Seriously, it’s not. The increase in the use of email marketing has given many colleges the impression that direct mail is just not used anymore, but that’s not true. Let me explain…

The use of direct mail has decreased in the past few years, as companies experiment and make use of email technology. However, recent studies have shown an increase in direct mail as a consumer’s preferred contact method, while the preference for email has decreased.

This is interesting since today’s college student is technology focused, but not surprising as the rate of scams, spam and junk mail increases. As a college, your prospective students are more digitally savvy than many of us will ever be, but it doesn’t mean that it’s the only way they want to be contacted. As email messages, whether or not college related, bombard a student’s inbox, it becomes harder to grab their attention. So what’s going to make your school stand out?

A great way to really hit home with marketing messages is to use a cross-media approach. Sometimes it’s more effective to connect with prospects offline in order to encourage interaction online. For example, design a great mail piece, such as a postcard with a call to action, then send out a corresponding email, both driving the student to a personalized URL (PURL). This combined effort has a much higher probability of generating a response than each individual piece by itself.

Many generations of people are still interested in getting direct mail pieces, regardless of their interest level in technology and all things digital. Generation Y (born 1985-2004), which is the group you are currently trying to recruit, is nicknamed “millennials,” “echo boomers,” and “the net generation,” and as children of the baby boomers, it’s the largest generation of all. While this group was raised with computers, the Internet and is now crazed with Facebook, Twitter and various Blogs, you can still grab their attention with non-digital messages. Direct mail will give students a tangible way to interact with your college or university. It rounds out the entire college search process in the 21^st century – online applications and registrations, live chats with admissions reps, private social networks, and the like.

Direct mail is NOT dead. It’s simply underestimated.

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Choosing a college can be a daunting task for many students.  How they do it becomes valuable information for any college or university during the recruiting process. So what do high school students look for when searching for the best place to spend the next four years of their life?  I found a great article that details who high school students listen to most when taking advice about the selection process.  Read the full article here, but check out these key points:

- 64% of students said that they were usually or always in sync with their parents about which school was a good fit.
- 55% of high school students play interscholastic sports, however only 3% said that coaches influenced their decision.
- 50% of parents and students said that “prestige” was a significant factor
- Students said that their own “gut feelings” were most affected by a campus visit and being able to see the college’s students – which in turn, would effect their decision

These are just a few points from the article – an article college administrators should read to gain some insight into the selection process!

Yes, personalization is everywhere nowadays. But just because you stick someone’s name on something doesn’t make it effective.  Personalization is about more than just a name – in order for it to be effective, it includes variable content and imagery, plus RELEVANCE.  If the content included is not relevant to the individual, personalization is just another name.  Check out this article, which explains going beyond personalization and growing through relevance.

E-mail marketing has become the norm around the world and consumers are now bombarded daily with the discount offers, “free” merchandise or information and even pleas for donations.  Most, if not all, of these e-mails are subject to the dreaded delete button.  So how can your e-mail marketing to prospective students possibly be effective if people are dumping so many messages in the trash?

The website emailreplies.com developed a list of their top 32 rules for e-mail etiquette and though I’m not going to list all 32, here are just a few that, though they may seem obvious, are important and often overlooked:

-       Be concise and to the point

-       Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation

-       Make it personal

-       Do NOT write in capitals

-       Use a meaningful subject

The Subject Line
One of the most important parts of an e-mail is the subject line – after all, this is what ultimately brings your recipient to actually open the e-mail.  However, the subject line must be carefully crafted to avoid spam filters or being marked as spam by the recipient.

There are a lot of words and phrases that can trigger spam filters.  Here, I’ve picked out a few that I think are more likely to be used in a college marketing e-mail, taken from a few different websites*.

- Act Now!                          – Affordable                           – Opportunity

- Time limited                   – Apply Now                           – Click here

- Visit our web site           – Free, free gift, free info     – Limited time offer

- You’ve been selected     – Info you requested            – Help

- Percent off                       – Reminder                            – Extra exclamation points

Usually if something seems too good to be true, it often is.  A good example of subject lines can come from a simple newspaper headline.  A journalist will take a key point from the story and shorten it to a few words, intriguing the reader to engage in the article.  It works the same way with e-mail – grab the attention of the reader, then engage them in your e-mail message.

Who is the e-mail from?
Almost or just as important as a subject is the line that tells the student who it came from. Students want to know what they’re opening, so identifying yourself is an important step in order to decrease the risk of being marked as spam.

As a college or university, your e-mails should show that they are coming from an individual person at the college, or the college name itself.

Though it may seem like a lot, just a little extra effort spent on crafting e-mails for your campaign can work wonders for your open and click through rates.

* Trigger words taken from www.mequoda.com and www.internetbasedmoms.com

When you’re sending out e-mails to targeted groups, a common question is whether to use an HTML or text format.  The answer is not cut and dry, which makes the decision tricky.  The short answer is that they can both work well, depending on the product, service, consumer, etc.,

That probably doesn’t help you too much, does it?  But don’t fret; here are some tips to help you decide which format will work best for you.

