Guide To Bulk Texting: Send Messages Parents Actually Want To Receive

Text messaging is one of the most effective ways to reach parents and prospective families—when done right. This guide will help you:

• Understand the rules that apply to text marketing (US and Canada)
• Maximize parent responses and engagement
• Convert tour inquiries into enrolled families
• Keep families informed without overwhelming them

Composing Your Message

Compliance Requirements

Before you send any text messages, make sure you're following these essential rules:

Always get consent first. Never add someone to a text campaign without their permission. This typically happens when they fill out a tour request form or provide their phone number on your enrollment site.

Identify yourself clearly. Always include your childcare center's name in the message.

Include opt-out language. If it's your first time messaging a parent, or if it's been 90 days or more since your last message, add an unsubscribe option at the end:

• "Reply STOP to opt out."
• "If you'd like us to stop texting you, just reply STOP."

Honor opt-out requests immediately. If someone replies STOP, remove them from future campaigns right away.

Strategic Best Practices

Personalize your messages. Use the parent's first name by inserting {{contact.first_name}} in your message. This makes every text feel personal, not automated.

Don't overdo it. Send bulk messages sparingly—no more than once per month. Parents are busy, and too many texts will annoy them.

Respect their time. Only send messages during reasonable hours. Avoid early mornings, late evenings, and weekends unless it's urgent.

Make your offer clear and compelling. Give parents a reason to respond. A strong offer or valuable information gets better results than vague announcements.

Keep it short and exciting. Long messages get ignored. Get to the point quickly and make every word count.

Consider offering something free. Free trial days, waived registration fees, or complimentary tours generate maximum interest with minimal commitment from parents.

Writing Tips That Work

Match the casual tone of texting. Write like you're texting a friend, not sending a formal email. Avoid stiff, corporate language.

Skip unnecessary punctuation. Too many exclamation points!!! look unprofessional!!! and slow down reading!!!

Think about how your message feels. Will parents feel valued? Pressured? Excited? Confused? Aim for positive emotions only.

Use emojis sparingly. One or two relevant emojis are fine. More than that looks unprofessional.

Spark Conversations

The best text campaigns start conversations, not just broadcast announcements. Live conversations build trust, which leads to tours and enrollments.

Ask one direct question. Questions prompt responses. But never ask more than one question per message—it causes confusion.

Avoid sending links. Links can hurt deliverability and cause spam filters to block your messages. More importantly, they prevent the conversation from happening in Enrollio's messaging platform, where you can track and respond.

Only send when you can respond quickly. If a parent replies right away and doesn't hear back, they'll assume it was spam. Parents who get immediate responses are far more likely to book a tour.

Expect Some Opt-Outs

You will always get some STOP replies. You will always have some people ask not to be texted. This is normal.

Respect their wishes, mark them as Do Not Disturb in Enrollio, and move on. Focus on the parents who do want to engage.

Examples: Bad vs. Good

Bad Example

"Hello, this is Ashley from Sunshine Academy 🌞 We're the best childcare in town! All our families love us! It's 💰 $1,200/month 💰 to enroll and there's an extra $300 registration fee 😊… We have a lot of spots to fill so we hope you can afford it! We also have infant care, toddler programs, preschool, after-school care, summer camp, parent workshops, a waiting list, sibling discounts, and many other options!"

Why this fails: Too long, too much information, multiple exclamation points and emojis, sounds desperate ("we hope you can afford it"), and lists every program instead of focusing on one clear offer.

Good Example

"Hi {{contact.first_name}}, this is Ashley from Sunshine Academy. We're giving out a few free trial days and I wondered if you'd like one? If you'd like for us to stop texting you, reply STOP."

Why this works: Personal greeting, identifies the center clearly, one compelling offer, asks a direct question, includes opt-out language, and keeps it short.

How To Send A Bulk Text Campaign

Step 1: Select Your Contacts

Choose which parents and prospective families should receive your message. You can select contacts manually or use Smart Lists to filter by criteria like tour status, enrollment date, or age group.

[SCREENSHOT: Contact list view with checkboxes selected and "Send SMS" button highlighted]

Step 2: Start Your Message

Click the "Send SMS" button at the top of your contact list. Click "OK, Proceed" when prompted.

[SCREENSHOT: Send SMS confirmation dialog]

Step 3: Write Your Message

Type your message in the text field. Give your campaign an internal title so you can track it later (e.g., "Spring Enrollment Promo" or "Open House Invitation").

[SCREENSHOT: SMS composition screen with message field and campaign title field]

Step 4: Choose Your Sending Method

You have three options for when and how your messages send:

Send all at once (immediate)
Leave the toggle on "Send all at once" to send immediately to everyone. Best for urgent announcements you don't expect to turn into conversations.

Send all at once (scheduled)
Select "Send all at scheduled time" and set the send time in the "Start On" field. Best for announcements you want to send automatically at a specific time later.

Send in drip mode (recommended for conversation-starters)
Select "Send in drip mode" to slowly deliver messages over time. This is the best option for messages you expect to generate responses, because it prevents you from getting overwhelmed with replies all at once.

[SCREENSHOT: Sending options with "Send in drip mode" selected and settings expanded]

Drip Mode Settings

When you choose drip mode, you'll configure these settings:

Start On: The date and time when messages should start sending.

Batch Quantity: How many messages to send each time the system repeats.

Repeat After: How much time to wait before sending the next batch.

Send On: Which days of the week the system should send messages.

Process Between Hours (optional): The time window each day when messages can send.

Drip Mode Example

Here's how to spread 100 messages throughout a workday:

• Action Title: "New Families: Tour Invitation"
• Start On: Monday, April 15th
• Batch Quantity: 10 messages
• Repeat After: 30 minutes
• Send On: Monday through Friday
• Process Between Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

This sends 10 messages every 30 minutes during business hours, so you can respond to replies as they come in throughout the day.

[SCREENSHOT: Complete drip mode configuration with the example settings filled in]

Pro Tips

What To Expect

Good text campaigns typically generate:

• 5-15% response rate for well-targeted messages
• 1-3% opt-out rate (this is normal and healthy)
• Higher engagement than email (parents check texts immediately)

The key is consistency. Send valuable, respectful messages monthly, respond quickly to replies, and you'll build trust that converts inquiries into enrolled families.