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Your school is ready to text students but the question is: Are students ready to receive texts from you?

Parents are involved in the process of picking a college for more than 60% of High School Juniors and Seniors. Reaching those parents and making a good impression gives your institution an upper hand in recruitment.

Here are some tips on how to identify who you’re talking to and how to best earn parents’ trust.

Do you browse the internet during banking hours or are you on your phone at night watching ‘The Office’ for the 50th time? Most college students visit your website outside of the 9-to-5 timeframe. If you’re searching for the best ways to engage with students and potential students, a chatbot is the best way to make sure someone is there to greet them at all hours of the day or night. Because websites for universities and colleges hold so much information, a chatbot can be a useful tool in helping visitors navigate.

You want to help students, but you don’t want them throwing their phones in a river because they’re so sick of the constant buzzing from your outreach. There’s a fine line to balance.

According to RNL's 2021 E-Expectations Report, a college's website is the most influential source in a student's college search process. So they're putting a lot of weight on the content you serve up on your website. And if you create a frustrating experience, they're going to find a school that can provide a better one.

Give students what they're looking for - as easily as possible.

That search bar on your website is being put to work. Prospective students need to know first and foremost if they can afford your institution - and if you offer the program they're interested in.

Don't bury costs and tuition information pages deep on your website, and don't crowd your homepage with everything a student may be looking for. Because chances are, they're spending their time on your program and financial aid pages instead. 

Students can buy cars out of a vending machine in minutes. The pedestal on which we’ve placed a higher education is not quite as tall as it was twenty years ago. Your audience is discerning, intelligent, and plenty used to convenience. 

The moment they throw their hat in the air and post a diploma pic, they’re alumni. And you shouldn’t be waiting to reach out to young alumni to start a relationship. In fact, it’s smart to start before graduation day.

Two years ago, when the brutality of life was constantly jabbing away at our psyche, the pandemic stepped in and said, “Hold my beer!” Combining work with education is even tougher these days. If your job is helping Community College students, you may have noticed their list of hardships has only increased.

Online and community college students are typically self-starters looking to progress faster in their careers. Now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing segment of online learners who may choose not to return to campus and are new to remote learning. Online students want flexibility and need a college support system.

If you’ve ever worn a new outfit and walked by a group of teens at the mall, you know - students can be judgy. From what people wear to what people say to how you act - students have opinions. 

No pressure, Advancement teams! Just reach all of your fundraising goals during yet another wave of a pandemic and national crisis. COVID and the subsequent Delta variants aren’t giving your team a free pass from reaching fundraising goals. So how do you raise appropriate funds? Texting can help.

Schools that provide students a better website experience will thrive.

Every time you turn on the news or open up Twitter, there it is: a new story or development about COVID-19.

Colleges and universities have been planning all summer for what they hoped would be a “back to normal” fall semester, but with COVID cases back on the rise and the Delta variant causing concerns, we are faced with yet another challenging school year.

And higher ed staff aren’t the only ones stressing: students are, too.

• Do I need to be wearing a mask everywhere I go on campus?
• What is my school’s stance on vaccination requirements?
• Is it safe to be living in a dorm?

The current state of affairs with coronavirus dominating the headlines calls for a smart communication strategy for colleges and universities.

What should advancement teams do as a crisis reemerges?

The Delta variant of COVID continues to dominate the news, putting plans in jeopardy. That impacts each department on college campuses, including advancement. While this is usually the season for Giving Days and fundraising drives, the daily news cycle is giving departments pause.

Whether or not you use Cadence, Mongoose’s texting platform, is irrelevant right now. The ongoing crisis with COVID and the Delta variant will continue to make things difficult for students across the country. Your staff will need solutions and collaboration.

As COVID numbers continue to fluctuate with the Delta variant, the higher ed community preps for an uncertain semester. Some schools are planning for students to study remotely, while others are waiting to see what the coming months bring. It’s important to develop a communications plan and determine how your school will stay in touch with students when you don’t have the benefit of daily contact.

“Helicopter” parents have landed

Generation Z students were born after 1995, so communication through mobile phones has been a prominent part of their lives - for basically their entire lives.

Mongoose Client Success will Miyagi you to the All Valley Tournament Texting Championship.

North Idaho College has a wealth of resources and services for students available on their website, but their students were having problems finding it. Frustrated students would reach out to the help center with repetitive questions that could have been answered, had they been able to locate online resources.

The pressure of studies combined with the freight train of anxiety that comes with everyday life will cause many students to burn out. It’s your job to help students, but if they’ve reached their physical or emotional limit, there’s not a lot you can do.

With so many questions to be answered, forms to file, and inboxes to empty, it doesn’t leave a lot of time to actually engage with students. 

Why would a student choose a college to attend, pay a deposit, then change their minds about attending that institution (or attending school altogether)? 

