Getting the Most Out of Your Direct Mail Pieces through

CustomizationTonya Roth, Director of Admissions, UW-SuperiorMelissa Perez, Marketing Coordinator, UW-Stout

Overview of UW-Stout and UW-Superior, What the Research is saying Importance of Direct Mail Communication

◦ How to distinguish from your competitors◦ Determining who should get the communication◦ Creating Engaging Call to Action Pieces◦ Size makes a difference◦ Timing is everything

UW-Stout’s 2013 Success with Personalized Postcard UW-Stout’s 2014 Personalized Postcard UW-Superior’s 2013 Test Market Personalization vs. Non-

Personalization as a Suspect Mailing list UW-Superior 2014 Application Postcard Tracking postcards through inquiry form and VIP page interaction

Agenda

StatsUniversity of Wisconsin-Stout University of Wisconsin-Superior

Menomonie, Wisconsin Superior, Wisconsin

9,300 students 2,800 students

44 undergrad degrees, 23 graduate progs

30 undergrad degrees, 8 graduate progs

Polytechnic University Public, Liberal Arts

What the research is saying

Noel Levitz 2011 Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices found that 62.7% of Private 4-year, 81.8% Public 4-Year and 65.1% at 2-Year schools found Direct Mail Pieces to be Very or Somewhat Effective

“Prospects who had received information in the mail were much more likely to enroll than those who did not”—Norton Norris Direct Mail=Direct Success

49% of Students indicated that letters mailed to their home from a college were used when deciding which websites to visit—Lipman Hearne Key Insights January 2013

Data retrieved from The Super Investigator: Understanding Today’s “Always On” Prospective Student-Lipman Hearne Key Insights Jan. 2013

◦How to distinguish from your competitors◦Determining who should get the

communication◦Creating Engaging Call to Action Pieces◦Size makes a difference◦Timing is everything

Importance of Direct Mail Communication

UW Stout-Targeted Direct Mail Experience for Fall 2013

UW Stout-Targeted Direct Mail Experience

-Sent to 5,000 prospects (had already taken an action, met at fair, hsv, inquiry form)-917 admits-426 enrolled for fall 2013

Results

2014 Class

2014 Class progress As of Nov. 5 – 147 admits

◦ 9 Science◦ 27 Engineering◦ 35 Business◦ 30 Undecided◦ 21 Art◦ 25 Education

2014 Class progress

Area Pool % of Pool % of Admits

Art 568 11.4% 14.2%

Business 732 14.7% 23.8%

Education 364 7.31% 17%

Engineering 712 14.3% 18.3%

Science 1,270 25.5% 6.1%

Undecided 1,332 26.7% 20.4%

• Science needs more follow-up• Pre-professional connections to Applied Science

program

More variable data

UW-Superior Test Market Name vs. Non-Name

Sent to 12,747 prospective students20% Conversion from Suspect to Prospect 4% Conversion from Prospect to Applicant .3% Conversion from Suspect to Matriculated

UW-Superior Test Market Name vs. Non-Name

Sent to 12,727 prospective students21% Conversion from Suspect to Prospect 4% Conversion from Prospect to Applicant .4% Conversion from Suspect to Matriculated

Specific sources converted much better to matriculated when using personalized postcard

Had already interacted with us either through a college fair, visit, event or interest inquiry page

What we learned from our Test Postcard

Source Personalized Not Personalized

ADM Group Visit 6% matriculated 3% matriculated

ACT Test Scores 8% matriculated 6% matriculated

ADM Campus Visit

16% matriculated

14% matriculated

ADM WEF 11% matriculated

0% matriculated

ADM MEF 7% matriculated 4% matriculated

Fall 2014 Personalized Postcard

Sent to 4108 targeted prospective students for Fall 2014 based on certain source codes end of

September 2013

Results as of 11/05/13

41 applications=20% of applications 30 campus visits32 unique new visits to Superior Profile Page

Students who were sent personalized postcards◦ 35% more likely to complete Inquiry Form if they

hadn’t already◦ 16% more likely to log into VIP page

Embedding unique logins on postcard to VIP Pages

Using watch attributes to move from suspect to prospect after completing Inquiry Form

Using Post Cards to Direct to VIP Pages or Inquiry Forms

Inquiry Page completions Moved in the funnel VIP Interactions Enrolled students

Evaluation of Success of Direct Mail Campaigns

Email subject lines Customized subject lines

◦ I.E. First Name, High School etc. 2 or more =38% open rate 1 = 20% 0=14% 3 times more likely to open when sent from

an admissions counselor rather then admissions email.

Melissa Perez, Marketing Coordinator, UW-Stout715-232-2276; perezm@uwstout.edu

@melissadperez

Tonya Roth, Director of Admissions, UW-Superior715-394-8264; troth1@uwsuper.edu

@rothtonya

Questions?