Chris Rapozo’s Post

Here is the most underrated marketing channel and how institutions can tap into it to increase non-traditional student enrollment. 👇 Direct mail. 📨 Yesterday, a fellow education marketing podcaster from Motor City, USA, interviewed me about my time as a non-traditional student adult learner and asked me about some of the marketing strategies and tactics that work best for this target demographic. I love doing these interviews because I reflect back on the different points in my academic journey and how it all worked out in the end. Now, as a marketer, I can speak on and appreciate the tactics used to get me from awareness to enrollment. I remember receiving this direct mail piece about two semesters before graduating with my AA from Hillsborough Community College. The card held a magnet with the tagline: "The Gator Nation is Everywhere." 🐊 That's it. Simple. Yet, life-altering. 🙌 Up to that point, I wasn't aware that the University of Florida had an online program. The dream, as for many Floridians, was to attend the University of Florida. I lived in Tampa, at the time, and commuting to Gainesville wasn't going to happen. After doing more research on the University of Florida Online, my decision was made. UF was the only school I applied to before graduating from HCC. Luckily I got in! 🙏 But you know the kicker? UF Online was the ONLY four-year school that targeted me via direct mail. I don't know if any other school marketed themselves to me via digital marketing efforts. If they did, they were lost in a sea of saturation, never to be thought of again. As for the magnet, it's still hanging on my fridge to this day. Higher-ed marketing friends, do you use direct mail in your marketing strategy? #highereducation #marketing #directmail