A study by EDUCAUSE Research shows that 50% of the students surveyed say they are not aware of student success tools at their institution. The study also says that students generally want their institution to use technology to help them achieve their goals.

This makes sense - walk into any building on any given college campus and you’ll see nearly every student on their phone or a computer. You need to meet them where they are to help in the most efficient way possible. 

Harmony, the chatbot for colleges and universities, is designed to help institutions (and your website visitors) meet their goals. Website visitors can get the information they need or accomplish a task and in return, give you data on who they are and how they’re using your site. 

It’s likely that you won’t answer your phone when it rings, but if your phone buzzes from an incoming text, it has your full attention. Despite the fact that texting is the preferred form of communication these days, the medium is underutilized in advancement. Texting alumni and donors can be a game-changer if done correctly.

Your school’s website serves multiple purposes for multiple people. Prospective students want to apply for financial aid. Current students want to learn about organizations available on campus. And alumni want to know how to give to their alma mater. 

So much work goes into your college or university's communications strategy, from deciding which departments should text, to planning a schedule for timely messages, composing the messages themselves, and monitoring the inbox for replies.

This deep dive into the dos and don’ts of writing messages will help you create texts that reach more students, make them feel supported, and get them to take a desired action.

When planning your next texting campaign, keep these 6 tips in mind:

There is value in authenticity - and students trust other students.

Students might leave your institution if they’re performing poorly in academics or if they just don’t feel supported. But you can avoid this by providing them with more resources and reaching out to them on a personalized basis that makes them know you care. 

As a member of your school’s marketing communications and enrollment teams, you’re tasked with communicating with each of your institution’s target audiences. 

Students are already coming directly to your website to learn more about your institution and your programs - they might as well be knocking on your office door. So wouldn’t you want to make it as easy as possible for prospective students on your website to give you the information you need? 

Getting in touch with seniors is harder than AP Calculus.

Planning a Giving Day this spring semester? Looking for new ways to engage with alumni, and connect with your current students during the event?

At Mongoose, we love helping our clients develop creative and unique ways to hit their fundraising goals on Giving Day. Having a strategic texting plan can not only get the word out, but generate excitement and allow your team to connect directly with your community.

Here are 7 of our best texting tips to make the most out of your Giving Day plans:

How many of your email threads look something like this?

Advisor: Are you free tomorrow after 2:00 PM?

Student: No, unfortunately. Are you free Thursday morning?

Advisor: I’m not. What about Friday after 9:30 or before 11?

Student: I have class. What about…?

RNL clients have raised millions of dollars using texting and RNL's remote engagement center tools.

Your college’s website is the number one source for information for prospective students, current students, alumni, parents, and community members - they’re all coming to “.edu” to find what they need. 

Your staff’s time is limited - let the automation features in Cadence do the heavy lifting

When developing a texting campaign for any of your constituents - prospective applicants, current students, alumni, or parents - finding a happy medium between personalization and time management is key. Texting with Cadence makes it easy to do both.

Alumni engagement goes well beyond writing checks.

This past year has been incredibly hard on Advancement departments across the country, and you might be feeling the pressure to get those much-needed gifts any way you can. But don’t fall into the trap of solely using email, phone, and text communications to ask for a financial contribution. You need to be sensitive to what your alumni may be experiencing during the pandemic, and while they may or may not be able to give today, they still deserve support and engagement opportunities.

Every industry has its own issues that employees have to deal with on a daily basis, and the world of higher education is certainly no different. Colleges and universities have a wide range of pain points that if they could just get solved, everyone’s lives would be much easier. 

Fast text delivery and quicker responses will raise efficiencies 

Your fundraising plans have been executed and it’s time to hit the “send” button on a text asking for donations. With thousands of college alumni contacts on the receiving end, that text could take hours to reach its destination - and even longer for responses to get back to your team.

An article by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) explains that Generation Z students want authenticity and one-on-one interactions when looking to choose a college to attend. 

Values (noun-plural): principles that guide behavior and, ultimately, culture

A journey begins with a single step, and for a company like Mongoose, the direction of that first step is easily determined. We let our values guide us in everything we do. For every software feature we release and user interview we conduct, the goal is always to help colleges and universities better connect with their constituents and enhance relationships. 

How many times per day does your office phone ring or your email ding  with someone on the other end asking a question? Some days, it probably feels like it’s constant and the questions are mostly the same. 

As much as 76% of students start an inquiry by filling out a form on a school’s website, according to 2019 research by Ruffalo Noel Levitz - an organization focused on higher education enrollment. That same research showed that 40% of students dropped off of a form early because it asked for too much information. 

While COVID vaccines are rolling into drug stores and hospitals throughout the country, the higher ed landscape isn’t changing any time soon, and might be forever altered.

Even the most organized, experienced, and diligent teacher cannot control their students’ outside environment. And, because communication is such a vital part of education, lesson plans are suffering under remote learning conditions. 

