Alumni engagement is a critical component of any university’s success. Engaged alumni can provide valuable support through donations, volunteering and advocacy. This begs the question: how do you engage alumni? It can be hard to compete with the constant stream of emails your alumni are receiving. In the age of digital noise, how does your university stand out in a cluttered inbox?
We suggest a different tactic 鈥� increasing alumni engagement through the strategic use of print materials. Here are some methods for using commercial printing to boost alumni engagement:
Alumni Magazines
Alumni magazines are a great way to keep alumni informed and engaged with your university. Compelling content and engaging photography can instill a sense of nostalgia, prompting them to plan a visit or attend an event.
In a 2022 interview with , Dale Keiger, former editor of Johns Hopkins Magazines said, 鈥淪urveys consistently show a strong positive correlation between alumni reading the print magazine and engaging with the institution, whether by donating money, encouraging prospective students to apply or attending events on campus.鈥�
A regularly published alumni magazine featuring stories and updates about your university, as well as alumni interest pieces and achievements, will help your grads remember when they were students.
Alumni Notes
Including a 鈥榃here Are They Now鈥� section with pictures of alumni and basic information like their current city and graduating class can go a long way in making alumni feel connected. Encourage alumni to send a photo and short update to your publication for a chance to be featured. Rebekah Tilley, Director of Strategic Communications at the University of Iowa鈥檚 Tippey College of Business, shared her experience with alumni and print magazines in an .
鈥淥ne of the things that surprised me particularly was that our young alumni told me over and over again: 鈥極h, we love getting this! We get so few things in print anymore that this is really special to us, and we hang on to it, and it鈥檚 on our coffee table, and we flip immediately to alumni notes to see if our friends are there and see if their photos are in print, because they live in a digital world,鈥欌�� said Rebekah.
Impactful Annual Reports
Create an annual report highlighting the university’s achievements, impact and future goals. Your university鈥檚 more data-minded alumni in particular will likely be interested in statistics like enrollment, budget and job placement rate. Include stories of alumni contributions and successes to showcase the value of alumni engagement. Include these reports in your alumni publications to demonstrate transparency, foster connections and encourage continued support.
Special or Commemorative Publications
Create special publications to commemorate significant milestones, such as the university’s anniversary, special events or a recent milestone. These publications can be distributed to alumni to celebrate achievements and keep their alma mater on the top of their minds.
Not only will these publications help keep alumni informed about what鈥檚 going on at your university, but they can also serve as a time capsule of sorts, reminding them of special occasions for years to come.
Targeted Alumni Newsletters
Based on a , Parimala Veluval and Jayesh Surisetti recommend a 鈥榣ight touch鈥� approach, citing newsletters as an example of communication that links alumni to their institution without demanding a major commitment. Creating print newsletters focused on specific groups of alumni will make those groups feel valued and interconnected but not pressured.
Segmenting your newsletters in this way also makes it easier to narrow down your content to what is relevant to the target group. There are many ways to , so it鈥檚 important to determine specific goals before developing content.
College or Major
One example of targeted alumni content is creating newsletters for specific colleges or majors. For example, a newsletter sent to alumni of the College of Business at your university could include updates on faculty, buildings and notable alumni. Similarly, targeted newsletters sent to alumni of a specific major, like English or music, could be a great way to boost engagement. This method may also encourage the organic growth of smaller alumni networks, keeping alumni connected to each other, and ultimately, the university.
Graduating Class
Newsletters created for specific graduating classes can be a valuable tool for increasing alumni engagement. Segmenting by graduating class makes it incredibly easy to develop relevant content. If your university鈥檚 enrollment is too low to make newsletters for individual graduating classes a viable option, consider targeting these newsletters toward groups like young alumni or graduates of a specific decade, for example.
Alumni Spotlights in Print Newsletters
Feature alumni spotlights in your print newsletters to showcase the diverse accomplishments and contributions of your alumni community. This can inspire pride among alumni and encourage them to stay connected. Alumni who are featured in newsletters and other print projects may be more likely to engage with or contribute to their alma mater, and other alumni may be incentivized to share their recent accomplishments.
Event Marketing
Use print materials to promote alumni events like reunions, homecoming or networking events. High-quality invitations with colorful imagery are a compelling way to encourage attendance, particularly if the invitations are personalized with the alum鈥檚 name and title. Alternatively, including an insert or spread in your alumni magazine about upcoming events could be a good way to boost engagement while taking advantage of your existing print projects.
Inviting alumni back to campus for events can foster engagement and create a strong, connected alumni network.
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