This is the time of year when college admissions departments are sending out acceptance letters, and high school seniors are making the decision about where they are going to spend the next few years of their lives. It is an exciting and important time. However, with colleges and universities across the country shut down due to the invasive spread of the COVID-19 virus, campus visits are not an option right now. Without the traditional way to court potential applicants, universities are looking to alternative ways to connect with them, such as sending the student a personalized box.
With more than 4,700 colleges and universities in the United States, competition for prospective students’ attention is tight, under normal circumstances. Now it is more competitive than ever. With general uncertainty about the future due to the virus, students might be feeling even more confused about choosing a university.
Relationship Building
Engaging with prospects on many levels is the key to building a relationship with them. Connecting with students digitally has become commonplace, either through social media or Google Hangouts. Previously, schools were using big data and pre-visit surveys to create personalized campus tours, depending on what the student was interested in. These personalized experiences build relationships with the student. The benefit for the school is a student who can make a more informed decision about the school.
The Importance of University Branding
Many factors contribute to a strong enrollment rate year after year. The university’s reputation is important to attracting a new freshman class every year. According to information from Carson-Newman University, yield numbers go up dramatically for students who are able to visit the university. The university changed its marketing strategy for prospective students in 2018 and it paid off. For the 2019-2020 school year, the freshman class was the largest in the university’s history, which resulted in more than $1 million in net tuition revenue, 14% higher than the previous year. The institution came up with creative ways with CRM and social media that gave them trackable result and developed modern promotional materials, which focused more on the college experience outside the classroom. This helped build a strong brand that attracted a large new class.
Brand identity among universities is important not only for an incoming freshman, but also influences their feeling about the institution for years to come. A brand that has a high impact and is relevant to the audience can communicate information about the college, and also support other marketing campaigns. How can institutions create the same personalized experience with their brand without the all-important campus visit Bring it to them with a personalized box from the university.
Personalized Boxes for Prospective Students
During this uncertain time, colleges and universities are finding new and creative ways to remain in touch with potential incoming students. Since they cannot influence the students with an in-person visit, they are using personalized boxes to make an impression on them. These consist of a custom printed box with the school’s logo and information and materials that the student would have received had they been able to make a visit to the campus.
In order to fully maximize sending a customized box, the materials in the student’s box should include information that is:
- Visually Engaging. Today’s teens are visual. The information you include in their personalized box should be engaging to them.
- Digitally Related. Statistics indicate that content combined with social media increases engagement. Your marketing materials should tie into your social media channels.
- Scannable. Most readers scan content first so the written content should be easily readable with subheads and short paragraphs.
- Informative. What you include in the customized box should answer some of the questions that prospective students’ have. Your aggregate data will lead you to what those questions are.
A personalized box that includes the college or university’s logo further drives home the brand. It gives a feeling of recognizable familiarity to the student. The student will be excited to receive a colorful box with the school’s logo on it and have a positive association with it. And, it will make that university stand out from the others in the student’s mind.
With the barrage of information that is being disseminated online, universities that are choosing different ways to connect with new students. With no end to the COVID-19 outbreak in sight, more higher education institutions will need to find ways to create personal connections with students while complying with social distancing measures.