March 25, 2013

Hobsons Helpful Hints: SMS Marketing

Mar. 25, 2013 at 09:12 AM | By Donna Brewer | Comment Count

It’s all in the numbers:

99 % of mobile devices are SMS (text message) compatible.
50.4% of consumers alone are carrying around and using a smartphone.
70% of all these smartphones are an iPhone or Android device.
As of March 2012, more than 50% of all university students own at least one smartphone. This increased from 41% the previous year.

Smartphone technology, specifically text messages, presents one of the biggest opportunities for higher education brands to build meaningful, long-term relationships with their primary customers - students. Be strategic though. As with other marketing campaigns, recruitment teams need to consider how and if SMS marketing fits into their integrated communications plan. Here are six pointers to get your institution’s SMS initiative off the ground.

Short, relevant, and valuable – Text messages not only have financial costs for you but they also have costs for your recipients. Avoid a flood of opt-outs by ensuring your messages are direct, informative, and offer value to students. For instance, text messages do not always have to be marketing related. Partner with your admissions, financial aid, and campus life departments to craft messages informing students of important deadlines and events on campus.
Create an effective strategy – Think about your reasons for launching an SMS campaign – make sure that it’s the most effective way of communicating your message to your students. Remember that you are restricted to 160 characters and that will include your mandatory opt out disclaimer at the end. Would an email or calling campaign be a better way to let your students know what you need them to know? Also remember that your contacts should have opted in before you use their mobile number in any form of SMS marketing.
Personalise Your Texts – Whatever manner you choose, keep the student’s needs in mind. Try including the subscriber’s name at the beginning of the text message like you would in an email campaign or refer to their interest in a specific program offered at your institution.
Time management –Consider timing in a relative sense – don’t text students a reminder about an event three days in advance only to have it forgotten – instead send a brief reminder the day before or on the day of. *Tip: Consider time zones and schedule messages accordingly.
Not everyone wants to hear from you - Every single one of your SMS broadcasts should include a message along the lines of 'to opt out reply STOP'. There is nothing more irritating that not being able to opt yourself out of a mail list – and in the long run you are only harming your own reputation.
Make sure you can measure your success – a text should not be merely informative, but should include a specific call to action. By including a call to action, you’re able to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaign. Ask them to attend, “register now”, and then measure the amount of “unique visits” and “time on site” of your landing pages. It may also be worth adding an incentive to your SMS campaign in order to engage and increase measurable activity.