Now more than ever institutions of higher education face stiff competition when it comes to reaching, recruiting, and enrolling new students. In today’s post-pandemic world, high school students and families often seek colleges with flexible learning options, such as both online and in-person classes, and results-oriented degrees. Colleges and universities that are adapting and implementing these options on a permanent basis find themselves expanding their reach as their pool of potential students increases exponentially.

As the needs and expectations of potential college students evolve, so are the recruiting strategies of colleges and universities. Research shows that traditional student recruitment no longer works for colleges and universities as effectively as it once did. For example, sending a direct mail piece about a school to parents’ homes continues to decline in effectiveness. In comparison, email marketing drives higher results among prospective students and garners a significantly higher ROI for college recruitment offices when compared to direct mail.

 

5 Tips for Effectively Using Email Marketing to Reach Potential College Students

Innovative email recruitment strategies and tactics that address the needs of prospective students can give a college a competitive edge. Consider these top tips for effectively reaching and recruiting prospective college students that can set your school apart from the competition.

1. Reach out to the right mentors and influencers in the college decision-making process. The most effective email campaigns begin by first defining and connecting with the K-12 counselors, principals, coaches, and other administrators or teachers who influence the college decision choice of students in your ideal demographic. While prospective students face more choices for colleges, they still look to trusted sources to guide their decisions. Consider building an email marketing campaign specifically to equip these trusted sources to point prospective students to your university.
2. Create a Virtual Tour. Colleges can address their expanded reach by offering virtual tours to students. On-campus visits may not work for every student, especially students outside a college’s geographical area. However, offering a virtual tour option makes it convenient for potential students to visit a school, learn more about what makes that school unique, and begin to visualize themselves attending that college. Use a virtual tour to show prospective students how their lives would improve if they chose to attend your school. Some schools find success by showcasing student-centric stories so prospects can easily relate to the experience.
3. Begin the recruiting process early. Long before the college application process begins for high school seniors, they begin thinking about college and being exposed to the college experience through older friends or family members. By connecting with students early in their high school career, colleges and universities can begin building a relationship by highlighting how their school could be a good fit for them in the future.
4. Use targeted alumni testimonials. For your email campaign, highlight testimonials from students who graduated from the targeted area. What do they love about your college or university? Why would someone from their hometown or county be a good fit? Why would someone from the South like attending a school in the Northwest? Think creatively about how to best leverage testimonials in your email campaigns to help prospects connect with your school and the unique experience it offers.
5. Anticipate questions and be ready to respond. Today’s generation expects a quick response. Prior to sending out an email campaign, prepare a list of frequently asked questions with responses already written. This can help you and your recruitment team quickly follow up with prospective students who respond to your email campaign. A timely answer helps build trust and strengthens a relationship between a prospective student and the recruitment team.

 

Where to Find the Best List of Email Addresses for K12 School Administrators

Do you want to connect with potential college freshmen and tell them why your school might be a good fit for them? We can help. For more than a decade, our up-to-date and affordable email lists offer a proven way for colleges and universities to reach K12 decision makers, including principals, coaches, counselors and other school employees who are most likely to influence students’ college choices.

 

Day in and day out, innovations are made in the communication industry. Social media seems to be on the rise, with various platforms surfacing daily. One would have thought that email marketing would be swept backstage by these popular platforms. However, the reverse seems to be the case. Email marketing seems to increase in potency as each day goes by. Various research even suggests that it will become an even more popular communication platform in years to come.

But before you adopt email marketing in your business and invest quality time in email campaigns, look at how email marketing is used to communicate with K12 educators and decision-makers. How can email marketing help you reach your target K12 audience? Also, see if it will remain a viable strategy in 2022.

 

Evidence that Supports Email Marketing

How essential is email marketing to your business? Here are some statistics that prove that the impact of emails on businesses is massive.

 

• As of 2020, there were about 4 billion email users. This number is projected to reach 4.6 billion users by 2025 (more than half of the projected world population). What does this mean for exposes you as a supplier trying to reach K12 decision-makers? Good news! Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, schools were shut down and no physical interaction was possible. On the other hand, the use of email was widespread, with no barriers whatsoever. Thus, email marketing exposes you to a large pool of educators, decision-makers, and school department heads at all times. Regardless of the physical barrier, you can always reach your K12 audience.
• In 2020, about 306.4 billion emails were estimated to have been sent and received per day. This number is projected to hit 333.2 billion in 2022 and over 376.4 billion per day in 2025. This data shows that email marketing is here to stay.

