Office of Marketing

SMS Texting at Ohio State

Interested in texting on behalf of Ohio State? Reaching your audience right on their mobile screens can be incredibly effective. Because texting is so direct and personal, it requires us to maintain high standards for brand guidelines, student privacy and legal regulations.

Choosing the Right SMS Tool

The Office of Marketing officially supports two main texting platforms. Which one you choose depends on how you plan to communicate.

Do you have a unique project? While the two options below cover the majority of campus needs, we know unique situations pop up. If your communication strategy doesn't quite fit these boxes, don't worry — just reach out to the Office of Marketing to start a conversation about other potential solutions.

Feature

1:1 Conversational Texting

1:Many Broadcast Texting

Primary Use Case

Personal, two-way chats with individual prospective students, current students or stakeholders.

Large-scale, group text campaigns sent to large lists of people who have signed up to receive updates.

Supported Platform

How it Works

Staff members chat directly with individuals from a dashboard, much like a traditional text thread.

Messages are automated or sent all at once to a specific list of people.

How Messages are Managed

Messages are stored in the system as well as the correspondence with the sender and the recipient.

Sent messages are stored in the system. Replies from the recipient are not stored in the system.

Next Steps

Submit an onboarding request to Modern Campus.

Reach out to the Marketing team to chat about your audience and goals.

SMS Testing Standards

Texting on behalf of Ohio State can happen on several levels. By sending or responding to text messages on behalf of the university, you are making a commitment to follow these standard practices:

  • Get explicit permission first: You must have documented consent from a person before you send them a text. Texting for marketing and outreach is strictly regulated by federal law (the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, or TCPA).
  • Follow the rules: Read and follow Ohio State’s official SMS Texting Terms and Conditions and Do Not Call Procedure.
  • Provide a direct link: In your very first text to someone, you must include a link to Ohio State’s SMS Texting Terms and Conditions.
  • Never use standard SMS for emergencies: The university uses specific, dedicated systems to blast campus alerts and emergency info. Never use your marketing or advising text channels for these critical emergency updates.
  • Honor opt-outs immediately: If someone replies "STOP" or asks to be taken off your list, you must have a clear process to stop texting them right away.
  • Handle "global" opt-outs with care: If a recipient asks to opt out of all university text messages (not just your specific department's), contact privacy@osu.edu immediately so we can handle it at the university level.
  • Train your team: Make sure any staff or faculty members sending texts complete the required platform training before they start.

Required Disclosures for Collecting Sign-Ups (Opt-Ins)

If you are using a website form to collect phone numbers for texting, your form must include specific fields and legal language.

Your opt-in mechanism must include:

  1. A specific box for the subscriber's mobile number.  
  2. The name of your specific department or unit.  
  3. A brief description of what you'll be texting them about and how often.
  4. Help instructions (e.g., "Text HELP for help").
  5. Opt-out instructions (e.g., "Text STOP to quit").
  6. A warning about standard carrier costs (e.g., "Msg & Data Rates May Apply").
  7. Clear links to the university's privacy policy and terms.
  8. An unchecked checkbox. The user must physically click this box to agree — it cannot be pre-checked. 

 

Standard Opt-In Language Copy Template:

"By selecting this checkbox, you agree to receive SMS communications about [Campaign Description] from [Unit Name]. Message frequency varies. Text HELP to [Short Code or Phone Number] for help. Text STOP to [Short Code or Phone Number] to end. Msg and data rates may apply. By opting in, you authorize [Unit Name] to deliver SMS messages using an automatic telephone dialing system and understand that you are not required to opt in as a condition of purchasing any property, goods, or services. By leaving this box unchecked, you understand that you will not be opted in for SMS messages at this time. For more details, view our SMS Testing Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy."