Universities are using Marketing Automation to Increase Engagement and Donations

It’s no secret that marketing automation is being used by a variety of industries to increase leads and conversions. But did you know that universities are now starting to use marketing automation platforms to increase engagement with prospects, student body, alumni, and potential donors?

Marketing automation platforms help university marketing departments manage their communications across a variety of channels (email, social media, web, etc.), automate repetitive tasks, and track the results of their campaigns. These features are especially beneficial for universities because they have a large number of constituents to communicate with on a regular basis. In addition, marketing automation can help universities segment their audiences and personalize their communications in a way that is not possible with traditional email or direct mail.

How Automation Helps Universities

There are a few ways in which marketing automation can help universities. First of all, it can help universities save time. When you’re trying to reach a large audience, manually sending emails or managing social media accounts can be very time-consuming. Marketing automation can help you automate those tasks so that you can focus your time on other things.

Another way in which marketing automation can help universities is by helping them target their audiences more effectively. With marketing automation, you can collect data about your target audience and use that data to create more effective marketing campaigns. For example, if you know that your target audience is interested in certain topics, you can create content that is tailored to their interests.

Finally, marketing automation can help increase the ROI of marketing campaigns. By automating marketing tasks, schools can free up budget that would otherwise be spent on manual tasks like emailing or lead generation. They can then use that budget to invest in other marketing tactics that will generate more leads and conversions.

Can Marketing Automation Save Universities?

In recent years, universities have been struggling to reach their target audiences. With so many choices and so much competition, it’s harder than ever for universities to stand out. One way that some universities are trying to reach their target audiences is through a more holistic digital marketing program creating a more personalized student life cycle by engaging with them from the time they were a prospect, through graduation, and beyond.

Many of schools we work with are using marketing automation with great success. Since adopting the platform, they have seen a significant increase in the number of donors to their annual fund. In addition, they have been able to engage with alumni more effectively, resulting in increased attendance at events and higher rates of volunteering. They’ve also started using their marketing automation platforms to remind students when registration is, what might be missing out of their applications, and even looked at increasing book sales based on classes a student is taken.

Transforming Communications

Universities are under pressure like never before to reach their target audiences. As marketing automation continues to grow in popularity, it’s becoming clear that there are very few industries that can’t benefit from its use. Universities are no exception. Marketing is using effective communications to engage someone and cause a reaction. Automating this process can help save time and money and allow Universities to focus on more engaging strategies. If your university isn’t already using marketing automation, now is the time to start! Consider making the investment by contacting Apex Theorem. Over the past 18 years we have helped hundreds of schools create strategies, processes and implemented technologies.

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James Luck

James Luck is the Managing Director of Apex IT's marketing division, Apex Theorem. As a thought leader among those in the digital marketing industry, James provides advice and strategy around Digital Transformation and Marketing Technologies. James is certified in many ESPs and helps organizations enhance their marketing programs to be more engaging with their target audience using omni-channel tactics. Apex Theorem’s award-winning Marketing Acceleration Advisors create systematic, proprietary solutions that convert more leads, boost customer engagement and drive revenue by defining, implementing, and optimizing organizations’ digital transformation program. Utilizing his team's expertise in email marketing, web design, SEO, social media management, and more, James can provide comprehensive solutions that help companies succeed online.