... ... ... Comparing The Three Most Common Mailings for Student Prospecting

Comparing The Three Most Common Mailings for Student Prospecting

Approximately 11% of U.S. students choose a private-independent K-12 education. Local states (to our home office) Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are within the top 15 states ranking in private education enrollment, with Pennsylvania ranking in the top five. Although we work with clients nationwide—and even internationally—our Delaware location enables us to closely support a substantial percentage of private-independent schools in the tri-state area.

Pennsylvania is also among the top five states with the most colleges, private and public combined, again, giving us an opportunity to partner with many of them for their print and marketing needs.   

We see a lot of direct mail trends within the education industry for prospecting—some successful and some not as much.  In this post, we’re going to review some of the most successful types of direct mail for student prospecting.

Direct Mail Prospecting

When it comes to prospecting new students, education institutions often turn to direct mail as their preferred medium. Direct mail provides a tangible, personalized touch that can break through the digital noise and make a lasting impression on prospective students–and has a higher engagement and ROI rate than other channels.

However, not all direct mail is the same. Depending on the message, the audience, and the campaign goals, institutions have several options at their disposal, including postcards, brochures, and letters. Each format offers unique advantages and is best suited for different types of call-to-actions (CTAs). Let’s explore the differences between postcards, brochures, and letters in education marketing and examine how to use each effectively to engage prospective students.

Postcards: Simple and Effective

Postcards are one of the most popular forms of direct mail because of their simplicity and cost-effectiveness. They don’t require envelopes, making them more affordable for mass mailings and offer a highly visual, attention-grabbing format, which makes them ideal for quick, impactful communication.

When to Use Postcards

Postcards are best used when you want to convey a simple, straightforward message. For example, they are ideal for sending reminders about application deadlines, open house events, or campus tours. When postcards are designed with clean (uncluttered) messaging, recipients are able grasp the key message at a glance, resulting in higher response rates.

Let’s talk about design a little more. One of the key benefits of postcards is their immediate visibility. Since there’s no envelope to open, recipients see the message as soon as they pick it up. This makes it an excellent choice for time-sensitive campaigns or announcements where you need to grab the student’s attention quickly.

Design Tips for Postcards

  • Keep it concise: Focus on one main message to avoid overwhelming the reader. Use bold, compelling headlines to draw attention.
  • Use strong visuals: High-quality images of your campus, student life, or key facilities can create an emotional connection.
  • Include a clear CTA: Whether it’s “RSVP for an open house” or “Apply now,” make sure your CTA stands out. Consider including URLs, phone numbers and QR codes for your CTA. QR codes are convenient for the user, improve conversion rates, and provide performance metrics.

Best Practices for Using Postcards

Because of their limited space, postcards are ideal for families who are already somewhat familiar with the school and just need that extra nudge to take the next step. They are particularly useful for retargeting families and students.

According to a study by the Data & Marketing Association (DMA), postcards have a strong return on investment, with response rates around 4.25% for prospect lists, making them an effective option for higher education marketing campaigns.

Brochures: Detailed and Informative

Direct mail brochure

Brochures offer a more comprehensive way to share information with prospective students. With multiple panels or pages, brochures provide ample space for schools to showcase academic programs, campus amenities, extracurricular activities, and student testimonials. They are ideal for delivering a broad overview of what the institution has to offer.

When to Use Brochures

Brochures are perfect for prospects who are still in the research phase, or who are about to be. Families who may be considering multiple schools appreciate detailed information about programs, campus life, and other unique campus features.

Brochures can serve as an introduction to your institution, helping students and their families make informed decisions—and they are great for promoting specific departments or programs. For example, if your school has a top-rated engineering department or a unique study abroad program, a brochure can offer the space to articulate and illustrate those details, differentiating your institution from the competition.

Design Tips for Brochures

  • Organize content effectively: Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to break up the text, making the brochure easy to navigate.
  • Include visuals and infographics: Incorporate photos of your campus and students, as well as charts or infographics to highlight key statistics, such as graduation rates or job placement success. Present your campus’s culture and your school’s mission with photos. You want to show the pulse of your campus to prospective families.  
  • Create a narrative: Use the brochure to tell a story about your institution, from your founding values to what makes your campus unique. Again, it’s important to capture and showcase the heart of your school through images of students, programs, key faculty and staff, and unique campus features such as art installations or historic structures.

Best Practices for Using Brochures

While brochures are slightly more expensive to produce and mail than postcards, they are a valuable tool for building brand awareness and trust. According to research from the USPS, 67% of people feel brochures help them better understand a product or service. In the context of higher education, this translates to giving prospective students a deeper understanding of your institution.

Brochures are best suited for students who are in the consideration phase and are looking for detailed information to help them decide whether to apply. Let’s also mention here that personalization can help increase engagement, adding a level of intimacy to the mail piece that brochures often lack.

Letters: Personalized and Persuasive

Young woman reading college acceptance letter

Letters offer a personal touch that are often missing from postcards and brochures. A well-written letter can create a one-on-one connection between the institution and the prospective family, making it a powerful tool for building relationships and nurturing leads.

When to Use Letters

Letters are best used when you want to deliver a personalized message. For example, you might send a letter from the admissions director to a student who has shown strong interest in your school, or from a professor to a prospective student interested in a particular academic program or perhaps from an athletic director that sees a prospective student’s talent.

Letters also work well for follow-up communications. If a student has already attended an open house or submitted an inquiry, a letter can be an effective way to maintain contact and encourage the next steps, such as applying or visiting campus.

Kitted letters can include other information such as campus brochures, invitations to campus events, program statistics, deadline reminders, and the like.

Design Tips for Letters

  • Personalize the content: Address the student by name, and reference specific interests they’ve expressed. This level of personalization increases engagement.
  • Keep the tone conversational: A letter should feel personal, so avoid overly formal or institutional language. Write as if you’re speaking directly to the student.
  • Include a signature: A signed letter from a key figure, such as the admissions director or a dean adds authenticity and makes the communication feel more sincere.

Best Practices for Using Letters

Letters are more likely to resonate with students who are further along in their decision-making process. They can be used to nurture leads who are close to applying or to offer personalized attention to high-value prospects, such as students with exceptional academic or extracurricular achievements.

Personalized letters have been shown to significantly increase response rates. According to a report from InfoTrends, personalized direct mail can lead to response rates 30% higher than non-personalized mail.

Our Final Thoughts

Each type of direct mail—postcard, brochure, and letter—serves a distinct purpose in education marketing. Postcards are ideal for delivering quick, high-impact messages; brochures provide detailed, comprehensive information; and letters offer a personalized, persuasive touch. By understanding the strengths of each format and using them strategically, education institutions can craft effective direct mail campaigns that resonate with prospective students and drive engagement.

We work with our education clients on direct mail campaigns all throughout the year. Recently, we introduced a new omni-channel extension to our direct mail services—Direct Mail BOOST—which expands the campaign reach across multiple channels such as Google Display Network, Meta, and YouTube. It also provides valuable metrics to overall channel performance including direct mail. This service is perfect for student prospecting efforts and can be added onto campaigns for just pennies extra per mailer.

Traditional direct mail campaigns and BOOSTed direct mail campaigns alike have higher response and engagement rates than digital campaigns alone. For schools looking to add responsive value to their prospecting campaigns, direct mail is a highly effective channel.   

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