The Long Answer:
There are pros and cons to each format.  Text is easy to produce and ensures that everyone is able to view it, but it limits creativity in that there are no graphics and fonts cannot be formatted.

HTML, on the other hand, allows a variety of graphic enhancements, as well as font formatting, but many people are not able to view HTML messages and the ones that can, may be distracted by too many images.

Tips for HTML
The key to creating an effective HTML e-mail is to be sure the intended message or call to action can be fully understood without the graphics, by solely reading the text.  If text is embedded in HTML images, and a user cannot see them, they will lose that text, and with it, part or all of your message.  Also, don’t go overboard – opt for a few visual focal points instead.

Text Tips
In order to produce an effective text e-mail, your copy has to be strong.  Well-written copy will snag the readers’ attention better than, say, weak copy that is accompanied by graphics.

The biggest determining factor is your audience – you really have to know the people who are receiving your e-mails.  Your target audience decides where, when and what you advertise, so it should play an equal role in your e-mail format. For instance, if your e-mail is sent to a targeted group of teenagers, who are nowadays very technologically savvy, HTML may fare better – they like to see graphics, are more engaged by this type of e-mail and are more likely to have the capability to view HTML than an older demographic might.

So try both formats out if you’re not sure – see which one fares better.  But keep in mind other factors as well that may be contributing to the effectiveness of either format.

While the majority of people realize that you need to stand out from the “noise” in advertising in order to attract consumers, many don’t know how to go about doing it.  I stumbled upon this article, which talks in depth about how businesses are changing their ways in order to use variable data in marketing campaigns.  Here are some key points:

• The best variable campaigns are created using messages, offers and imagery directly related to the consumer so they know their needs/wants are understood
• The base for any good variable campaign is GOOD DATA and knowing what to do with it – there is not a lack of good data out there, it’s just a matter of gathering it and using it to your advantage
• Successful one-to-one campaigns require cooperation between multiple departments, who all touch these projects and are all working towards a common goal
• Despite the sophisticated software, one-to-one marketing is still largely untapped in the US – why?  Though the technology is there, marketers still must harness it
• Personalization vs. invasion of privacy: there’s a fine line that you don’t want to cross – scrutinize the data you have and be careful how you use it

Basically, there are NOT many companies in the U.S. that use this technology with regards to how many could actually benefit from it.  Many print companies are beginning to showcase themselves as more of a marketing services provider and hiring more people with marketing backgrounds, as they need to be able to provide information relating to marketing campaigns.  Personalization is incredibly powerful when used correctly, and can repeatedly force your company into providing a competitive edge among a sea of similar techniques.

Very interesting…

Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘it’s quality not quantity’?  Well, that goes for college admissions applications too.  Though it might be impressive to show off high application numbers, it doesn’t always mean you’re better off.

A lot of organizations out there exist to help colleges get more inquiries and applications, in hope that these leads will turn into qualified applicants and eventually, enrollees.  How do they do it?  By encouraging colleges to offer inviting benefits, such as waiving application fees and essays, providing quick admissions decisions and even “priority” housing and scholarship consideration.

So why shouldn’t you do this?  Waiving an application fee and/or essay makes applying for college as simple as clicking a button online.  Wouldn’t you have been more likely to apply to more colleges if you didn’t have to pay high application fees or write the dreaded long essay?  But instead of submitting 10 applications, you narrowed it down to the 3 or 4 that you were the most interested in.  Why?  Because you didn’t want to pay all that money for applications or spend so much time writing essays for schools you probably wouldn’t be attending anyway.

While adding these “perks” to your application process may help you receive more applications, the students that are applying are not likely to enroll.  Many students are willing to fill out some questions and click a button a few times to apply.  Far fewer are willing to spend money and time on applications to schools that are on their “second choice” list.

Like I said earlier, it’s quality, not quantity, which really matters.

Open houses showcase the advantages of a college or university to prospective students, providing campus tours, presentations and the ability to meet with advisors and other staff.

After searching open house facts, it seems that many students (and parents) realize that colleges will go all out during these events to make their institution shine.   The key is to play up your benefits, but don’t overdo it.  So don’t advertise to them, but rather engage them in the activities that interest them.

-       Campus tours are important, so don’t skimp – make sure there is ample time; show classroom and lab sizes, dorms, sports facilities and other significant areas where students spend a lot of time.

-       Hire the right tour guide! The more fun students have on the tour, the more positive their experience and impression will be, so make sure the guides are knowledgeable, entertaining and enthusiastic!

-       Do demonstration classes, as classes are rarely in session during open houses, and attending classes is a frequent student request

-       Give students the time to sit with academic advisors, along with the opportunity to talk to current professors, specifically in their major

-       Students are there for information – provide them with plenty of it, such as course content, syllabi, degree requirements, etc.

Have an even more successful open house by preparing a satisfaction survey for participants at the open house.  Coming straight from attendants, it will give you the best idea of how your open house was perceived, as well as what you can improve upon for the next one.

Choosing the right college is hard, and open houses give students the opportunity to experience campus life first-hand.  A successful open house can bring an inquiry to apply, and an applicant to enroll.