As decision-making time for higher ed marketing budgets nears, you’re likely contemplating which avenues are most f inancially worthwhile. With email marketing so central to relationship building with prospects, students and alumni alike, an email tech upgrade is worth considering.
Here are five of the many benefits you can expect with upgraded email marketing technology.
1. Make the most of real-time data.
New innovations in email marketing technology make it possible for emails to be living, breathing messages, rather than mere static pieces of information. With real-time data integrations, your emails can change as the world around them changes.
Imagine the heightened sense of urgency a prospective student may feel when they receive an admissions deadline reminder, with a live countdown timer. Or, the resourcefulness of an up-to-date weather tracker accompanying an alumni event reminder. These examples, as well as geo-targeted maps and live social feeds, are among the many real-time data features that modern email tech can provide.
2. Know what’s working with advanced analytics.
Determining what resonates — and quantifying it — has been a long-standing challenge in the marketing realm. Fortunately, this process continues to gain clarity as advanced analytics tools are weaved into marketing dashboards. Measuring the performance of emails, and cross-referencing them with additional data points like device types and open times, can provide you with the necessary framework to refine your existing campaign strategies.
Pro-tip: Look for tech that reports on precise click locations. Measuring click rates is great, but what exactly are your email recipients clicking on? With click-tracking tools, such as the one offered by Emma by Marigold, you can get a better grasp on which copy, designs and buttons are most effective at driving action.
3. Enhance personalization with zero-party data.
As marketers, we want to know what precisely causes people to act — to apply, to enroll, to donate. But traditional sources used to predict action, like third-party data, don’t come directly from the source and thus force you to make assumptions (sometimes inaccurately) about a person. Zero-party data, on the other hand, comes directly from the source. By deploying interactive experiences, like surveys and polls, you can probe your contacts for the key data you need to market effectively. Which programs are most attractive to a prospective student? What inhibitions do they have? What initiatives make alumni more likely to donate? These are questions you can easily attain the answers to with a solid ZPD acquisition solution.
4. Get in sync with the brands you love.
Chances are, you use other tools to assist with your marketing efforts. When these tools don’t work in tandem with your email marketing platform, managing your data can become a challenge. An email marketing platform that supports integration will increase efficiencies for you, and provide more seamless experiences for your contacts. Emma by Marigold, for example, lets you integrate a wide variety of technologies, ranging from survey tools like SurveyMonkey to fundraising platforms like GiveCampus.
5. Protect your school’s reputation with centralized controls.
Whether it be protecting against misuse or establishing a consistent school identity, modern email marketing tech can provide you with the tools necessary to safeguard your reputation. Consider the following capabilities:
- Template style locking and centralized asset management to ensure your branding and tone both remain consistent with your institution.
- Robust permissions management to ensure that no campaigns go live without the proper approval.
Wrap Up
Many brands offer modern email marketing technology. But that list narrows considerably when it comes to industry-specific expertise. If you’re looking for a solution designed for higher ed, consider Emma by Marigold for Colleges and Universities.
