Personalization is the backbone of modern marketing, and alumni engagement is no exception. Already, 80% of U.S. consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that offers personalized experiences. But, in Cuseum’s November-December 2020 survey of over 150 alumni relations professionals, 77% believed that they need to offer more personalized engagement to their constituents.
That’s a big disconnect!
To meet the expectations of today’s graduates, higher education professionals know they need to get on board with personalization. That being said, you may be unsure what the value is and how to go about it. Luckily, personalization can be more straightforward than you may think. Moreover, many universities and alumni associations have already touted enormous success implementing simple tactics to customize alumni communications.
If you’re interested in getting the lowdown on alumni personalization, we’re here to help. Here, we’ll break down the what, the why, and the how of personalization – let’s dive in!
What is personalization?
To start, what is personalization? Every day, American consumers are inundated with emails and advertisements. So many of these irrelevant mass communications fail to speak to individual consumers. Personalization is a way to engage constituents in this oversaturated modern market. In short, it’s a mechanism to create a unique, customized experience for your audience that cuts through the noise of superficial advertising. According to Marketo, top marketing automation brand, “personalized marketing gives customers a sense of identity. They cease to be one of the masses, and instead become an individual with unique wants and needs.”
Why personalize your alumni communications?
Personalizing messaging and communications has several distinct benefits. By offering more personalized outreach and content to your alumni you can:
Reduce your “unsubscribe” rate (As of 2020, the typical alumni organization’s unsubscribe rate is 0.5%, which is 150% higher than the average industry wide.)
Establish relationships of substance
Offer real value to your constituents
Boost alumni engagement
Show alumni you care
Improve your donor pipeline
Starting to sound pretty good, right?
What are the best ways to personalize?
If you want to start personalizing alumni engagement activities, where do you start? Personalization strategies can range from simple to more sophisticated, so every alumni organization can start somewhere. Let’s dive into four ways to customize the alumni experience:
1. leverage data collection and analytics
Data is a fundamental tool for evaluating and enhancing alumni engagement. With sophisticated CRMs and other data collection and analytics tools at our fingertips, it is now easier than ever to measure, report on, and leverage constituent data. Ultimately, it is the key to personalizing communications, tailoring engagement activities for specific alumni groups, and building an actively engaged member base.
As the saying goes, “you can’t improve what you can’t measure.” Yet despite its proven value, as of 2020 less than 49% of alumni associations were conducting any kind of data analysis to measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts! The pandemic has since accelerated the demand for a streamlined, personalized user experience, and as a result, more and more alumni organizations are revamping their data collection strategies and digital marketing efforts. As a 2021 study from the NAPA group put it: “Amazon knows what I want – why doesn’t my alumni association?”
Tracking interactions with communications and invitations provides valuable insights into how alumni are responding to efforts to engage them – to understand which strategies and tactics are working well, as well as what areas may need improvement. Furthermore, data enables you to track engagement over time, highlighting any trends that may emerge as well as any areas where you can improve.
Analyzing alumni engagement metrics such as event attendance rates and online activity can help reveal patterns that can inform your outreach strategies for different segments. According to recent data from Eventbrite, 36% of alumni who attend events are likely to donate, so investing in strategies to boost participation is a crucial way to drive donations as well as deeper engagement.
2. use segmentation for precision targeting
Another way to personalize is through simple segmentation tactics. Using everyday tools like your customer relationship management (CRM) software or marketing platform, you can segment your alumni in a number of ways to customize the content they receive. For example, you may deliver relevant communications based on your graduates’ field of study, affinity group, geographical location, graduation year, and more. This can help ensure that newsletters, event invitations, and solicitations are pertinent. A survey from Mailchimp found that segmented campaigns had open rates 14.31 percent higher than non-segmented campaigns - so simple segmentation can deliver!
According to Stanford Alumni Association CMO Page Murry, one of the most valuable frameworks for segmentation is affinity group – including extracurricular activities or clubs, Greek life affiliations, and identity-based groups or associations.
For example, the University of Miami’s digital engagement and philanthropic giving team look at constituents’ Facebook engagement on specific posts developed by the team – then followed up with these potential donors directly. In less than 10 months, Miami referred 7,000 newly identified prospects to gift officers, closed more than $600,000 in new gifts and generated millions in potential pipeline.
Not only does segmentation save time and money by streamlining your marketing processes, it also is proven to drive engagement: a survey from Mailchimp found that segmented campaigns had 64.78% more clicks and 14.37% more opens than non-segmented campaigns. Ultimately, data analytics provides a valuable tool for driving stronger alumni engagement and ensuring that your alumni association remains a vibrant community well into the future.
3. Customize communication
It is crucial for alumni associations to keep their members fully engaged and informed about the latest news and events happening within the alumni community. And one of the most effective ways to do this is by establishing consistent, personal communication tailored to members. For example, according to data from Hubspot, message personalization is the #1 tactic used by email marketers to increase engagement rates.
