Datamark Celebrates 25 Years of Higher Education Enrollment Marketing

Datamark, a leader in data-driven enrollment marketing, just celebrated its 25th anniversary as it has grown from a small direct mail agency to a full-service, direct marketing firm. Not afraid to embrace the changing times, Datamark has reinvented the art of direct mail, helped customers embrace the power of mobile marketing, and developed solutions for schools to address the increasingly competitive and regulatory conscious marketplace.

“It is quite an amazing accomplishment when you look back to the days of our humble six by six foot office where one employee sat on the phone trying to convince colleges of the power of direct mail,” said Tom Dearden, CEO of Datamark. “That employee, Ed Patterson, is still with us today, and along with so many other pioneers on our team and among our customers, we are grateful for their vision and dedication. The dream that started out in that basement office is today marked by the milestone of our 40 millionth lead.”

Datamark has spent 25 years mastering the art and science of enrollment marketing. As part of its anniversary celebration, Datamark is releasing its “25 Direct Marketing Tips” based on the insight it has gained, the lessons it has learned, and the successful campaigns it has produced. Highlights include:

1. Spend more time getting the right lists, and you’ll spend less time worrying about your conversion rate.
2. Collect a prospect’s email address and phone number, knowing that leads who give both are 368 percent more likely to enroll.
3. Marketing must be interactive, and adding a QR code on an outer envelope provides instant access to more information and may lift the response rate.
4. Make sure you have a text messaging strategy in place, as 60 percent of people under the age of 30 will read a text message within one minute of receipt.
5. Don’t forget about remarketing campaigns, which can drive, on average, a 20 to 30 percent lift in enrollment.

“Looking back over the last two and a half decades, the higher education industry has been through a whirlwind of change – we’ve seen explosive enrollment growth, battled our share of recessionary times, experienced waves of regulatory change, and dramatically altered the way we teach and communicate with technology – needless to say, it has been anything but predictable,” said Paul Reddy, president of Datamark. “What has remained constant is our ability to be a trusted advisor to our customers and help their students believe that they can truly be successful. Twenty five years later, that still holds true.”

To receive a free copy of Datamark’s “25 Direct Marketing Tips,” please contact scott.jager@datamark.com.