Harmony is an intelligent virtual assistant that can be used in a variety of ways to help both website visitors and your institution meet their goals. Valuable information is collected via Harmony conversations, such as name, email, phone number, and birth date. Harmony interactions can also benefit from information that already lives in your other campus systems, such as application status or declared major, which can be used to personalize the bot conversation. Harmony allows visitors to complete tasks such as changing their password or submitting a ticket to the help desk.

Meet prospective students where they are: their phones

Your Admissions team likely uses a few different channels to communicate with prospective students and their families - emails, phone calls, brochures, postcards, etc. And while all of these channels have a valuable place in a communications strategy, they don’t compare to the open and response rates that you get through texting.

When a visitor comes to your college or university website, they’re usually looking for a specific piece of information - an application, a form for financial aid, contact info for their counselor, registration for a campus visit - and you want to grab some information from them too, especially if they’re a prospective student. Your website may have the information visitors need, but it’s not always easy to find and the RFI form you have for lead capture is long.

Schools are utilizing texting to keep their campus safer during a pandemic

Colleges across the country are bringing students, faculty, and staff back to campus, and many of those schools are taking on the responsibility of doing their own contact tracing. That makes it easier to contain outbreaks of COVID and keep communities healthy. For schools like Louisiana Tech University, texting is an integral part of the process.

Harmony isn’t your average chatbot - it’s an intelligent virtual guide.

The world of higher education is complex. Website visitors looking for assistance need more than a quick link to a webpage. A simple FAQ or link-dropping bot cannot anticipate or answer all possible visitor questions. Having a guided chat flow assists a visitor in identifying the goal of their visit and suggests topics or additional needs throughout the conversation, all while gathering pertinent information about the visitor that can help personalize the experience.

Harmony, the intelligent chatbot from Mongoose, is a self-service technology for your school’s website.

When the staff at your college or university sends a text, it’s only the beginning of the communication. Hours go into monitoring an inbox, investigating problems, responding to students on time, and following up when necessary. 

An intelligent virtual assistant can help you capture valuable lead information through customized interactions.

Your college’s website has a never-ending list of expectations to meet. It needs to attract prospective students and help them find critical application, financial aid, and student activities information to get your school in the running for consideration. Current students rely on your website to register for classes, set up meetings with professors or academic advisors, and apply for housing. And alumni visit your website to make donations, learn about homecoming and other celebrations, and keep up with the latest campus news.

By easily helping students accomplish tasks, Harmony keeps them engaged throughout their academic career.

Self-service technology like Harmony can help prospective students cross the application finish line.

What is my application status?

When you think of a college homecoming weekend, what are the first things that come to mind? A football game, networking with fellow alumni over hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, a stroll down memory lane as you walk around campus?

Spoiler: It does way more than a traditional chatbot.

A chatbot stands watch on your college website, 24/7, dutifully answering the frequently asked questions of website visitors, making things easier for your staff and your constituents.

If your institution welcomes and supports students who speak a language other than English, it makes sense that you’d want your website to offer the best possible user experience in any language. Harmony, the intelligent virtual assistant from Mongoose and powered by Drift, allows website visitors to engage in their preferred language without missing a beat.

Determining who should be texting students can be broken down into two questions:

• Which departments should be texting?
• Which staff members should be texting?

We’ll take the second part first, pertaining to individual staff members. The best way to start is by asking who needs to text students, not who wants to.

Take advantage of every opportunity to engage with students through texting.

Building retention and engagement with college students is easier when you start texting them early, but communication needs to arrive when students need it most and when they’re most willing to receive it. That’s why being strategic about establishing touchpoints is so important.

With a juggling act of life, family, and work, communicating effectively with post-traditional learners can seem daunting. But, just like any other cohort of college students, recognizing their unique needs, makes your communication strategy much smoother for staff and students alike.

If your communication strategy only includes texting your student population, you’re missing the mark. By expanding your outreach to parents, high school counselors, and employers, you’re widening your net and creating a much bigger impact when it comes to a return on student engagement.

Use two-way texting to help students navigate the higher ed altered landscape.

Texting and technology will play an even more important role in our “new normal” landscape where a majority of our communication with college students spans beyond on-campus events and financial reminders. Even if your institution’s campus isn’t closed, there will be several roadblocks to communicating with students. These texting templates and best practices will help your staff recruit, retain, and guide students through their lifecycle.

How can your college take measures to ensure staff wellness while still meeting the needs of students, parents, and alumni?

A team of experts is ready to help you succeed.

Harmony, the intelligent, higher ed chatbot from Mongoose, is easy to maintain. You and the staff at your institution can determine whether you want your dedicated Harmony team to maintain the chatbot for you, or if you want to be trained to update it yourself.

Harmony is a chatbot that is quick and easy to install, and it won't burden your IT staff (only 1 step of involvement for IT).

