When choosing marketing tactics for your educational institution, it can be tempting to put all your advertising eggs into the digital basket – after all, we’re more connected to the internet than ever, right?
Don’t fall into that pigeonholed way of thinking. Despite the digital frenzy, studies show direct mail still beats its online competition.
According to Forbes, the Direct Marketing Association found direct mail is the top channel for direct response – achieving a 4.4% response rate compared to email’s 0.12%.
Think about this: You constantly receive emails about online schooling and easy degrees – how many of those do you delete without opening?
Digital advertising also falls prey to ad blocking and click fraud, according to thefinancialbrand.com. In January 2017, a study noted the adoption of ad blockers, apps that remove ads from websites, around the world increased by 38%. Click fraud, in which bots pretend to be users clicking on ads, can lead to deceptively larger impressions than actually occurred. The potential students you’re intending to reach might not even be seeing your ad.
A personalized postcard, on the other hand, is sent directly into mailboxes and holds weight, and the design, if done right, is intriguing. Whatever it is advertising, it has substance. Forbes calls this the “reality factor.” 
A UK Royal Mail study concluded direct mail’s effectiveness correlates with that reality factor: “Giving, receiving and handling tangible objects remain deep and intuitive parts of the human experience.” (Wouldn’t you rather receive a handwritten birthday or holiday card than an emailed one?)
Sixty percent of respondents in the study said that left a more lasting mental impression, and 57% said postcard marketing feels more authentic and personal.
We’ve got proof of this as well. image.works offers an array of effective marketing solutions, both digital and print. All have exceptional results, but one of our most popular products continues to be direct mail.
You can base it off a design in our portfolio or we can create a customized piece. We offer clever ways to connect with prospective or current students and alumni, including:
- Postcards: Get word of your institution out, send an eye-catching save-the-date or promote a new campus or program.
- Look books: Amaze prospective students with a beautiful layout of all your school has to offer.
- Direct mail letters: These allow for personalized messages and can even include business-reply envelopes.
- Iron Cross Self Mailer: A unique piece that unfolds into a cross will instantly turn a trip to the mailbox into an interactive and memorable experience – while maximizing your advertising space.
- Recipe cards: Show your commitment to wellness with a healthy recipe while promoting your school, and you might earn a place in your student’s kitchen.
- Magnets: Whether you’re promoting a new program or just want your contact info available, a magnet is an excellent way to keep your name accessible and visible.
But, “we target generation X and millennials,” you say. Do they even know what a mailbox is?
Yes, they do. It turns out 36% of people age 30 and under enjoy checking their mailboxes every day, according to a Gallup poll, and a whopping 95% of 18- to 29-year-olds have a positive response to receiving personalized cards and letters (some things don’t change through generations).
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should ditch digital altogether. It’s all about using the right tool for the right job.
At image.works, we provide marketing strategies that work – and many of them combine direct mail with digital marketing to achieve the highest impact.
With our targeted lists, you can reach any demographic in any region and personalize mailings to the audience you want to engage.
Our powerful Marketing Automation program uses mail pieces to draw prospective students in. A web address on the mailing leads recipients to complete an online form and become a trackable lead; then you can monitor their website visits and send automated emails about the topics they visited on your site.
That’s just a sampling of what we can do. Be sure to check out our website for more information or request a free sample kit!
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/08/30/why-direct-mail-marketing-is-far-from-dead/#642f0598311d
https://www.imageworksedu.com/
https://thefinancialbrand.com/69856/digital-marketing-mistakes-banks-credit-unions/