Education Marketing: Can Print Materials Increase Enrollment?

Print plays a big role in today’s higher education marketing campaigns and rightly so. It’s effective, actionable and remarkably underrated. Higher education is a competitive landscape with many fierce institutions fighting for the same audience as you.

JOTE YORK COLLEGE 3-572301-edited

Whether you’re tasked with marketing your school to prospective students (and parents) or you want to attract mature learners to your education program, a strategic print marketing campaign can help you boost enrollment and get your name out there. Here’s how it achieves that. 

Leverages Direct Mail Success

High impact print does what it says on the tin. That’s why direct mail is one of the best ways to market your institution. It allows you to reach a highly-targeted audience that’s likely to respond and ultimately enrol in your courses. 

With direct-mail marketing, you can identify and create a defined mailing list that allows you to put your message in the hands of those who'll be receptive to your offer. Even if you’re targeting an individual, you’re never speaking to just one person. Print speaks to the whole student’s family. Best of all, it’s measurable.

The power of print in a digital age can be seen everywhere in education marketing. From stylised prospectuses to engaging brochures and viewbooks that entice potential students to enrol, they all have their place in higher education. 

According to DMA (Data & Marketing Association), the response rates for printed catalogues have soared over the past few years. The current generation of millennial consumers isn’t tired of the huge volume of promotional mail like the previous generations are. It’s something special to them, especially when personalised. The only other time they receive something like this is probably on their birthday. 

This doesn’t mean to ditch digital altogether. Offline and online need to come together so your messages can be amplified and reach the right people where they’re most likely to be receptive. Plus, this consistent messaging across all platforms will mean your institution isn’t just an option, but a consideration. 

Boosts Brand Awareness

Print materials are often the first exposure a student gets from the university. Each piece should tell the story of the university mission.

Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a stellar example of education marketing done right. They’ve kept consistent with the cover design for the magazine and after a couple of issues, the magazine has become a recognisable part of the college’s brand.

199561 - Royal Northern College of Music

Continuing with the eye-catching metallic foiling on the front cover, this issue has opted for a trendy rose gold foil. Against the bright yellow, it really grabs your attention.

JOTW 1

Featuring striking photography against dark backgrounds, ensuring the photos remained vibrant with no loss in definition even on the uncoated paper. Using a modern LED UV press, the job was executed without the flattening of images normally associated with this stock type. The result? A highly vibrant product that seamlessly fits with their brand.

With your enrollment goals in mind, it’s important to weave a compelling narrative featuring real stories that could connect with prospective students. Printed brochures and direct mail have the “kitchen counter factor” and can be repeatedly reviewed by prospective students and the parent influences. 

Choosing the printer for your prospectuses and other education marketing materials needs to be a careful decision. When properly designed and mailed, these materials can market the institution’s information and distinctive benefits and tacitly communicate its brand through the use of high-quality printing. 

Your print materials in education stretch beyond the initial brochures. When a student gets an acceptance letter in the mail, they don’t just call up their friend and say where they’re going. They post it straight to social media. University of Salford education marketing

This project was created for potential students who had received offers from the University of Salford, the eye-catching mailbox shape was sent out in the post containing a lanyard and information pack. A gesture like this helps offer a further inducement for the recipient to choose UOS for their higher education.

Is your education marketing synonymous with your brand? You’re missing a trick if it isn’t. 

An Extension of Your Institution

First impressions count, even more so when you’re persuading students to choose you for their huge life decision. 

Did you know Millennials and Gen Z are exposed to more ads and branding than any past generation? Authenticity is so vital to break through the noise. It’s not enough for your brochures to have pretty pictures of the campus and smiling students. With every page turn, print technique, colour and effect, it needs to reflect your institution and support its values.

Millennials and Gen Z are also more passionate than ever about climate change and caring for the environment. To be honest, we stand with them, we believe we all have a duty to protect and promote our natural world. Studies have shown that 55% of young people in the UK said they would be more loyal to organisations who were reducing their carbon footprint - and rightly so.

Protecting our rainforest, areas of significant biodiversity is so crucial to the future of our planet and that is exactly what World Land Trust does. If you’ve watched David Attenborough’s Netflix film, you’ll truly appreciate (along with the savvy students) how important it is we take action now.

If you want to take positive action and do something to make a difference, support World Land Trust. One way you can do this is by choosing carbon balance print for your next prospectus.

Showcasing a Carbon Balanced Print logo on your prospects will connect with the potential student picking it up. It demonstrates your commitment to reducing your carbon impact and that you’re a university that cares about the future.

A low-quality and thrown together brochure will speak volumes to the potential student reading it. A heavier cardstock with glossy photos, metallic foiled letters and even an intricate folded design can make it bespoke to you. Not only that, but these unique techniques can also set you apart from your rivals and make you memorable. 

In today’s world, the only constant is change. Knowing how to leverage print is critical to the success of your higher education marketing. From creating pieces that resonate with your target market to marrying it with your online efforts as effectively as possible - that’s the true power of print. 

Want to take inspiration from other education providers and businesses leading the way with innovative print? We’ve got just the place for you.

Increase Enrollment and Create Effective Print Materials Today

Here at B&B Press, we work with over 500 active customers across different sectors to understand them. This allows us to turn all the unique details and selling points that make them special into something physical. 

Our Case Studies page displays our range of fantastic print collateral we’ve produced, from prestigious brochures that exude class to an anti-scuff laminated brochure that showcases a product’s durability. Not only is it a great place to see what print is capable of, but it can also serve as some inspiration for your own collateral. Check it out below.View Case Studies

Explore the
Best of Green
Printing Tips

You’re probably well aware of the growing importance and demand of eco-friendly products.

Modern technology has made these kinds of items increasingly cheaper to produce and more visually appealing. They’re a great way of lowering your business’ environmental impact - but how exactly do you produce the best kind of print using these methods?

Our checklist will give you the best advice for creating an impactful sustainable print solution.