Education
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According to the the Telegraph 96% of young people own a mobile phone, regardless of their financial situation or where they live. Around 72% of teenagers say they use text to communicate over any other method.
This means that text messaging gives you a unique opportunity to create a dialogue with young people using their preferred medium.
Here are some examples of how text messaging has been used effectively in various education settings.
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MARKETING
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RADIO, TV AND OTHER ADVERTISING - This college was looking for ways to increase the effectiveness of its advertising. By adding an individual text response to all its advertisements, it was able to catch potential students while they were out and about. This increased the number of enquiries generated for the student recruitment teams to follow-up. Posters were also placed in schools, asking students to text in to win an X box and a Playstation 2. The college used the entries to create a database and then invited the potential students to visit the website and attend open days.
MARKETING COST REDUCTION - The same college was also looking at ways to reduce its spiraling marketing costs. By reviewing the levels of text response, it was able to see that some advertisements were far more effective than others. As a result it saved £6,400 a year by cancelling two regular press ads which had been ineffective.
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THE PROSPECTUS – This college was aware that its prospectus was a necessary, but expensive area of advertising. It was keen to get more back from the prospectus and make it easier for students to enquire, cheaply and quickly. It achieved this by allocating an individual text response to each course in the prospectus. This enabled students to text directly for more information on specific courses. Over a three month period the college received over 2000 enquiries by text.
FOLLOW UP – This college had a large database of mobile numbers gathered from telephone and website enquiries, which had not been converted to student registrations. Through profiling these numbers, by type of course enquired about, it was able to send out relevant promotional material, encouraging new contact with the college. It created personalized messages, 95% of which were delivered and 98% of which were opened. The campaign was so successful the college has now extended its use of mobile to sending messages to previous students and advising existing students of new courses.
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STUDENT SUPPORT
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LEARNER SUPPORT OBLIGATIONS – A work-based learning company was keen to provide further support to its students and make contact between students and lecturers easier. It was aware that many of its students were on low or no income, so placed a text response for a call back. Students can now text the name of the lecturer to a short code for the cost of a text message. The company found the take up of this service was best with its 16-19 year old students, who gave positive feedback about the approach.
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APPOINTMENTS, ASSIGNMENTS AND ABSENCES –All colleges can enhance levels of communication with their students, by using text for:
- • systems to report noted absences
- • reminders of appointments
- • information on changes to lectures
- • reminders when assignments are due or overdue
- • students who work anti social hours or have family commitments.
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION – Many schools and colleges forced to close during the snow last winter used text messaging to inform students. The messages were clear and concise, informing all the students within minutes of the decision to close.
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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS
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PROMOTING EVENTS - Text messaging is now utilised by schools, colleges and trainers to communicate with staff. For example one college uses text to make staff aware of courses and encourage them to attend training. It is also used for notifying staff about changes to policy, new information to be looked at on the website, and so on.
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STUDENT CONTACT – Many staff do not want to give their personal number to students, but realise there are occasions when students need to get in touch outside of timetabled contact. Text messaging provides an out of hours non intrusive way in which staff can receive communication. It provides a great way for them to develop relationships with students. A closer relationship with students encourages them to attend lectures and can create a greater level of respect.
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