 

All of this evidence shows that email marketing is a great tool. However, if you want to get the maximum results from email campaigns, particularly when targeting the K12 audience, you must be equipped with knowledge about marketing and selling to schools.

 

Reasons Email Marketing Is Still Important in 2022

1. It gives room for personalization

Email marketing permits marketers to create personalized content for their audience. You can craft a customized email based on your customer’s interests and buying patterns. You can also address your K12 educators and decision-makers as if you were speaking to them one-on-one.

In addition, email software automation tools also help you easily identify the level of the sales funnel your consumers are in. Thus, you can create suitable content.

 

2. It yields better outcomes than most of the other marketing platforms.

Take it or leave it, email marketing yields a far greater ROI when compared to other marketing platforms. For each dollar spent on email marketing, 40× the value is returned. Studies also show that email marketing accounts for over 66% of conversions.

If a marketing medium accounts for about two-thirds of total conversions, then every marketer should effectively maximize it. To get the most from email marketing, ensure that you track your metrics continually. Analyze variables such as click-through rates, bounce rates, and engagement rates. Here are some email marketing elements to boost your metrics performance.

 

3. Email marketing is cost-effective.

Unlike many other marketing methods, email marketing is direct and cost-effective. You do not need to invest massive amounts of money and resources in ad campaigns and publicity. There is no need to employ an experienced video production crew, print an ad, or pay for billboard space. All you need is a professional graphic designer to create an appealing visual and a seasoned content writer to craft the message.

 

4. It establishes connection and builds brand loyalty.

Email campaigns are one of the best ways to establish and boost brand awareness among customers. You could share engaging and informative content on brand missions and values via emails. When your K12 educators and decision-makers better understand your values, and why you do what you do, chances are they trust you more and are more ready to engage, connect with and buy from you.

 

5. Email marketing syncs seamlessly with other marketing strategies.

Another beautiful thing about emails is how they can be easily integrated with other marketing platforms. While establishing a connection with K12 educators and decision-makers via the mail, you can simultaneously encourage them to follow you on other social channels. That way, you stay connected to educators, school department heads, and decision-makers on social media.

Whatever social platform it is you’d like your customers to engage on, just add in the platform icons and ask your readers to follow you. You could even use your mail to give customers a sneak peek of your products available on other platforms.

 

Bottom Line

Email marketing is a budget-friendly, effective way to interact with K12 educators, decision-makers, and department heads, and drive up conversions. This K-12 marketing blueprint simplifies email marketing and helps you obtain optimal results.

 

You’ve likely heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. If that’s true, then why don’t K12 marketers use more visual elements in email communications? Like watching a film with only subtitles and no visuals, email text on its own doesn’t always communicate your message clearly. This is why you need images in your K12 marketing emails. 

While you can always send text-only emails, it’s much easier for people to remember and pay attention to images over words. Nobody wants to open an email and be greeted by a wall of text. You want your marketing emails to be as enticing as possible, and you only have a few seconds to make a first impression. In this guide, we’ll share how to use images in your K12 marketing emails like a pro. 

 

Appeal to Your Audiences’ Emotions

First, one of the best ways to use images in your K12 marketing emails is to appeal to your audiences’ emotions. Research has proven that pictures move people more than words. Images spark that older, immediately reactive brain system more than words. While words certainly have the power to drive action, they can be more ambiguous. In short, words require more thought. 

However, you have to be intentional with your image choice. Because you want to motivate them to engage with your K12 email, you don’t want to use any random image. There’s a psychology behind colors, images, and symbols. Using certain types of images and colors will influence your audience in a meaningful way.

 

What Types of Images Can You Use in K12 Emails?

With that in mind, what types of images are best for K12 emails? This depends on the goal of your message, but there are a lot of options to choose from. You don’t have to spend a lot of money (or anything at all) to create the perfect visual element. These are the main types of emails you see in K12 emails:

 

• Stock photos: Of course, you can always use stock photos from a platform like Unsplash or Pexels. These can be great if you find the right copyright-free photo, but they’re also more generic. 

• In-house photos: Alternatively, if you have the resources, you can take your own photos. This is ideal for product or brand-specific emails, and they stand out the most. 

• User-generated images: Lastly, user-generated photos are created by your current customers. Typically taken from your customer’s social media pages (with permission), these are powerful tools. 