Implementing new technology into your college’s communication strategy is a great way to increase engagement with students, but busy schedules and full workloads can make it difficult for school staff. With Harmony, Mongoose’s intelligent chatbot, we made the implementation process as painless as possible.

Input and experience of higher ed professionals helps a chatbot perform at a higher level over time by:

If your college is considering chatbot technology, one of the first things you should know about is a playbook. Playbooks are the roadmap of a chatbot conversation, steering website visitors to their desired destination.

Recently, Akil Bello, the Senior Director of Advocacy and Advancement at FairTest, posed a question to the higher ed community on Twitter:

A prospective student showed interest, asked questions, and committed to attending your college. Now, it’s been weeks (or even months) and they haven’t deposited. And, you haven’t heard back from them.

While students prefer texting to phone calls and emails, you can never rely on one single method of communication to reach your constituents. Utilizing texting in conjunction with other mediums is often referred to as 'nudging' and it will get you the best results.

Bots don’t replace humans, they help humans be more human.

The subject of chatbots in higher ed could conjure mental images of rows of assembly line machines replacing humans in factories around the world. The truth is, conversational engagement chatbots could make higher ed jobs more secure, helping colleges and universities increase enrollment and retention.

Students all over the country are currently making the tough choice to change paths or stay the course when it comes to graduate school. Here are six specific text message campaigns your college can send right now to fight melt and increase retention with graduate students.

Utilizing technology will allow your college to meet constituents’ expectations.

As the country continues to take steps to open amidst coronavirus fears, colleges and universities are either:

1. Deciding whether or not to open in the fall
2. Establishing a plan to open in the fall 

While it’s always a concern for admissions teams that high school graduates change their minds about attending college, this summer will be particularly challenging. Isolation and uncertainty are two new factors that could cause more grads to melt before fall rolls around, even after they deposit. Fighting melt in the time of COVID will take diligence.

Advancement teams across the country are challenged with developing ways to engage with alumni and major gift donors due to the new landscape of remote communication.

With reduced in-person contact, stewardship has proven to be difficult. But there are ways to reach out to alumni and donors that allow them to be empowered without handshakes and personal visitation.

Here are some examples of text messages your advancement team can send:

Colleges across the country are organizing to help students affected by COVID-19

Nonprofits are answering the call to join the movement and be a part of Giving Day. It’s a global effort emergency response to the overwhelming need caused by COVID-19 and an opportunity for alumni to help students from their alma mater who have been affected by the pandemic. 

You want to text students. But you don’t want to break the law. Lucky for you, it’s fairly easy to stay in compliance.

Visitors to higher education websites expect to find information or complete a task, but many times they cannot get quick answers to simple questions when they explore a site.

Does your college need a chatbot, AI or live chat?

These three terms are often used interchangeably, but there are distinct differences among them. When it comes to conversational marketing for colleges and universities, each of these features is equally important. So, what’s the difference?

Recently, our partners at Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) conducted a discussion with more than 600 higher ed fundraisers and advancement professionals to see how colleges and universities are adapting during COVID-19. 

Mongoose Cadence, our texting platform, is 100% cloud-based and built with the latest security standards and practices applied. It is also built to move with you, as you do not need to install any hardware or software to access and utilize Cadence. 

For some, fundraising conjures images of drum rolls and giant check ceremonies, but these are not the moments that inspire alumni to support their schools. People care little about your financial goals - they care about helping people. 

Onondaga Community College had a need to increase student retention, but the fix was far from easy. After exhaustive research, the college’s staff developed a bold and comprehensive plan to help more students graduate.

Hint: Don’t pretend you’re the person who just retired

When the two systems play nice, you’ll get the most out of both.

"The best way to help students manage the stress [of applying to schools] is to reassure them that it doesn’t have to be stressful. It can be a meaningful and rewarding experience. If they’re connected to that question of why they’re going to college and what they’re looking for."
Brennan Barnard, Director of College Counseling at The Derryfield School in New Hampshire

“That story we share has to cause me to feel some empathy. It could be frustration, irritation, joy, happiness. If I don’t feel something, I cannot make a decision.”
Lori L. Jacobwith, Ignited Fundraising

“There’s a huge risk in asking people for anything. But why wouldn’t we take risks? Why wouldn’t we, as fundraisers, be vulnerable? It’s not about us. It’s about the donors. We should be risky every darn day.”
Brian Gawor, VP for Research at Ruffalo Noel Levitz

Students obtain an education as a pathway to gainful employment, but many schools fall short of providing quality career services. Much of the problem lies in how schools connect with students. These five text suggestions can help your department reach more students and guide them to their respective careers.

Jacksonville State University is a 4-year public institution that faced a declining number of enrollments and applicants, as well as a decline in event attendance. Lauren Findley, Director of Undergrad Admissions, Shaun Stancil, the school’s Systems Administrator, and their team used integration and well-crafted, automated texts to overcome these obstacles.

