6 tips to crafting text messages that make the grade

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:

College students are busy, so they will quickly be turned off to receiving communication from you if messages aren't personalized and intentional. Simply adding a student's first name to a text goes a long way. Go a step further with custom fields like graduation year, major, and other interests to really grab their attention.

When it comes to how often you should be texting students, less is usually more. Before you hit that send button, ask yourself if this message is going to be important to the recipients - don't text just to text! Otherwise, prepare for an influx of unsubscribes.

Lastly, make the call to action clear as day by asking a question, directing a student to check their email for more information, or simply asking for a Yes/No response. Don't leave students wondering what they're supposed to do next - spell it out for them. Through concise messaging, clear deadlines, and a sense of urgency, students will be motivated to take action. 

We already know that students prefer texting over any other form of communication, so simply following these steps to crafting text messages will help you reach your student engagement goals. 

Want to learn more? Our Texting Across the Enterprise guide offers tips for every department on campus, along with tons of texting templates you can add to your communication plan!