 

What Are the Best Image Formats?

However, make sure you’re using the right image format. All formats aren’t created equal, and you want to avoid getting flagged for spam in inboxes. Deliverability is always important, and you don’t want to compromise the quality of your K12 email. Here’s what you need to know about the best image formats:

 

• Gif: To begin, most people are familiar with animated GIFs. Because they’re animated, they can be really engaging. However, they only use an 8-bit palette, so they’re limited when it comes to colors. 

• JPEG: Next, JPEGs are larger than GIFs so they provide more detail. Still, you should avoid exporting them at 100% to make sure your emails load quickly. 

• PNG: This option is best for images with transparent components. They also maintain their quality better when they’re compressed, but they can have a larger file size. 

 

Tips for Using Images in K12 Emails

Last but not least, there are many best practices to keep in mind when using images in your K12 marketing emails. These can be powerful tools, but you need to use them wisely. It’s not enough to upload photos to your marketing software and call it a day. 

 

Keep the essential information in the body of the text. 

Because there are some email subscribers who won’t turn on images in their emails, you don’t want to risk losing the most essential information. To make sure your message is clear, always put the key information in the body text. 

 

Pay attention to image sizing. 

Similarly, don’t make your images too big or too small. Large images might be impressive, but they also take too long to load. On the other hand, small images might not look great on all screen sizes. Always test your emails before sending them to make sure they look right on different screens. 

 

Highlight your product. 

Finally, use images to highlight product features or new offers. If you’re selling a K12 product, show it in action. It’s impossible to sell something your users can’t even see. While copy can help, it only gets you so far. 

 

Use Images to Your Advantage

Ultimately, if you want to unlock your full K12 marketing potential, you need to use images in your emails. From there, you can measure how these images impact your email metrics. 

As long as you’re using a targeted email list and an intentional campaign, images only help you stand out. With busy K12 professionals only spending a few seconds on each message in their inbox, you can’t afford to waste precious real estate.

 

In today’s world, it’s becoming more common to see emojis in all different types of settings. While originally used for instant messenger and texting only, they’re increasingly normal. In fact, 64% of people said they’re likely to open an email with an emoji in the subject line. This is why you should consider these 7 ways to use emojis in K12 marketing emails. 

K12 professionals don’t have a lot of time to spend going through their inboxes. They only are likely to open messages that stand out, and that’s why you need to use every tool at your disposal. If you’re not sure how to use emojis in your K12 marketing emails, this guide is for you. 

 

1. Know What Emojis Really Mean

First, you need to have a clear understanding of what emojis really mean. With thousands of emojis you can use in emails, you want to make sure you’re using the right one to communicate your message. Younger generations in particular have their own interpretations of different emojis, so be sure you’re not accidentally dating yourself. 

The best way to consider emojis is from the perspective of your audience. If you’re speaking to millennial professionals, for example, they’re going to expect different emojis compared to older populations. Always understand the meaning to your audience. 

 

2. Use Emojis in Subject Lines

Your subject line is your first impression. It’s often the only thing people consider when deciding whether to open an email. Since this is the first thing your subscribers notice, it’s a great opportunity to use an emoji. 

Not only are emojis in subject lines more eye-catching, but they also have a higher read rate on average. However, don’t go too overboard with emojis. They should enhance your message, not replace it. 

 

3. Avoid Unpopular Emojis

Next, make sure you stick to the tried-and-true when it comes to emojis. While you can certainly find some niche options, these aren’t always easy to see or understand. The most popular emojis are things like the hand emojis, facial expressions, fire, and hearts. 

While you don’t have to stick to the most popular emojis, keep them in mind. The more obscure your choice, the harder it is to send the right message. You want your emoji selection to make it clear what you’re trying to say right away. 

 

4. Always Test Your Emojis

Another important thing to consider when using emojis in K12 marketing emails is how they’ll display in different email clients. With spam filters always being a concern in school districts, you can’t risk flagging your message or reducing deliverability. 

Different devices also display emojis in their own way. A free platform like Emojipedia helps you identify what emojis look like on different devices, and you should also test on different browsers before sending. 

 

5. Be Inclusive with Your Selection

Emojis are another way to be inclusive and accessible. Remember that some people who open your emails might be visually-impaired. If they’re using a screen reader, too many emojis can confuse the message. 

