcome them with essential details like campus maps, tutoring hours, and bookstore information. Keep them engaged with timely updates on tuition, financial services, and scholarship opportunities.

Retain current students by sending timely alerts for course registration, tuition deadlines, and campus events. Promote extracurricular activities and student organizations to foster a stronger sense of community.

Maintain relationships with graduates by sharing donation opportunities, career events, and networking activities. Encourage them to spread the word about your school and refer prospective students.

Keep staff informed with important dates, campus updates, and emergency notifications via SMS. This simplifies your communication strategy and ensures everyone has real-time information.

Extend your reach by promoting events, volunteer opportunities, and donation drives through text. Encourage community members to participate, reinforcing goodwill toward your institution.

To maintain SMS compliance and respect privacy, implement clear opt-in strategies for all text messaging campaigns. 

Encourage students and faculty to sign up through keyword texts, website forms, or during the admissions process and always provide an easy way to opt out. 

Remember: It’s important to stay current on SMS compliance best practices and regulations, as different states and regions have different laws you must abide by. Include necessary disclaimers on opt-in forms, respect opt-out requests promptly, and segment your audience to send relevant, targeted messages. 

Regardless of who you’re texting, we recommend you follow these four best practices.

1. Keep it short: A concise message helps recipients quickly scan its contents and understand what action you’d like them to take. You can send up to 160 characters in a single SMS, provided all characters in your text message are part of the GSM 7-bit character set. 

2. Aim for clarity: Although messages should be brief, they must still be clear. Make sure your text makes sense to the person receiving it. 

3. Make it personal: Use the recipient’s name, location, or relevant details (such as their child’s grade) to show them the message is meant specifically for them. 

4. Include an opt out message: Honor recipients right to opt out by allowing people to revoke their consent replying to the text message. The most common and minimum way to let consumers opt out is to respond to an SMS with the text “STOP”. 

Before you choose a texting platform, it’s important to understand your school’s unique requirements and how it will fit within your existing systems.  

Below are some recommended steps to help you get started, along with key considerations for selecting the right provider. 

Determine how a school text messaging service will connect with your current software, such as student information systems or customer relationship management (CRM) tools. 

Build a compliant process for students, parents, and staff to sign up for text alerts, and ensure opt-out is straightforward. 

Outline desired SMS automations, such as sending application reminders or tuition due notices, to streamline outreach. 

Figure out your institution’s priorities and confirm that your chosen provider can scale accordingly.

If you are only beginning your search, here are some top considerations: 

• Multiple messaging options: You may need both one-on-one and mass texting capabilities. This flexibility lets you manage everything from emergency notifications to SMS hotlines. 

• Solid integrations: If you plan to send automated messages or connect with other platforms, ensure your service offers a range of integrations. 

• Ample keywords and contacts: Be aware of providers that limit the number of keywords or contacts you can use. Growing schools need room to expand. 

• Clear pricing: Compare costs carefully, especially per-message pricing. Understand whether unused credits roll over from month to month and whether the plan accommodates your school’s growth. 

By focusing on these criteria and mapping them to your school’s priorities, you can find a SMS service that helps you communicate effectively and efficiently. 

If you’re ready to explore a comprehensive school texting solution, one option to consider is  Sinch Engage.  Sinch Engage is a leading text messaging service provider that offers powerful, integrated mobile messaging solutions for schools. 

Unlike other SMS solutions, we’re backed by a Tier 1 reliable network, built-in compliance features, more integrations and technical features, and excellent 24/7 customer support.

Get started with Sinch Engage for free or contact us with any questions. You can also explore our integrations to see how easy it is to add SMS campaigns to your current school systems.