A presentation on Multi-Channel Marketing for Adult-student Recruiting. Covers 4 topics: Knowing your Target Market, Understanding List Acquisition, Integrating Direct Mail and Email, and Tracking Results. (Co-Presented by Marymount University and Direct Development at the NAGAP 2008 Conference.)

1. Direct Mail & Email for
Prospecting
Multi-channel Marketing for Adult-student Recruiting

2. Direct Mail & Email for Prospecting
PRESENTERS:
Direct Development, Inc.
Charles Fraga
President
Dan Kabele
List Specialist / Project Manager
Tony Fraga
Director of Sales & Marketing
Marymount University
Chris Domes
Vice-President for Enrollment and Student Services
Francesca Reed
Director of Graduate Admissions

3. Presentation Overview
• STEP 1: Know Your Target Market
• STEP 2: Understand List Acquisition
• STEP 3: Integrate DM & Email Campaigns
• STEP 4: Track Results
• Q&A

4. STEP 1:
Know Your Target Market

5. STEP 1: Know Your Target Market
• Targeted marketing can involve multiple media types
• Radio
• Print ads
• Direct Mail
• Email
• etc…
• Direct Mail (DM) & Email are major players
• Priority #1:
Build/Develop your Inquiry Pool of Prospective Students
• Have a Multi-layered strategy
EXAMPLE: Marymount University’s Marketing Strategy

6. STEP 1: Know Your Target Market
• You may already know this, but…
– What differentiates your institution/program?
– What direction is your program going in?
– Why would a prospect choose your program?
– Do you have an understanding of where your inquiry
pool stands currently?
• Identify your appeal before identifying who your
prospective students might be.

7. STEP 1: Know Your Target Market
• Identify Prospective Students
– Make a “Current Student” profile
• Previous employment
• Demographics
• Education level
• Associations/Publications/Websites
– Use surveys to obtain unknown data (see Handout)
– Make a “Desired Student” profile
– Be PROGRAM-SPECIFIC with your targeting
• Review Past Efforts
– Previous rented lists? House lists?
– Previous events?

8. STEP 1: Know Your Target Market
Target Marketing Checklist:
Do you have program-specific profiles of prospects?
Are your targeted groups too narrow? Too Broad?
What do you want the targeted prospects to do?
(Attend an Event?... Go to Website?... Express interest?)
Does your plan comply with your institution’s Brand?
Do you know how many responses you need?
Do you know how many campaigns you want to do?

9. STEP 1: Know Your Target Market
EXAMPLE: Marymount University’s Prospective Student Profiles
Business Programs Education/Human Health Professions
MBA, Human Resources, Services Primarily Nursing
Legal & IT Teachers & Counselors
• Profiles using publication
• “White Collar” workers • “Change of Life” people – surveys – particularly Nursing
ready for a 2nd career
• Human Resource professionals • Licensed Nurses
• Those who want their lives
• Those who are willing to be more to make a difference to • Fitness occupations and
educated (have taken other someone interest
classes or seminars)
• Variety of careers including • Physical Therapists &
• Those who might want to be those who might have Occupational Therapists
promoted to management “made their money” already
• IT workers • Willing to expand the
traditional age range for a
• Paralegals more diverse audience
• Ages 28-late 40’s

10. STEP 1: Know Your Target Market
• CONCLUSION:
Be aware of how DM & Email fit into your overall
Target Marketing strategy
Focus on building your Inquiry Pool
Create a profile of both current and desired
students (use surveys!)
Use program-specific targeted profiles to guide
your list search…

11. STEP 2:
Understand List Acquisition

12. STEP 2: Understand List Acquisition
Overview of the “List World”
– Access is somewhat limited to brokers and
managers
– A whole set of lingo and methodology—counts,
minimums, selects, etc.
– Different sources of lists
» Compiled Lists
» Response Lists
» Specialty Lists (subscribers, members, customers)
– How trustworthy is the data?