“What you see here is kind of a scramble by the states, partly for competitive reasons, but also because the majority of people are now realizing that what’s going on in college sports with the players not getting paid in what amounts to a billion dollar industry is just wrong."
Joe Nocera, Author and Business Journalist

“I think it’s about having individual relationships with your students, so when they do come in and need to be challenged, you know them well enough to know their growth edges, and how you need to couch that challenge so they can hear it, because that’s not the same for every student."
Dr. Yancey Gulley, Associate Professor in the Higher Education Student Affairs program at Western Carolina University.

According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities, 74% of all students meet at least one criterion of being a non-traditional student. And, the number of non-traditional students across the country will continue to grow. Schools that obtain a better understanding of the obstacles faced by non-traditional students will be able to better serve their needs.

“You can look at the IP addresses. We can actually see 10-15% of the applications were completed by the parent. This is going to increase. The parent is driving the college search process. You need to be recruiting the whole family because they’re part of this as well.” - Joe Madigan - Director of Recruitment Outreach at Florida Southern University

Like many schools, Florida Southern College (FSC) had declining enrollment numbers in a crowded market, and had difficulty reaching students and potential students. Even with the best texting platform, the school still needed a smart strategy. Joe Madigan, the Director of Recruitment Outreach at FSC, worked with his admissions team to break down the barriers in the way of reaching students, because telephone calls and emails weren’t working.

How to make your open house a full house

With all of the work that goes into planning an open house, or any campus event, it can be deflating when attendance doesn’t match the effort of your staff.  A lifetime of spam has scared students away from their email inboxes. Schools that have instituted a texting platform have found a dramatic improvement in their response rates, but selecting a platform is only half of the solution. A smart strategy is needed. 

Answering this question is key to donor acquisition and retention. 

While your initial response to receiving a gift should always be “Thank you”, your secondary response should be “Why?”

Everyone I know: “Why is your conference in Puerto Rico?” 

“Brands and businesses think they’re complying with the TCPA by having “Text STOP to end” or “Message and data rate apply”, but those types of disclosures have nothing to do with the TCPA.”
Adam Bowser, Partner at Arent Fox Law Firm

We are sometimes asked why it would make sense to add an additional tool to an existing admissions team when they already have so much on their plate.

Each cycle, admissions staffs across the country work hard to make their classes, only to find that enrollment number reduced due to melt. So what can a college do about high school graduates who change their minds about a school, or attending school altogether, even after depositing? Attention to detail is a strong ally in the fight against melt.

While every institution needs to be strategic to effectively communicate with prospective students and current students, community colleges face unique obstacles. Each department must connect with a diverse group of people, typically older than traditional students, balancing family, work, and school. One school, Grand Rapids Community College, used a texting platform to actually reach their students.

How guiding constituents through every touch point can make all the difference

Is it easier to reach a young student, new to the college experience and excited to seek out campus life activities - or a professional mother of two, interested solely in obtaining a degree to advance her career?

When a school from the Mongoose family does well, we’re more than excited to share the good news. UNC Charlotte was recently recognized by the Annual Giving Network in their Best in Annual Giving Challenge.

With robo-dialing on the rise, more and more students are ignoring phone calls.

Sometimes, when you’re writing about the best practices of emoji use in texts, you consume too much caffeine. This blog is the result. At this time, we here at Mongoose will recommend that you NOT read any further. Like, stop reading this blog. Seriously. This blog will serve as no help to you.

Holy cow, you’re still reading. Okay, you’ve been warned. Here is a fictional guide to emoji use that shouldn’t have been written and certainly should not be taken seriously. It’s an ‘Emojis - Worst Practices’ guide. We hope you have fun with it.

While emojis can be fun and engaging, it’s a good idea to limit your use, be selective and professional, and avoid these worst practices.

Colleges and universities are facing many challenges, and they’re not just financial. Rick Seltzer, Senior Reporter for Inside Higher Ed, sits with Mike Kochczynski to discuss the social, economic and demographic issues bearing down on schools, and the importance of serving the needs of students going forward.

When alums know they can make an impact, they’re more likely to get involved and contribute to their alma maters. Cutler Andrews, Senior Vice President of Fundraising Consulting at Ruffalo Noel Levitz, talks with Mongoose's Mike Kochczynski about how schools can re-imagine their approach to advancement to increase engagement and alumni gifts.

All millennials are not the same, and your institution could be making a mistake by lumping people of the same age group together. If you’re grouping your current and prospective students by generational stereotypes, you’re not serving their needs (or yours). Dr. Scott Cline, Vice President of Enrollment at California College of the Arts, talks about the importance of data and the problem with lazy generational labeling.

