You may not think of universities and colleges as traditional businesses, but they still need some marketing tools in their arsenal to attract new potential students. As teenagers begin the college search, they’ll start signing up for university newsletters and requesting information. In order to deal with this, your school should have a standard email blast template in place that will get students interested immediately. We compiled five essential elements that will help build a connection with students and open the line of communication.
Time it right
Half the battle of email marketing is making sure that your messages are seen. Since the people you’re reaching out to are most likely still in high school, you need to get your timing right. Instead of aiming to send out emails early in the morning, schedule them around lunch time or in the late afternoon/early evening. A lot of students that you’ll be reaching out to are probably involved in after-school activities, so it may be hours before they even see your message.
Make it personalized
In addition to offering great courses and degrees, you need to get students interested in your school by making them feel like they belong. Using the recipient’s first name in the email goes a long way toward making this connection, more so than just a general “hello.”
Put a face to the name
Carefully consider who these emails should be coming from — most likely it will be a college ambassador or admissions counselor — and then tailor the email to fit the sender. Include the sender’s name, signature and photo if possible. Not only does this help put a face to the name of the person the student will be in most contact with prior to admission, it will also help transform your faceless university into a friendly, welcoming environment.
Give clear calls to action (with links)
If your email was created specifically to spur the recipient into action, then make sure that action is clearly stated. Give direct calls to action — in the form of a button or a link — to inspire action on the part of the potential student. It could be as simple as “email me” or as specific as “schedule a campus tour” or “start your application now.”
Close with social links
You’ve done the hard work to bring your school’s social presence up to speed, but it won’t do you much good if students don’t know about it. Include links to your school’s social accounts to invite recipients to explore your pages and engage with you across platforms.
These tips will help put you on the right email marketing path, but if you’re still lacking in the social department, make your university social with our tips here.
