Welcome
Welcome to the third issue of Enrollment Marketing Minute, a newsletter created specifically to enhance the performance and satisfaction of our current clients. We invite you to take a minute to get to know the people who are committed to your enrollment success, to learn how your fellow clients are maximizing their Liaison systems, and to explore new options and ideas for achieving your goals today. Enjoy!
The State of Print in 2023
If you’ve been a Liaison client for a while, you’ve certainly heard us talking about the power of print. Maybe you’ve attended a “Case for Print” webinar. Maybe you’re already doing some print with us. (We hope you are because it really works!)
Because the world of marketing has changed so much over the last 5 years… 3 years… 1 year, we wanted to revisit the state of print. Some things have stayed the same. But the bottom line remains: print is a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.
We’ve reviewed many of the recent studies available on the power of print and summarized the three top facts you should know now.
in their mix including:
59 undergraduate
programs
38 graduate
programs
1. Print is alive and well
Don’t let anyone tell you print is dead or dying. Print is very much alive. In fact, the use of print across all industries and segments continues to grow at a steady upward climb.
Projected to Grow
Across all industries, the direct mail advertising market is projected to grow from $71.57 billion in 2021 to $72.67 billion in 2022. The market is expected to reach $73.57 billion by 2026.
(Direct Mail Advertising Global Market Report)
Volume Has Increased
Direct mail volume has increased in the U.S., up from 67 million in 2020 to 70 million in 2021, an increase of 4.7%.
(Statista)
2. Print is the smart investment
Yes, print can seem more expensive. But focusing solely on cost is missing the point; the real measurement is return on investment. Does print pay off? Yes, it does.
Return on Investment
The average return on investment for direct mail is $4.09 for every $1.27 spent
(Global News Wire)
Response Rate
The average response rate for direct mail is between 2.7% and 4.4%, compared to email’s 0.6% response rate.
(Global News Wire)
3. Print is appreciated
As spam calls, texts and emails continue to frustrate consumers, mail is welcomed into the home. Customers and clients are looking for more personal interaction, escape from screen time, respect for their time, and new ways to engage with institutions and brands.
73% Preference
73% of American consumers prefer being contacted by direct mail because they can read mail at their own convenience. (Small Biz Genius)
Perhaps surprisingly, this is true across generations as several recent United States Postal Service studies demonstrate:
72% of Gen Z are “excited to see what the mail brings” every day. (2020-21 USPS study)
75% of Millennials say receiving direct mail “makes them feel special.” (USPS 5 Myths)
70+% of Gen X consumers feel mail is “more personal” and are more likely to read mail than email. (2020-21 USPS study)
All of these statistics come together to prove one thing: mail matters. We will look at more of these trends and how you can strategically apply print to capitalize on them in future issues of Enrollment Marketing Minute.
Talk to your account team if you’d like to learn more about adding print to your communication flow today.
The Ins and Outs of Financial Aid Print Campaigns
A popular marketing solution from Enrollment Marketing is our financial aid campaign. Many clients are applying our all-in-one financial aid and value piece to better communicate not only the nuts and bolts of financial aid but also why their institution is the smartest investment. Here’s how the print piece comes together:
1. Front Cover On both the front and back covers, make it clear that this mailing is about financial aid. A highly secure, tamper-resistant glassine envelope ensures students and families know what’s inside.
2. Family-Friendly More than any other piece, your financial aid communication is likely to be closely read by students and families together. Invite families to plan a visit, highlight next steps families can take, and reassure them of your value.
3. Outcomes Story Options include job placement statistics, student and alumni stories, or real-world learning examples.
4. Welcome & Overview Welcome students and feature your value highlights here. Consider personalizing your message to major or school, entry year, in-state/ out-of-state, type of financial aid, etc. One neat package ensures important information won’t get lost.
5. Personalized Award Here’s where Liaison personalization shines. We work with you to customize your presentation to create a unique piece for every student. We take the work off of your team’s shoulders to create these quickly and efficiently.
6. Next Steps Next steps can be overwhelming. An easy-to-follow checklist is more likely to generate action. Show your students that enrolling is easy.
