Company profile
Albertson College of Idaho is a private, liberal arts institution dedicated to preparing students for a lifetime of learning through a liberal arts education enhanced with the latest technology, off-campus internships, international study and community service. Albertson offers bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees in 26 majors, that fall into four main categories: sciences, humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. Business need
Located just 30 minutes from Idaho's capital city, Boise, Albertson College of Caldwell, is a small liberal arts institution that is nationally renowned for the quality of its academics - six Rhodes scholars and two governors are among its alumni.
Like all colleges and universities, it annually competes for new enrolees. While convincing prospective students of the school's value is straightforward, the process of identifying the right candidates, and approaching them with compelling messaging, has not been so easy.
Challenge
- Increase enrolment in specific degree programs.
- Make effective and efficient use of marketing budgets for student recruitment.
- Identify the most appropriate candidates and approach them with compelling messaging.
Solution components
- Communications tailored to the individual interests of each potential student.
- HP Digital publishing solution for personalized direct marketing.
- HP Indigo press to deliver high-quality pieces.
Results and benefits
- Differentiation from other universities and colleges canvassing the same students.
- Delivered a compelling and caring first contact - leading to a higher percentage of students being attracted to the College.
- 18% response rate - a dramatic increase over the legacy mailings.
First impressions are critical
For many years, Albertson College mailed out thousands of brochures - covering all of its programs and activities - to a distribution list of high-school juniors and seniors. Typically one percent of recipients requested additional information - resulting in the minimum of new freshmen enrolling each year.
Being frustrated that this was far from an optimal way of building the student body, and seeing a poor return on its investment in advertising, the College sought a more compelling and efficient way to reach potential students.
Creating personalized direct mail
Albertson College found that a digital publishing solution - which would deliver personalized literature - had the potential to greatly increase marketing effectiveness and efficiency. With help from HP, an appropriate solution was constructed.
The gathering of candidate data remains unchanged, Albertson College continues to purchase lists of prospective students from various sources, such as the Standard Achievement Test (SAT) examination board. However, in addition to buying names and addresses, the College also purchases information about the perspective student's preferred classes and extracurricular activities.
Utilizing an HP digital publishing solution, the candidates' personal information is fed into specific locations within a brochure template at the point of printing. An HP Indigo press was selected to output the high-quality, personalized direct mail pieces.
Today, every direct mail piece from the College opens with a large, color headline that includes the student's first name and a message that instills an appropriate sense of urgency depending on whether the student is a high-school senior or junior. The College varies the photographs to show different aspects of its environment depending on whether a student is from a rural location or a city. The College includes a personally addressed note from an assigned counsellor - together with a photograph of them - to help the candidate feel comfortable about the person they will speak with if he, or she, chooses to call for more information.
In addition, the College can predict from the initial data purchased if a student might be interested in extracurricular activities, and the direct mail piece includes a customized section about intercollegiate sports programs, or clubs, or outdoor activities as appropriate. This extra personalization also has been shown to help in appealing to prospective students during their selection process.
Most important is making a positive first impression, and the College finds that being able to promote the appropriate academic degree to a prospective student is invaluable. Upon opening the brochure, the candidate can immediately feel confident that Albertson College cares about meeting his, or her, specific needs.
Interest and enrolees increase
With HP's digital publishing solution, Albertson College can devote each brochure to its recipient's needs and interests, and the school can stand apart from others as one that specializes in the student's desired degree program.
The College knows that calculating return on investment (ROI) for a direct mail campaign is most easily quantified if the recipients are driven to one specific contact point, like a web site or a 1-800 telephone number. However, feedback from incoming students has highlighted the personalized counsellor's letter as a deciding factor in increasing their willingness to contact the College for more information, and ultimately leading to their enrollment. In fact, Albertsons College is receiving an overall response rate of around 18 percent from its personalized direct mail - a dramatic increase over the legacy mailings.
Delivering a good first impression
When discussing the most recent direct mail piece, Brandie Holly, Director of Admissions for Albertson College, noted, "There is no doubt in our minds that the level of personalization that is achievable through an HP Indigo press is what made this piece so successful."
HP digital publishing solutions are helping Albertson College refine its marketing and increase its differentiation from competing colleges, while receiving optimal value for its advertising budget. The College's increase in student interest and subsequent enrolees demonstrates the power of delivering a good first impression via highly personalized direct marketing.For more information on how working with HP can benefit you, contact your local HP sales representative, or visit us through the Internet at our world wide web address.
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