The marketplace for higher education has never been more crowded—or more competitive. Universities, community colleges, and trade schools are all vying for the attention of a shrinking pool of prospective students, many of whom are weighing not only where they want to continue their education, but whether higher education is the right path at all. Add in the influence of parents, the rising popularity of alternative career certifications, and an overwhelming number of options, and the challenge becomes clear: standing out is harder than ever.
That’s where a full-funnel marketing strategy comes into play. To attract and nurture the parents of prospective students and adult learners, schools must deploy messaging and tactics that reach these households at multiple stages of their journey—from awareness to enrollment, all while complying with COPPA regulations. And while digital marketing often leads the conversation, direct mail complements it as a vital partner that strengthens the entire media mix.
When strategically integrated with digital solutions like Display, SEM, Paid Social, CTV/Streaming & Pre-Roll, Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH), and Direct Mail can create a powerful multichannel ecosystem that captures attention, builds trust, and guides prospective students and families through the decision-making funnel.
Read on to learn about 5 areas of best practices to increase enrollments through the inclusion of Direct Mail in your Full-Funnel Higher Ed Campaigns.
1. Why the Funnel Matters More Than Ever
Before diving into tactics, it’s important to understand why a full-funnel approach is essential in today’s higher education landscape.
If a school focuses only on top-of-funnel awareness, but fails to nurture parents and adult learners with personalized communications, they risk losing students to competitors who maintain consistent engagement.
Conversely, if all the energy is spent on bottom-of-funnel tactics like application deadline reminders, they may miss out on cultivating a wider audience in the first place.
A true full-funnel strategy ensures that audiences are consistently guided from awareness → interest → inquiry → application → enrollment.
2. The Role of Direct Mail in a Digital-First World
Digital channels are indispensable. SEM (search engine marketing) ensures your school appears when someone searches “best colleges for [program name] near [city/state].” Paid social media and digital display ads allow schools to connect with engaging creative. CTV and pre-roll ads deliver video storytelling that resonates emotionally. And DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home) reaches people on the go.
Together with these powerful digital tools, direct mail plays a unique role in the media mix—cutting through digital clutter and driving impact in ways online ads can’t do alone.
- Direct mail grabs household attention. A high-quality, creative postcard on the kitchen counter targeted to households with teens might influence a parent to discuss the school as an option with their child, or trigger further school and program research.
- It feels tangible and trustworthy. In a world saturated with digital noise, physical mail stands out as more credible and harder to ignore.
- It drives action. Whether it’s a QR code linking to a scholarship application page or a reminder to RSVP for an open house, mail provides parents with a clear, simple call to action.
But the real magic happens when mail and digital work together. A well-timed mail piece can introduce a program, while social ads nurture interest. Or vice versa: after weeks of potential digital exposure, a physical mailer lands in the home and gives that final nudge to act.
3. Multichannel Synergy: How Mail Complements Digital
A modern college recruitment strategy blends targeted print with CTV, social, email, and more. Here’s how these channels can align at different funnel stages:
Awareness
- CTV and Pre-Roll Video Ads: Spotlight your brand story and unique programs through emotionally resonant storytelling.
- Direct Mail: A cost-effective option to send localized campaigns to adult learners and parents of teens for reminders, or to households in high-indexing geographies.
Consideration
- Paid Social & Digital Display: Deliver program-specific content, testimonials, and virtual tour invitations to parents of teens and adult learners.
- Direct Mail with Personalization: Highlight scholarship opportunities, student success stories, or program differentiators with household-targeted postcards.
Conversion
- SEM (Search Ads): Capture intent-driven searches like “trade schools near me” or “community colleges offering accounting programs.”
- Email Campaigns: Send reminders to parents of teens and prospective adult learners about application deadlines, financial aid options, and open houses.
- Direct Mail Reinforcement: A timely reminder piece with a QR code that links directly to the application portal can be the final push for these audiences to convert interest into action.
This blend ensures that schools are not only seen but also remembered, with each channel reinforcing the others.
4. Real-World Applications: Mail + Digital in Action
To illustrate the power of a COPPA-compliant, multichannel, full-funnel approach, let’s explore a few scenarios where direct mail and digital advertising work hand in hand:
- Promoting Open Houses
- Send a postcard with event details to targeted households within a 30-mile radius.
- Layer in geo-targeted display ads and social media ads promoting the event.
- Add pre-roll and CTV ads to increase attendance.
- Driving Application Deadlines
- Run SEM campaigns targeting “college application deadlines” and local searches.
- Send a direct mail reminder with bold copy: “Applications close March 1st—don’t miss your chance.”
- Leverage social ads that mirror the mail piece creative for reinforcement.
- Highlighting Scholarship Offers
- Launch a CTV campaign telling student success stories centered around scholarship recipients.
- Follow-up with direct mail that shares examples of available scholarship opportunities.
- Drive urgency with social media, timed alongside mail drops.
5. How Direct Mail Builds Stronger Offline Momentum
Direct mail plays a vital role in student recruitment by reaching both adult learners and the parents who influence education decisions. A tangible mail piece showcasing a medical trade school’s nursing labs or a community college’s financial aid services creates moments of reflection and discussion at home. Combined with digital outreach, this channel fosters stronger connections and drives momentum toward enrollment.
Best Practices for Universities and Trade Schools
To maximize the impact of direct mail in a multichannel strategy, schools should:
- Integrate with Digital: Always pair mail with supporting channels (social, CTV, SEM). Think of mail as the anchor, with digital extending the conversation.
- Leverage Data & Geo-Targeting: Use enrollment data, ZIP code targeting, and demographic modeling to send mail only where it’s most relevant.
- Use QR Codes and Short URLs: Make it easy for recipients to move from offline to online seamlessly.
- Coordinate Timing: Sync digital flight dates with mail drops so the messaging reinforces itself across channels.
- Track Performance: Use unique landing pages, promo codes, and CRM integration to measure response across mail and digital.
From Full-Funnel to Full Classrooms: The Future of College Recruitment
The competition for students isn’t going away. If anything, it will intensify as demographics shift, online learning options expand, and parents demand more value from their investment in education. Schools that rely solely on digital or traditional tactics risk being drowned out by the sheer volume of messages audiences see daily.
A full-funnel strategy that marries the tactile impact of direct mail with the precision of digital is no longer optional—it’s the difference between staying relevant and falling behind.
By reaching educational decision makers with mail that sparks attention, then nurturing interest with CTV, social, display, email, and SEM, higher education institutions can guide audiences seamlessly from curiosity to commitment.
And in today’s crowded higher education marketplace, that holistic, multichannel approach is what ensures schools not only attract attention, but ultimately drive enrollment.
Check out this Education One-Sheet to learn more about the Mspark approach. Or Request to be Contacted today.