Boosting Yield By Scaling Personalized SMS

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About the Episode:

In this special episode, Enrollify’s Marketing Manager, Erin Fields steps into the guest host role to interview Day Kibilds. Day shares an innovative tactic she spearheaded while at Western University: a two-way texting initiative that connected admitted students to professors, current students, and alumni during the chaos of 2020. With over 4,000 personalized conversations, this approach led to a surprising boost in yield at a time when higher ed faced unprecedented challenges. Get ready to be inspired by a simple, scalable tactic that delivers big results.

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Key Takeaways

• Personalized, peer-to-peer conversations work – Students are more likely to engage when messaging comes from current students, faculty, or alumni rather than official admissions channels.
• Timing and messaging matter – A campaign without prior notification can be mistaken for spam, so setting expectations beforehand is key.
• Cost-effective digital tools can drive big impact – A tool like ThroughText, which charges per messaged contact, allowed for scalable, low-cost outreach without heavy integration.
• Faculty buy-in can be a secret weapon – Professors were unexpectedly eager to participate, adding credibility and depth to student interactions.
• Social proof and word-of-mouth amplify results – Students shared their experiences on platforms like Reddit, positioning the university as proactive and student-focused.

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How a Two-Way Texting Campaign Solved a Major Yield Challenge

The Problem: How to Build Community Virtually During COVID-19

In April 2020, with campus events canceled due to the pandemic, admissions teams everywhere faced a major challenge—how do you foster a sense of community when students can't visit campus? For Dayana and her team, the goal was clear: create meaningful one-on-one conversations that help admitted students feel connected, engaged, and confident in their decision to enroll.

Recognizing that students value peer-to-peer connections, the team sought a scalable, cost-effective way to facilitate real conversations between admitted students and campus insiders—without requiring a massive budget or software overhaul.

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The Solution: A Scalable, Low-Cost Texting Campaign

Dayana leveraged her experience with ThroughText, a texting tool that had previously been used for alumni engagement. The platform allowed the admissions team to send messages at just $0.25 per contact, enabling personalized, two-way interactions without complex CRM integrations.

But the real challenge? Finding enough volunteers to power the campaign. The solution: mobilizing a community-driven effort.

• 460 volunteers signed up, including faculty, current students, and alumni
• 350+ fully onboarded and participated in outreach
• Each volunteer was assigned 100 admitted students to contact

The result was nearly 30,000 text messages exchanged, with some conversations lasting well beyond the initial outreach.

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Overcoming Challenges: What They Didn’t Expect

Every campaign has hurdles, and this one was no exception. Here’s what they learned along the way:

• Students thought the texts were spam. Without prior notice, some students didn’t trust the messages. Future campaigns would start with an introductory email to set expectations.
• Many students listed their parents' phone numbers. This led to some awkward exchanges where parents received the texts instead. Better data collection on applications could help avoid this issue in the future.
• One false Reddit complaint almost caused panic. A user falsely claimed to receive inappropriate messages, but backend monitoring ensured accountability and confirmed the claim was unfounded.

Despite these challenges, positive Reddit posts and word-of-mouth reinforced the campaign’s credibility and impact.

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The Impact: How Texting Shifted Yield Outcomes

The engagement metrics were impressive:

• 29 percent response rate, far exceeding typical email engagement rates
• 4,000+ one-on-one conversations with admitted students
• 30 percent+ yield rate, significantly boosting enrollments
• Professors, students, and alumni played a direct role in recruitment

Beyond the numbers, the most valuable takeaway was the human connection. Many students cited their texting conversation as the tipping point in their enrollment decision, reinforcing the power of personalized, peer-driven communication.

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Why This Matters for Enrollment Marketers

This case study underscores a major takeaway for admissions and marketing teams: students want real, human interactions. Whether through text, chatbots, or social media, giving them direct access to peers and mentors can make all the difference.

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