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August 24, 2018

Education

Encouraging More Students to Apply: Relevance of Direct Mail for Universities

Universities often have a hard time appealing to students, often because their marketing approach is a unidimensional one. Yes, young people are online, but just using email marketing isn’t enough. An integrated marketing service should also use direct mail services. When it comes to clearing, mailing is even more important, and it’s something that must be planned in advance with help from a reliable mailing house. Here’s how you can do it right.

The relevance of direct mail for Generation Z

There’s no denying that the Generation Z is more tech-savvy than the millennials. They are used to emails, ads and sponsored posts, but marketing experts agree that direct mail is still relevant in education marketing. More than 269 billion emails are sent each day, but a large percentage also goes unread. With direct mail marketing, it is possible to establish a connect with students, who are about to take a serious step in their career. Plus, the generation isn’t as online as thought. MNI reports suggested that over 60% responded that their generation would do better by unplugging more, while more than 80% relied on newspapers and print media to get information. It is now believed that this generation may have a role to play in reviving print, and using direct is more important for your campaign.

Strategic planning is necessary

Start by understanding what may work best for your courses and offerings. A good brief helps direct mail companies in planning the process, and it should be all about clear goals and budget. You need to know what you can afford; how clearing campaigns have fared in the past and what can be learned from these campaigns.

Spend on marketing brochures

For the longest time, printed marketing brochures were used as one of the best ways of promoting courses and campus lifestyle. You are telling students to trust your university, and therefore, that trust must be built in a personal way. That’s what direct mail is all about. Brochures are best form of personalised direct mailing and assure response. If you are not sure of how to design a brochure, contact one of the direct mail houses for help, who can also help with print finishing techniques.

Dimensional mail

Dimensional mail might be a new thing on the block, but has better response rate for sure. The costs, especially that of design and postage, can be a matter of contention, but it makes sense to students who are more likely to ignore flat mailing and emails.

Reviewing direct mail marketing benefits

Eventually, the purpose of marketing is to boost the brand value, and in education marketing, direct mail helps in achieving that. With direct mail marketing, you can understand and customize the experience of students better, as what they expect from the university. This is also a personal form of marketing, and therefore, there are better chances of being seen. Response rate to direct mail is much better compared to email marketing.

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