7. In Their Words Let your prospects relate to a “real person”. Whether you choose a welcome letter from admissions, a student testimonial, the alumni perspective, or a note from the academic dean, incorporate a welcoming voice and a personal perspective.
8. Uniquely You A well-designed financial aid piece lets you showcase a unique feature about your institution. Are you values-driven? Nestled in a gorgeous valley? Did you launch a business incubator or a makerspace? Let it shine!
Let’s talk about St. Cloud State University Graduate Admissions
Located in St. Cloud, Minnesota
200 undergraduate programs
60+ graduate offerings
+6% enrollment increase (net 170 students)
Sean Pitzer, Associate Director of Graduate Admissions at St. Cloud State University, shares how St. Cloud State’s partnership with Enrollment Marketing by Liaison led to a historic graduate enrollment.
St. Cloud State started with Liaison’s GradCASTM application for graduate schools and programs. Could you talk about the school’s expansion to Enrollment Marketing by Liaison?
In addition to aligning really well with GradCASTM, Liaison’s Enrollment Marketing Platform (EMP) caught the team’s attention because it’s integrated, extremely intuitive, and relatively out of the box. We had very ambitious goals for growing our graduate enrollment, but our small staff made those difficult to execute.
How did you and your team begin to put those goals in motion after implementing EMP?
We started out by working with our Client Success experts to develop automated, ongoing, and targeted communication campaigns. Before Liaison, we were only able to send out about 3,000 total emails over the course of 3 years. Within just the first 8 months of implementing EMP, we increased that number to over 100,000 emails.
What kind of impact did that increase in communication have on St. Cloud State’s graduate enrollment?
We welcomed the biggest graduate class in history this past year – and
I don’t think that’s a coincidence. EMP has allowed us to proactively communicate with students, at every stage of the funnel, on a schedule. We have rolling and fixed admissions, so the system gives us the ability to strategically segment communications based on our different audiences.
Undergraduate enrollment is sometimes viewed as a bigger priority than graduate enrollment. Why do you think having an enrollment marketing solution for graduate school programs is just as important?
Graduate school staffing tends to be small. The kind of solution Liaison offers could probably replace the work of several full-time employees. We could only achieve our current level of outreach, segmentation, and configuration with a larger staff or a shift in institutional priorities.
Check out the full case study featuring Sean Pitzer.
Meet the expert: Kristen Setzer, Senior Search Strategist
“Because my focus is 100% on the development of search strategies and their execution, I can take a comprehensive view of the entire search process.”
“Every admissions office is under immense pressure to deploy their limited resources in the best possible way. Positioning our Enrollment Marketing clients to do that is what energizes me,” says Kristen Setzer, who accepted the position of senior search strategist with Liaison’s Enrollment Marketing division earlier this year.
“Because my focus in 100% on the development of search strategies and their execution, I can take a comprehensive view of the entire search process. That’s something admissions officers don’t have time to do given all of the other demands on their time,” she says.
“When we identify the type of student who successfully moves through the enrollment funnel, we can repeat that with the next class. We use that data to buy the best names, develop the best messaging and creative pieces, and determine the best schedule for releasing those materials.
“We can also apply Othot predictive and prescriptive modeling. This is a game- changer in the development of search strategies grounded in data science.”
Kristen continues, “I’m proud of the customization that goes into everything we do. We take the time to customize your marketing, to tailor your content to your unique brand and voice. Every higher ed institution has its own story to tell – we respect that, reflect that, then add data-driven search strategies to support that.
“I spent two decades on the campus-side of the business,” says Kristen who held positions in both graduate and undergraduate admissions for Gardner-Webb University before rising to associate vice president and later returning as vice president for enrollment management. “That was certainly a rewarding experience; I enjoyed the immediate impact I could make.
“But I was drawn to consulting because I wanted to partner with many different institutions to solve the search puzzle.” That led Kristen to a sales and consulting leadership role focused on higher education at Clark Communications (now Clark Higher Ed), followed later by her current position at Liaison. Continues Kristen, “Here I have the tools to really make a difference.”
Coming next issue: A deeper dive into Search and how you should be rethinking your approach!
Do you need help solving your search puzzle? Talk to your account team today.
Email: marketingservices@liaisonedu.com | Phone: (845) 473-4400
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