Plus, by tracking the usage of various channels, such as email, social media, and SMS Text Messaging, alumni associations can optimize their communications strategy in order to reach a greater number of alumni and keep them involved in all that the association has to offer.
“Building relationships with your alumni is just such a huge part of your job. Every time the phone is answered, we go above and beyond to make it a personal experience. When someone replies to our emails, we answer personally. I’ve started giving campus tours, and I tailor the experience to go above and beyond.” - Seneca Reyna, Alumni Relations Officer @ New Mexico State University
By establishing solid lines of communication and engaging with the needs and preferences of different cohorts within their alumni community, associations can maximize their engagement efforts and truly speak to their members where they are most comfortable. For example, with 73% of Millenials and Generation Z saying they expect companies to engage them in real-time, instant communication channels like SMS and push notifications will only become more important in the years to come.
Investing in communication tailored to specific member subsets will help foster greater alumni loyalty and create a more connected alumni network overall. Whether through email updates, social media campaigns, or other methods, leveraging data in this way is sure to help alumni associations boost engagement and strengthen relationships with members for years to come.
4. celebrate member success
The inundation of online marketing makes personalization essential for standing out. Recent data reveals that 72% of consumers will only engage with personalized marketing messages from brands. However, as personalized marketing becomes increasingly prevalent across industries, merely using names and graduation years isn't sufficient.
Recognizing accomplishments, such as promotions, awards, or personal milestones, demonstrates that the association values its members and takes an active interest in their success. 84% of customers say being treated like a person, not a number, is very crucial to their consumer choices, and expect companies to understand their needs and expectations on a human level. Highlighting achievements in newsletters, social media, or alumni magazines fosters a human connection, as well as a sense of community and pride among members. Even something as simple as a birthday email has been shown to generate as much as 342% more revenue per email than a generic promotional emails!
This targeted appreciation not only strengthens the bond between the association and its members but also encourages alumni to stay connected, share their achievements, and actively participate in the association's programs and initiatives.
5. get personal with mentorship & networking
Alumni associations play a crucial role in fostering connections among graduates and supporting their professional development. And with 85% of jobs now filled by networking, according to a recent survey from LinkedIn, leveraging personalization can help associations get an edge in facilitating mentorship and networking opportunities and thereby improve member engagement. To accomplish this, they can develop customized matchmaking programs that pair alumni based on factors such as industry, career stage, interests, and location. By analyzing member data and preferences, associations can make well-informed matches that foster fruitful relationships and support career growth.
Additionally, associations can create tailored networking events and workshops aimed at specific groups, such as those in a particular industry or at a certain career stage. This is especially important for younger, digitally-native generations – in fact, according to data from Salesforce, half of consumers under 45 say thay ignore communications from companies that don’t personalize their content! This targeted approach not only increases the relevance and value of these events but also encourages members to actively participate and connect with like-minded peers. Moreover, online platforms can be optimized to facilitate personalized networking experiences. Alumni profiles can showcase members' backgrounds, interests, and accomplishments, allowing users to discover and connect with potential mentors, mentees, or collaborators.
In essence, personalization empowers alumni associations to create more meaningful and relevant networking and mentorship opportunities. By recognizing the unique needs and interests of their members, associations can build a stronger sense of community and foster lasting connections. As a result, members are more likely to remain engaged with the association, actively participate in events, and contribute to the organization's overall growth and success.
6. Implement Marketing Automation
In commercial industries, marketing automation is quickly becoming the lifeblood of personalization, and it’s also picking up speed at universities and alumni organizations. In short, marketing automation is a way to manage and streamline advertising while deepening audience engagement. Marketing automation tools allow organizations to do more with less, to optimize engagement, and to nurture relationships at scale.
Many colleges have already begun to leverage marketing automation tools to customize their content and communications.
→ For example, Anita Brothers, Director, Alumni Relations & Engagement at Dayton University, has used automation to make alumni newsletters hyper-attuned to evolving alumni interests and affiliations: “Our newsletter is totally curated content based on your interests and when you want it delivered. It’s just like when Netflix provides you with custom recommendations. Say that I'm a business graduate, but I'm interested in sustainability, athletics and campus ministry. Our system pulls all that content from blog stories and webpages, and then sends a newsletter specific to those interests. It’s incredible.”
In short, marketing automation allows you to segment your audience to deliver precise, curated content to specific segments of your constituency. By delivering specialized content accordingly, alumni organizations can take their engagement to the next level. Marketing automation software also offers other advanced analytics, including data and reporting that allow universities to measure and analyze the effectiveness of their segmented campaigns, which can be used to refine strategy.
Already, more than half of companies are using marketing automation, and alumni organizations are likely to adopt this technology more and more in the coming years!
There are many layers of personalization in alumni engagement. At its most fundamental level, personalization is a way to stand out in the world of mass communications by offering connection and customization to your constituents. In recent years, technology has offered new, more sophisticated ways to personalize communications that respond to graduate needs and interests. As the world moves away from transactional relationships and alumni engagement demands more emphasis on connection, personalization is likely to grow in importance for alumni associations and colleges of all kinds.
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