How many personal email addresses do you have?
Two?
Three?

Which addresses are used for spam?
Which addresses were used for Eras Tour ticket raffles?
Is your inbox doing that thing where automated filters are set and you keep missing emails from your contacts?

Now, how many cell phones do you have? And how many phone numbers do you have?

One, I assume?

If someone sends you an email or a text, are you more likely to read the text or the email?

This dialogue has served its purpose, so I’m going to stop asking questions and jump into it.

SMS is quickly becoming an essential tool in successful marketing and admissions strategies, leading more prospective families from inquiry to application.

For all the reasons outlined above, consider this one key advantage: SMS has a staggering 98% open rate compared to just 28% for email (Source: Mailmodo). This data point has also been verified by our own partner school data 🙂.

This doesn’t mean email marketing is obsolete (we’ll get to that later), but if you want a guaranteed way to have your message read, SMS is the clear winner.

Now before you stop reading this post and mass text your entire prospect list, there are a few rules you need to follow:

Rule #1 – You can’t text whomever you want. You need to get permission first.
You can easily achieve this by adding an opt-in to your inquiry form. Curious how it works? Take a look at any of our Aryval forms on aryval.io/abc-school.

Rule #2 – Your SMS communications need to be thoughtful and timely.
Since SMS can feel a bit more personal, it’s extremely important to first build a relationship with your audiences and deliver value with what you’re sending. The last thing you want is to alienate your audiences and send off spam signals, or worse, ruin your school’s credibility.

Unsure how to do this? Get a fun look at how we’re using SMS by filling out the form for our ABC School and select our event, ‘Visit Days’: aryval.io/abc-school

With those two rules out of the way, we’re ready to send our SMS communications. Now, you might be asking, “What types of SMS messages should I be sending?”

As mentioned earlier, SMS needs to be concise and provide value. Think of that reminder about tomorrow’s event, or that final push towards application, or a simple ‘it was nice to meet you!’

SMS should be automated, but that doesn’t mean it has to lose its personalization.

(Not sure how to segment audiences for personalization using your EMS? Let us help!)

And email? This still has a place in the customer journey. Pair your SMS with email marketing to provide additional information (think parking instructions or your event agenda), or if you’re sending a monthly newsletter.

Why You Should be Using SMS

If you’re not leveraging SMS marketing, you’re leaving opportunities on the table. SMS isn’t just a trend; it’s backed by data and proven to deliver results. Our partner schools are achieving over 60% application rates from their events through the power of email and SMS combined.

But having the tools isn’t enough — you need a plan. Thoughtful, strategic messaging can mean the difference between engaging your audience and being ignored.

At Aryval, we specialize in helping schools craft impactful SMS strategies that align with their admissions and marketing goals. 

Ready to see how we can help? Learn more and take the first step here: aryval.io …or send me an email (which I will answer!) at [email protected]