Your Thoughts: What is the Best Way to Reach Students?
In an era where young people are glued to their devices, the way students communicate is constantly shifting. In a recent Today’s News article, 2017-18 NASFAA National Chair Billie Jo Hamilton said it’s important for financial aid offices to meet students where they are: on their phones. We want to hear from you! What is your most effective strategy for communicating with students? How do you stay ahead of trends? Share your thoughts in the comments section below and then check out what your peers had to say.
Publication Date: 7/20/2018
Carson W | 7/20/2018 5:25:17 PM
Thanks for the chuckle of the day. Of course we try and meet students where they're at, but at some point...
Louise R | 7/20/2018 2:28:21 PM
I was the Director of CRM in charge of boosting event attendance and improving yield and I was able to successfully text with a much higher response rate than email or calls. We used Hustle for peer to peer texting to create meaningful relationships with students/parents and to help overcome stalls in their process. Mass texting campaigns were less effective, it really mattered to have that one on one conversation. www.hustle.com
Cheryl L | 7/20/2018 11:8:46 AM
Robo calls work best for us.
David S | 7/20/2018 10:44:49 AM
My favorite new acronym - TLDR. Too Long, Didn't Read. So society criticizes us for not taking an 18 year old who's never had a financial responsibility and turning her/him into a financially savvy student loan borrower...when s/he won't read the 2nd paragraph of a 280-character tweet because TLDR.
Yes, I'm a grumpy old man. Hey you kids, get off of my lawn.
I go back far enough to remember when students ignored the letters we sent in the mail, then we moved onto emails they ignored, now of course we've migrated into texts and social media. My office doesn't have texting capability yet, but I can confirm that they ignore social media.
Jennifer L | 7/20/2018 10:1:23 AM
We use a texting program called Zipwhip. We also use other social media avenues, such as Facebook messenger.
Brigid C | 7/20/2018 9:41:36 AM
We use text whenever possible, our institution also uses an app that has much of the student information (like schedule, account balance, missing paperwork, etc.) available on demand. Just this year we implemented Campus Logic to assist with the 18/19 verification process, and their platform is mobile friendly, including uploading documents from the student's phone.
Roberta S | 7/20/2018 9:23:03 AM
Where can I see comments from other institutions?
Roberta S | 7/20/2018 9:22:06 AM
We find the best way to reach students is via text message. The text should be limited to an action. For example, we need more information please call or visit our office. Keeping the text short and to the point has a better result than trying to put too much detail in the message. Students will stop reading after 140 characters.
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