Recently, the Magellan team hosted a roundtable webinar featuring professionals from three colleges: Catie Taylor from the University of Evansville, Carlos Cano from Stevens Institute of Technology (formerly from Georgian Court University), and Cory Gannon from the University of Pikeville, where we discussed branded merch enrollment strategies. Each shared how they’ve effectively integrated branded merch into their overall enrollment marketing plans. From the conversation, I had six key takeaways that I wanted to share.?
- Survey Your Constituencies – One of the points that was shared consistently was the importance of surveying targeted groups when selecting branded merch. Catie shared how her team regularly talks with Evansville student workers (including as many freshmen as possible) to learn what branded merch was impactful and helpful when they went through the recruitment process. Then they use this group to bounce ideas off of as they plan their next cycle. Carlos talked about how he uses this approach with high school counselors. Since counselors are targeted by so many colleges, they receive a lot of branded merch. So Carlos pulled together a group of counselors to learn what would be helpful, appreciated and used. This approach helped inform his team to choose high-end cooler bags for counselors. Not only was the product useful, different and would be seen around the community, it fit well with their location, which is near a beach.????
- Planning Your Merch – The planning of merch through the enrollment funnel can get complicated quickly but it is worth the effort. Catie emphasized two areas to pay attention to when planning branched merch integrations. First, make sure the same branded merch is not repeated when students attend multiple admissions events throughout the recruitment cycle. So have unique products for each event and touch point. Second, communicate your strategy with other departments on campus to let them know what merch you are planning on using. This way the departments can work to not repeat the same products. This reminded me of the story I heard once about some students receiving three winter hats from the same school before they attended their first class. All of this planning takes effort but can be achieved through collaboration.??
- Visibility in the Community – There were a number of reflections on how branded merch helps create awareness when it is being used. Carlos talked about their use of staff apparel as they recently rebranded and outfitted their staff with high-quality quarter zips and backpacks. As their team traveled, this intentionality brought awareness to the university. And through the use of the product, it started numerous conversations with strangers about the college. An additional benefit of providing high-quality products is the staff is more likely to want to wear the products outside of work. Cory shared how powerful yard signs were for bringing awareness and advertising their university throughout neighborhoods, while instilling a sense of pride for deposited students. He talked about how the signs acted as “mini-billboards” that have an implied endorsement when it is in someone’s front yard.
- Thoughtful Graphic Messaging – When thinking about the artwork for branded merch, there are a lot of options that can be explored. Two of the panelists talked about their intentionality behind artwork to help achieve their goals. First, Cory discussed how the messaging on their yard signs was set up as an evergreen message. The message read “A UPIKE Family Lives Here.” With this intentional messaging, the sign can stay up for longer, and their team has seen results. Second, Carlos mentioned that they often have confusion about their location (Georgian Court University is not located in Georgia). To help address this confusion, Carlos ran sticker sheets which included a sticker that was an outline of New Jersey with their logo in the state. The sticker sheets were a hit and are often seen decorating students’ devices and water bottles across campus.?
- Multi-Part Anti-Melt Campaign – Cory related a recent success with their approach for their anti-melt campaign. They wanted to instill pride and excitement as much as they could over the summer, so instead of only mailing branded merch once, they implemented a three-part campaign. For more details, read this project story.
- Keep Students Engaged – Catie also reflected that they regularly review their comm flow looking for gaps in engagement. These are places in the comm flow where a student may not hear from the university for an extended period of time. For example, if a student commits early in the cycle, how can the university keep that person engaged and not melt away? When Catie and her team identified these areas, they specifically turned to branded merch because of the power of the physicality of the marketing tool and it brings excitement and appreciation.??
By incorporating strategic planning, audience feedback and thoughtful design, colleges like the University of Evansville, Stevens Institute of Technology and the University of Pikeville have shown how branded merch enrollment strategies can be powerful in their marketing. Not only does it build school pride, but it also keeps prospective students engaged and excited throughout the recruitment process. Check out the link to watch the full webinar.