What is the future of content in higher ed, and what lessons can be learned from the evolution of online file sharing? Hugh McGuire, co-founder of Rebus Foundation joins Mongoose to talk about content accessibility and the possibilities that exist with Open Textbooks.

Engaging with technical school students and prospects offers unique challenges.

There are always obstacles in the way of reaching your constituents. And, while every campus has students with different characteristics, technical schools have additional challenges that 4-year institutions might not experience.

We are excited to announce a new strategic partnership with RNL, the leading provider of higher education enrollment management, student success, and fundraising solutions.

Students need to find a school that is the right fit for them. Dr. Walter Kimbrough, President of Dillard University talks with Mike Kochczynski about creating value in school programs, managing institutional goals with revenue realities, handling controversy on campus and running a school in 2019.

The number of jobs requiring a graduate degree has increased by over 300% since 1970¹. So, knowing how important and popular graduate programs are, we realize Mongoose needs to assist enrollment managers. This blog is the first foray in our efforts to help

SMS texting in admissions can help you bring more students to your school. Maybe, it already has. But texting is such an easy and effective way of communicating - students get used to it. If your campus stops using texting when students matriculate, the student experience becomes disjointed and can lead to less-than-ideal outcomes.

Texting platforms are designed to make it much easier to reach constituents. CRM systems need to be the system of record for contact data and, ideally, have records of all communication from any medium. Making sure the two systems integrate is essential.

“I think I would benefit more if a school took an interest in who I am today, rather than who I was when I was 20.”

A great conversation on advancement with Dr. Jay Dillon, founder of Alumni Identity. Jay talks with Mike about how institutions should change the way they think about and view alums and donors, and how that strategy has led to better results for USF and UCLA. (Plus, hear the best email subject line he’s ever used – 23% open rate!)

Is a story more powerful than statistics? Ellen Treanor, associate vice president of brand strategy at Southern Utah University, explains how engaging students with storytelling can make a huge difference in your enrollment efforts. Mongoose’s Mike Kochczynski hosts the conversation.

Your success depends on your ability to communicate with students, and a good strategy creates the best results. This guide will help you identify attainable goals for your department and then show you how to install a plan to reach them, including important best practices to avoid pitfalls and increase your reach.

Jens Larson, Director of Student Communications at Eastern Washington University, details how texting helped his institution improve enrollment numbers, and how EWU continues to develop and improve the ways they use texting to reach students.

These dynamic features will help you get the most out of your platform

You’re ready to institute a texting platform at your institution. It’s a powerful move that is certain to increase engagement, responses, and critical outcomes. But, before you hit send, make sure you’re set up for success with these 10 fantastic features.

Texting is a powerful method of communication that allows you to connect with students the way they prefer. If properly utilized, texting allows you to actually reach students and set your institution apart from the competition. You have to choose a texting platform that meets your needs across the enterprise.

Information system-level texting features fall short of the capabilities of a platform like Cadence. Be it a CRM, SIS, fundraising system or other, a good information system will make your department more efficient and organized. Some even offer the ability to text students, but functionality falls short.

Texting can help many departments in your institution reach students. When deciding to make texting an enterprise solution, consider which departments are having the most difficulty communicating. That might be the best place to start.

Emergency alerts are designed to, well, alert users in the case of an emergency. Whereas, conversational texts are designed to facilitate staff to students communication; resulting in better outcomes.

A step-by-step guide to reaching students throughout their lifecycle

Whether you’re currently utilizing a texting platform for a specific department at your school or still putting together a communications strategy, it pays to consider enterprise texting. SMS texting helps improve enrollment, allows you to reach more parents, increases graduation rates, and better connects you to graduates. The key is to find the right texting platform and get buy-in from all departments.

Panelists from Daemen College and Plymouth State University will speak with Mongoose’s Amanda Torrelli to share how they’ve implemented texting solutions. You’ll hear their success stories and best practices for enterprise texting.

The same communications platform that has proven successful for recruiting and retaining students can be utilized beyond graduation. More colleges are using texting to reach alumni and increase awareness, involvement, and gifts.

It IS legal for non-profits to text alumni and donors

In 2012, the Federal Communications Commission updated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), increasing some restrictions related to sending texts to mobile phones. The TCPA restricts the use of using automated technology to contact consumers by either voice or text. However, non-profit institutions are exempt from these regulations.

Chris D’Orso, Associate Director of Admissions at SUNY Brockport, discusses social media in higher education, with tips on managing various school social platforms, interacting with students, and finding the right times to inject personality into your posts. Mongoose’s Mike Kochczynski hosts the conversation.

Mongoose’s Dave Marshall and Andrew Veatch discuss the best practices for higher ed institutions to manage texting preferences in an enterprise environment. Topics covered include how to handle contact and student opt-outs and choosing the right staff members to send texts.

