Most colleges and universities have tapped into short message service (SMS) text messaging as a means to reach students. Somewhat shockingly, however, they’re still leaving valuable communication opportunities on the table.
There’s a popular saying in marketing (and life): Meet people where they are. When it comes to college and university students, “where they are” is often on their cell phones. A 2014 cell phone usage study from Baylor University found that college students spend an average of 94.6 minutes a day texting. And while most of that time is likely spent communicating with friends and family, colleges and universities are now racking up texting minutes, too, with notable outcomes.
According to texting survey results published in the ebook Summer Melt: Supporting Low-Income Students Through the Transition to College, 86 percent of participating students reported that text messages prompted them to complete a task they hadn’t done, and 84 percent found text reminders useful in helping them check items off their to-do lists in preparation for college.
We know texting is a preferred method of communication for many typical college-aged students. So, when considering communication plans, it only makes sense to pump up your texting game in departments that you might have overlooked previously.
Tom Sheahan is the CEO of Red Oxygen, a leading business SMS solutions provider that is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Red Oxygen provides texting services to colleges and universities across the country.