13. STEP 2: Understand List Acquisition
Who’s who...and what is their primary interest?
• List Owners
» Rarely rent directly (some associations do)
• List Managers
» Have specific lists they market but do not have access to
whole market of lists
• List Managers/Brokers
» Will market ANY list on the market
» Biased towards proprietary lists they manage
• Independent List Brokers
» Should take on your interests and be unlimited in what
they offer

14. STEP 2: Understand List Acquisition
Direct Mail Lists (Postal)
• Pros
– Addresses are more stable, verifiable
– Much more targeted selection available than email lists
– Costs typically lower than email lists
– Lower minimum order requirements (~5,000 records)
– Prospect has something in-hand (more “traditional”)
• Cons
– Some people are less responsive to direct mail
– Higher Production Costs (printing, mailing, postage)

15. STEP 2: Understand List Acquisition
Email Lists
• Pros
– Quick turnaround ability (can do last-minute campaigns)
– More response-driven data available
– More prone to immediate direct response
– Lower production costs (no printing, mailing, postage)
– Extensive reporting (delivered, opened, click-thrus) available for tracking
• Cons
– Higher minimum order requirements (10,000+)
– Poor overall selection of lists—lacks a lot of the targeting you might desire
– Opt in/opt out protocols
– Less reliable transmission (junk/spam filters, image limitations, etc.)
– Not great for first-time introduction
– Email addresses change frequently

16. STEP 2: Understand List Acquisition
• RESEARCH lists before acquisition
– Give your Target Market info to list advisor (from Step 1)
– Research Phase (2 weeks+)
» List verifications/approvals
» Counts & Costs
» Source information
» Usage Reports
– List Services professional should provide summary
• Choose lists that best accommodate your target and
the available counts
• Test more lists at smaller quantities first

17. EXAMPLE: St. Matthew’s University List Research
STEP 2: Understand List Acquisition

18. EXAMPLE: St. Matthew’s University List Research

19. STEP 2: Understand List Acquisition
• CONCLUSION:
Institution size and reputation can determine DM
vs. Email
Multi-channel can offer the best of both worlds
Start with a “healthy” List Research Phase
Test multiple lists to determine effectiveness

20. STEP 3:
Integrate Direct Mail & Email
Campaigns

21. STEP 3: Integrate DM + Email Campaigns
The Direct Mail Package
• Select the Proper Direct Mail Package:
• Letters
• Postcards/Self-mailers
• Invitations
• Special Packages
• Test multiple packages simultaneously
• Make sure your Graphic Design can be easily
integrated in HTML
• Method of response must be clear and obvious!

22. STEP 3: Integrate DM + Email Campaigns
The Email Campaign
• Timing with DM is critical:
– “Email…DM…Email” VS. “DM…Email…Email”
• MUST match both DM and website graphics
• Proper Email practices
» From Line
» Subject Line
» Personalization
» Text & Image Agreement
» “Above the fold”, Links, Text vs. HTML versions, etc…
• Method of response must be clear and obvious!

23. EXAMPLE: Marymount University’s Integrated DM & Email Campaign

24. EXAMPLE: Marymount University’s Integrated DM & Email Campaign

25. STEP 3: Integrate DM + Email Campaigns
• CONCLUSION:
Select a DM package that coincides with the
purpose of your campaign
Time your Email campaigns to work
harmoniously with your DM efforts
Integrate! Integrate! Integrate!
Make sure the desired response is loud & clear

26. STEP 4:
Track Results

27. STEP 4: Track Results
• How to implement Tracking Codes
– Segment Data
• House Lists
• Rented Lists
• Different package types (split mailings)
• Specific data selections (gender, geography, field of study)
– Personalization Methods
• Directly on reply device
• Inkjet/Lasering or Variable Digital Printing
• Can be a “reservation code” or a “priority code”
• PURLs

28. STEP 4: Track Results

29. STEP 4: Track Results

30. STEP 4: Track Results
Checklist for tracking responses:
What happens to mailed-in responses?
What happens to email responses?
Have you set up an auto-response message for email responses?
Do you have separate lists set up to track various interest levels?
“request more info” vs. “event sign-ups” vs. “applicants”
Do you have a database to compile response data?
Who handles data entry & list hygiene?
Does the IT dept know to track website activity?
How is the data being charted for analysis?
Do you know exactly what data points you want to analyze?

31. STEP 4: Track Results

32. STEP 4: Track Results

33. STEP 4: Track Results
• CONCLUSION:
Applying source codes is easy (and inexpensive!)
Segment your data to track both LISTS and PACKAGES
Track Email & Website metrics as well
Analyze results to see a comprehensive snapshot

34. Questions?
Direct Development, Inc.
Charles Fraga
President (cfraga@directdevelopment.com)
Dan Kabele
List Specialist/Project Manager (dkabele@directdevelopment.com)
Tony Fraga
Director of Sales & Marketing (tony@directdevelopment.com)
Marymount University
Chris Domes
Vice-President for Enrollment and Student Services (chris.domes@marymount.edu)
Francesca Reed
Director of Graduate Admissions (francesca.reed@marymount.edu)