St. Michael’s Assistant Director of Admissions Jake Joseph discusses how a small Northeast school connects with students and prospective students. In an informative conversation with Mongoose’s Mike Kochczynski, Jake stresses the importance of being authentic, how to make your school stand out in a competitive region and how peer influence is still as big a factor in recruiting.

An in-depth discussion on integrating records and contacts from Salesforce to your texting platform. Mongoose Lead Software Developer, Nick Forysinski, and Mongoose President, Dave Marshall, talk about the best practices for defining your contacts, SMS opt-ins and opt-outs, and managing multiple values in the opt-out fields created by Salesforce. 

If there’s one thing to take away from this blog, it’s this: Before you hit send, ask yourself, “Is this valuable information for students?”

While texting is a powerful way to engage prospective and current college students, there are right and wrong ways to do it. Here are some tips for effective SMS texting at your college or university.

Save time and improve response rates with these convenient templates.

We’ve talked in the past about how important texting templates can be for your school’s communications strategy. Like any other fill-in-the-blank template, a texting template allows you to set up the framework, then easily customize. Templates save you time and reduce the risk of poorly-written messages.

In this free, 45-minute webinar, learn how advancement professionals from UNC Charlotte and Coe College are leveraging texting to enhance and improve alumni engagement and fundraising.

You already know that text messaging is the preferred method of communication for today’s college students. Maybe you’ve even implemented texting on your campus (in that case – kudos to you!). There’s no question it’s the simplest, most reliable solution to reach any cohort on campus.

It’s no secret that text messaging is the preferred method of communication for today’s students over email, direct mail or phone calls; in a recent report¹, nearly 80% of prospective students said they are open to receiving text messages from colleges and universities. However, less than 50% report being offered the option to text. How should institutions address this gap by reaching students the way they prefer?

If your school is utilizing a text messaging platform to communicate with students, you’re already basking in the glory of the convenience and manageability. But there’s still plenty on your plate and only so much time in a day.

It’s always interesting to see what leading institutions are doing to leverage students' medium of choice - texting .

There’s a big difference between who wants to send text nudges to your students and who should be sending text nudges.

• Dear Bertram: Should I partner with the Common App or the Coalition App? I am considering including a shared application system for next year’s class. Will adding one or both of those applications to the mix actually diversify our application pool?
  That’s Dr. Burnside, to you. I didn’t bust my hump to earn a sheepskin so some wet nose dewdropper could razz me. Now, I am not familiar with this App fellow or his coalition. He sounds to me like a snake oil salesman.

• What role can IT play in supporting student retention, graduation, and future employability?  There are so many unnecessary boundaries here. - Tabitha H.
  Oh, good. IT. Yes, the same scobberlotchers who jumped all over Filezilla like a sailor in port. Now they’re all riddled with malware and bringing it back home to their best girl. I’ll tell you what role IT can play - once they’ve figured out how to remove the Ask.com toolbar, they can just relax.  We’re good - I’m all drwx------

Hear from Ashley and Amanda from Mongoose as they review the latest updates from Mongoose, general best practices for texting with students, and new and improved resources for our clients. You'll need your Mongoose Cadence login credentials to access the video and slide deck.

Texting is an extremely simple yet powerful medium to use when communicating with students, alumni, and stakeholders. And, like any tool, skilled and experienced professionals can guide others to use texting to its full potential.

Texting templates are critical because (and be careful not to fall off your seat) not all staff are wonderful copywriters. In working with over 400 institutions to help develop their texting content strategies, we have found that a content strategy is only as good as the templates provided to staff. This cannot be understated.

A long, long time ago (okay, like 6 years ago) it was only possible to text students using your personal mobile phone. Higher ed learned pretty quickly that giving out your mobile phone number to someone you don’t personally know is like handing a toddler a cup of juice without a lid; there’s going to be a big mess.

We all know by now that texting is an extremely effective way to communicate with students. Campuses across the country are using texting to varying degrees with a range of success. The texting platform selected by the institution seems to be the benchmark that determines how successful the institution will be.

You can see how texting in general is effective, so it’s time to take a deeper look into how it can fit into your overall communications strategy.

Let’s say you decide to use texting as your primary means of communicating with students (which seems like a smart move because it is, for the most part, the only way students send and receive information). What’s the worst that can happen?

There isn’t one magic medium that will work every time for every parent, which is why it’s important to take a multichannel approach. That said, research shows that websites, texting, and email are more effective than phone calls, brochures, and other mediums. Here’s a quick look at how the most common tactics compare.

Learn from a diverse panel of Mongoose users that have leveraged texting throughout the student lifecycle to enhance and improve student experience. Amanda will interview panelists and explore their texting journey in the areas of student success, financial aid and students services. We will discuss why texting, success stories, learning lessons and creative texting tactics.

Join us as we discuss best uses for texting within intercollegiate athletics. We’re excited to sponsor this panel discussion featuring four industry experts – each with a unique take on how texting can and should be used within an athletics department.

