How Personalized Print Campaigns Boost Student Retention and Re-Enrollment Rates

In today’s competitive landscape, higher education institutions are under increasing pressure not only to attract prospective students but also to retain them and encourage re-enrollment. While much of the focus in student recruitment has shifted to digital channels, universities are rediscovering the profound impact of personalized print campaigns, especially when combined with data-driven strategies.

Of all the above, personalized print-variable data-driven direct mail campaigns-could be one of higher education’s most powerful tools for student retention and re-enrollment. By deploying data to convey targeted messages and relevant content to current students, universities engender better relationships, timely information, and persistence.

Here’s how personalized print campaigns can make a big difference in improving student retention and re-enrollment rates.

Retention and Re-Enrollment on the Rise

It is in this regard that effective student retention and re-enrollment have become one of the most time-consuming and crucial issues for higher learning institutions. While considerable efforts are necessarily required for recruitment, the other important aspect is retaining the already enrolled students by ensuring they remain committed to completing their education.

According to a 2021 report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, about 30% of first-year students who entered college did not return the following year, and the highest rates occurred among low-income and first-generation students.

This is where personalized print campaigns come in. Retention is not just about keeping them in but making them feel wanted, supported, and connected to the institution. By deploying data to deliver personalized and relevant print communications, universities can meaningfully engage students and positively affect their decisions to stay enrolled and eventually re-enroll year after year.

The Power of Personalized Print Campaigns

One of the most important advantages of personalized print campaigns is the use of data to drive highly relevant, targeted communications. Data-driven direct mail enables universities to send messages tailored to a student’s needs, interests, and academic progress, thus creating a more meaningful and personalized experience.

1. Tailored Messaging for Different Segments

Most universities have a very diverse population in terms of their needs and interest. Freshmen, for example, may need to get information about support services for academic success, while juniors and seniors may get information on internships, career services, or upcoming registration deadlines. Using data about students’ academic performance, extracurricular activities, and attendance at campus events, universities can segment their student population and target specific messages to each group.

A customized print piece could be one that informs the student about scholarships or programs relevant to their major, career goals, or extracurricular interests. As an example, an engineering student could get a customized brochure regarding career fairs, internships, or research opportunities within their field. This type of personalization will make students feel that their university is invested in their success, increasing the likelihood of retention.

2. Timely and Relevant Information

The advantage of data-driven direct mail has to do with timely and relevant information being sent at proper moments in the student’s journey, such as the important deadlines or enrollment procedures as a way of taking advantage of coming opportunities.

For example, universities can send personalized print reminders about course registration deadlines or housing assignments, ensuring that students are well-informed and prepared for the next steps in their academic journey. Additionally, sending these reminders through print can help break through the noise of digital communication, which students may ignore or overlook in their crowded inboxes.

3. Behavioral Triggers and Engagement

Data-driven direct mail can also be behaviorally or milestone-based. For example, if a student has indicated interest in a certain department or has attended an on-campus event about career development, the university can send targeted, personalized print pieces that speak to those interests: an invitation to attend a networking event tailored to their interests, perhaps, or even a postcard featuring academic programs that relate, or a brochure highlighting career services that would help students achieve those milestones.

Personalized print campaigns can also be a form of proactive intervention if a student is having difficulty in their studies or has failed to meet certain deadlines. A letter from the faculty or the student’s academic advisor with an added, personally written note of support and resources can also point out the care by the university for its students’ successful completion. This kind of personal outreach not only raises retention rates but installs loyalty and a sense of belonging on campus as well.

Strengthening the Student-Brand Connection

Of course, one of the major advantages which a customized printing campaign does provide pertains to relationship development and branding of students associated with any higher education entity. There’s an added weight or sensory appeal given by the inked printed document, an inimitable advantage when digital tools fail.

An important impact comes every time he gets a customized letter, brochure, postcard-the students share more, relate to that. This is all the more important in these modern times when, through digital communication, students often suffer from information overload and find it difficult to feel any real connection to their institution.

Personalized print campaigns humanize the university experience, reminding students that it thinks of them as individuals with unique needs, goals, and aspirations. Sending personalized communications speaking to these individual characteristics, universities show they care about their students beyond academic performance. This creates a deeper sense of loyalty and commitment to the institution, having a great effect on retention and re-enrollment.

1. The Sense of Belonging

Personalized print communications can make students feel a part of something. To so many students-particularly first-generation college students-college seems an overwhelming experience. Personalized messages and materials that acknowledge their struggles, celebrate their successes, and offer support make them feel connected to the university community. Sometimes, it is this connection that makes all the difference for a student to remain or leave and thrive in their respective academic environment.

For example, milestone postcards or letters celebrating the end of the first semester or completion of a major exam can be sent. These small gestures go a long way in making students feel valued and supported, which can have a direct impact on their decision to stay enrolled and return for the following academic year.

2. Reinforcing the University’s Commitment to Student Success

Personalized print campaigns can also become a strong way to make students believe the university is committed to their success. When the students get a hold of a print material which actually speaks of their needs and goals, they have this feeling like the university is set to help in their success. That sense of support can often be the very thing that will help them want to be with the institution.

For instance, universities can send out letters from academic advisors, faculty members, or student success coaches offering their support in course selection or providing details on tutoring opportunities. This form of proactive, personalized outreach keeps students connected and empowered to move forward in their academic journey.

Personalization’s Impact on Re-Enrollment

While the retention of students is a very critical focus for universities, encouraging re-enrollment is equally important. Personalized print campaigns can play a motivating role in bringing the students back for another year. By sending customized re-enrollment reminders, tailored to each student’s academic standing and interests, universities can increase the likelihood that students will follow through with the re-enrollment process.

An example might be mailing a student with a personalized postcard or letter reminding the student of a pending deadline and providing an overview of programs or other opportunities that correspond best with student interests. In these ways, tailored mail provides urgency and value in continuing the education process for them while reinforcing the values they will accrue at the institution.

Maximizing the Effectiveness of Personalized Print Campaigns

This is where universities need to focus on best practices that can guarantee maximum effectiveness with personalized print campaigns. Segment Data Effectively: The finer the granularity of the data, the better the personalization.

By academic performance, extra-curricular activities, major, year of study, and whatever categorizations that would make sense for proper targeting and relevance of print campaigns, universities should segment their students.

Timing is Everything: Timing is a very crucial factor in the effectiveness of personalized print campaigns. Universities should use data to send messages at optimal times, such as before key deadlines or when students might be considering their options for the following year.

Integrate into Digital Campaigns: While powerful, print has to be part of an integrated marketing strategy inclusive of digital outreach. Personalized print campaigns should complement e-mails, social media, and other digital communications; providing students with a consistent experience in all touch points.

Measure and Refine: As with any marketing strategy, the effectiveness of personalized print campaigns should be measured. The university needs to track the response rate, engagement, and statistics on re-enrollment to see what works, further refining its approach for future campaigns.

Personalized print campaigns powered by data-driven insight prove to be an extremely powerful tool that improves student retention and re-enrollment rates. With timely, relevant, and personalized communications through direct mail, universities can provide an opportunity to grow the connection with their current students, help them feel valued, and spur them onward in their academic pursuits.

Conclusion

In today’s increasingly digital world, print provides a tactile, engaging experience that is able to cut through the noise and create lasting impressions. When implemented effectively, variable print campaigns can play a critical role in building student loyalty, improving retention, and driving re-enrollment.