Special Report: Five Ways Schools Can Improve Their Direct Mail Marketing Campaigns

Revisit your entire marketing strategy.

It’s easy to treat every marketing channel as a separate silo, figuring that your school’s Facebook fan page won’t help your direct mailing. However, marketing has a synergistic effect — and cross-promoting your marketing efforts can help boost enrollment and sponsorships. In a January 2010 article, the Wall Street Journal quoted Eric Anderson, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management as saying, "The introduction of new media has forced business owners to go back and revisit the playbook on what’s the best way to communicate with customers."

For instance, an athletic department could try to gain sponsors by sending out a direct mail piece. The direct mail piece could promote sponsorship opportunities and also include the address of the athletic department’s Facebook fan page. At the same time, the Facebook page could promote sponsorship opportunities. This makes it easy to reach prospects using various touchpoints, both online and offline.

Review your past direct mailing list metrics.

It’s easy to get so caught up in sending out a direct mail piece that reviewing campaign metrics turns into something "you’ll do later...when there’s more time." But the question is: How can you figure out how to improve your direct mail campaign if you’re not testing and measuring your results? Test everything – envelope copy, headlines, images, the offer – even the color paper you use. A slight tweak can immediately generate a higher response.

Refresh your in-house mailing list.

Are you finding that an ever-growing number of your mailers are being returned as undeliverable? One of the easiest ways to increase your mailing list campaign ROI and save on postage is to "clean" your list. According to Mike Yapuncich in a January 2010 DMNews article, "One time-tested mailing practice that will help marketers is to run a national change of address program as close to the mail date as possible…This remains the single most effective tool mailers should used to improve response while reducing waste."

Mailing list companies can cross-reference your lists with the National Change of Address (NCOA) database, and provide an updated mailing list. This ensures that you can reach supporters and alumni wherever they’ve moved – and that your school saves money on undeliverable mail.

Reach out to new recipients.

Another great benefit of direct mail: Expanding your marketing reach is relatively inexpensive – and can have a huge impact on ROI. As an example, a private school could purchase a mailing list of people in the next county. Or a university with online class options could even mail their continuing education catalog across the state.

It’s important to note that it’s the quality of the mailing list that counts – not the number of recipients on the list. In a December 2009 article, Target Marketing Magazine warned against the "spray and pray" method of direct marketing. Segment your audience carefully and only send your mailer to your ideal prospect. Depending on your message, sending your mail piece to everyone in a new area may generate a less-than-ideal response rate.

Revamp your messaging.

One secret to a successful direct mail campaign is personalizing the message to the audience. Debbie Holland, EVP of creative strategy, communications and new business for Publishers Clearing House is quoted in a November 2009 DMNews article as saying, "Personalization makes the offer relevant to the consumer," she says. "It’s direct and personal communication."

Consider new ways you can personalize your direct mail piece to make it more powerful. Ask yourself: Does the writing clearly convey your school’s benefits? Is it written in a tone and style that resonates with your target audience? Does the envelope entice prospects to quickly open it – or does it tempt people to "round file" your mailer? "Working with a targeted mailing list is just one piece of the puzzle," said, Grant Epstein, Sales Manager of USADATA. "The second piece is creating a mailer that your prospects want to read. If you have a good mailing list and your messaging is sound, your direct mail campaign can enjoy a solid response rate."