Struggling to communicate with today’s students? Join leadership from the University of Oklahoma, Radford University and University of the Sciences for a panel discussion on "Using Mobile to Improve Communication with Students."

PPY = Prior-Prior Year Income Data for the FAFSA

How to achieve higher yield rates, and other lessons learned through a full enrollment cycle

Why did a mid-sized four-year private institution have a 48% higher yield rate for students who texted them versus students who didn’t text? In this study, we’ll explore that question—and many others—as we share findings from a recent 12-month study of an institution that used texting as a significant part of their communication mix with students.

Practical tips to new increase transfer enrollment

Transfer students have very different perspectives than first-year students. First-year students are often trying to figure out who they want to become and where they want to do so. Transfer students are much more discerning and have already had concrete experiences. They want to know what they will become and how they can go about accomplishing it.  The role of the transfer advisor is to help them to unlock that process.

Many institutions provide admissions counselors with mobile phones. It makes sense. It allows them to not have to use their personal mobile for university business. They can check email, send texts, receive phone calls and communicate with students without an added out of pocket expense.

Why you should (almost) always end student texts with “?” Want to kill a conversation? Stop asking questions.

Suzanne Petrusch, VP Enrollment and Marketing at Presbyterian College, began texting prospective students in 2009. Over the last eight years, a lot has changed; not only from a technology perspective but also in terms of students’ and families’ attitudes about texting. Eight years later, Suzanne has refined her approach to texting and how it can best be used to build better relationships with families.

In an age when leaving a student a voicemail is the equivalent of stuffing a note in a bottle and throwing it into the ocean, it’s clear that phone calls are not an efficient way to reach constituents.

When it comes to our clients, they’re obsessed with analytics. “What’s a good response rate when texting?” is actually one of the most frequently asked questions we receive. And it’s justified as well-known metrics, such as email open and click rates, pale in comparison to texting.

Texting has taken higher education by storm and is now the most effective way to communicate with today’s students. Of course, as with the introduction of any new technology, it’s important to be thoughtful about implementation and governance. In this article, we’ll answer—in both high and detailed levels–the six most pertinent questions regarding the management of texting preferences across the institution.

Engagement and behavior can tell you if your texting campaigns are working.

Texting is a top-rated channel for communicating with students. Surprisingly, it’s also the most underutilized. Until recently, there was no simple way for institutions to manage texting on campus. But now, forward-thinking institutions are improving their enrollment yield and student outcomes by utilizing SMS management platforms like Cadence.

A ’60s philosopher nails it with a theory that holds even truer today.

What brings you here?

Parents are the most important influencers for prospective students, which is why it’s important to welcome them into the admissions process, and address their concerns on a dedicated page (or section) of your website. Here, we’ll cover parents’ top concerns and share a sample wireframe that you can use.

The bottom line:

There’s a clear correlation between admissions reps who are texting students and those who are meeting - and exceeding - their territory expectations.

Higher education is more competitive than ever.  For many campuses to succeed, they must be nimble and outsmart competitors to attract potential students (and to keep the attention of current students). As they say - those who evolve will thrive. Those who don’t may perish. When it comes to texting in higher ed, it all comes down to principles. Welcome to the seven rules of engagement.

Ever feel like you’re the redheaded stepchild? May passes and the rest of your admissions team takes a well deserved collective exhale. Time for them to recharge for the fall. Not so much for you. You’ve already began ramping up. Your time is now. So let’s get at it!

> STEP 1 Add a parents section to your RFI form

The parents section can be small — all you really need are fields for a parent’s first name, last name, mobile phone and email.

Start sooner, since parents’ influence is the strongest earlier in the process

Parents are typically most influential at the start, when families are deciding which schools might be right for the student. Once the consideration set of schools is established, however, students tend to have more influence in terms of choosing their top schools and then making the final choice.

Departments on campus are searching for a more effective and efficient way to communicate with students. The existing solutions (web portals, mass emails, 8.5x11 multi-colored comic sans papers pinned to bulletin boards) are falling short. Real issues such as enrollment, retention, and positive student outcomes are at stake. As a result, we’re seeing a proliferation of various texting solutions as departments across campus are turning to text messaging as the preferred student communication channel.

You already manage student privacy when it comes to emails, phone calls and other channels. The good news is that texting is just another medium. Yes, there are a few special things to keep in mind, but it’s actually fairly simple to be in compliance. Here’s what you need to know.

There’s no question about it: Text messaging is the most effective way to reach students. But does that mean you should dive in head first - and text students about this, that, and the other thing?

It is 1 million years B.C. and a primitive college admissions professional smacks a hand in a pile of clay, furiously slaps a message on a cave wall, and instructs students to enroll in Mastodon Hunting 101. Their younger counterpart casually strolls by and says, “If you’re not sending them a smoke signal, they’re never going to read it.”