When in doubt, less is more. Use only one emoji at a time, and don’t include them mid-sentence. Similarly, use a variety of skin tones and genders to increase diversity in your emojis to appeal to everyone. 

 

6. Don’t Go Overboard

Emojis are like a delicious sauce. They’re great in moderation, but you don’t want to go overboard. Using too many emojis can turn professionals off to your message. In addition, they increase the odds of your email being flagged as spam. 

Your emojis should always be used intentionally. Don’t throw them in your emails for the sake of it. Make sure each one serves a real purpose. 

 

7. Consider Several Meanings

Lastly, don’t misuse emojis when you’re unsure of their meaning. There can be a lot of debate over what specific emojis mean, and this could confuse your audience. When in doubt, don’t use an emoji if you aren’t confident about its meaning. 

The wrong emoji—like the wrong word—impacts the whole tone of your email. It’s a good idea to share your email with several people to make sure you’re not barking up the wrong tree. 

 

Final Thoughts on Emojis in K12 Emails

Ultimately, emojis are a great way to strengthen your emails. However, they need to be used wisely. Choosing the right emojis, placement, and meaning for your emojis makes all the difference. 

In our visual world, it’s true that an emoji can be worth a thousand words. Why not try them for yourself in your next K12 marketing campaign?

 

You can think of a conversion funnel as a visual way to represent the different stages of the buyer’s journey. Starting from the first interaction between your brand and the customer until they complete a purchase, how do you build a K12 conversion funnel that’s focused on profits?

If you’re selling any type of product or service online, you likely already have a conversion funnel in place. However, it’s a good idea to optimize this funnel so it’s ready to boost your profits. Though this won’t happen overnight, it’s something you should always be working on to fine-tune your K12 marketing efforts. In this guide, we’ll explore how to build a K12 conversion funnel that triples profits. 

 

Understanding the Traditional AIDA Funnel Model

First, let’s take a look at the traditional AIDA model of conversion funnels. This is what most marketers are familiar with when it comes to the customer journey, and it’s based on four stages:

 

• Awareness: When someone discovers your brand, they become a lead. 

• Interest: Next, they slowly build interest in your product or service. 

• Desire: Then, you begin proposing ways the lead would benefit from your product or service. 

• Action: Finally, turn them into a customer by encouraging action. 

 

While this is a good picture of the sales cycle, your leads are real-world humans. That means they might not take the perfect linear process through your K12 conversion funnel every time, and that’s okay. People loop back to different stages, and some might need more nurturing before they take action. 

As a K12 marketer, it’s your job to understand your audience’s needs. In many cases, this means creating a flexible, conversion-based funnel. Additionally, the traditional AIDA sales funnel has your relationship with the customer ending after they make a purchase. Ideally, you want to keep them around, encouraging repeat purchases and referrals.

 

How to Create a K12 Conversion Funnel

Instead, let’s focus on building a less restrictive K12 sales funnel. This will be based specifically on your audience, and there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all. It’s all about understanding your unique buyer’s journey so you can understand your goals in greater detail. 

 

1. Map out your ideal buyer journey. 

First, determine what your ideal buyer journey looks like. This might change over time, but it’s important to have a clear starting point. The more you understand your audience’s needs, the better equipped you are to increase conversions. 

 

2. Set clear goals. 

Next, set clear goals. Think of your funnel as having separate parts: top, middle, and bottom. At the top of the funnel, you might set goals like growing social media followers or boosting your email list. In the middle, you might create a lead magnet to engage users. Finally, your end result might be to land more sales. 

 

3. Create content for each stage. 

Within your new sales funnel, you need to build a content plan. A reported 47% of buyers engaged with 3 to 5 pieces of content before they interact with a sales rep or make a purchase. This means you need to build product awareness, visually engage your audience, and show your value. This can be done through blog posts, videos, social media, and email marketing. 

 

4. Generate interest. 

If your K12 audience isn’t interested, they won’t feel compelled to take action. By being authentic, using the right language, and showing your product/service in action, you create a real “need” vs. “want” for a product. For example, if you’re promoting software for teachers, showing this tool in action can build real trust and excitement amongst your audience. 

 

5. Encourage real action.

From there, it’s time to encourage your audience to take action. Don’t assume they know what to do next. At the end of the funnel, you need to optimize your final stages. You might create a value-rich lead magnet to encourage email marketing signups, or you might offer a discount to sweeten the sales deal. 

 

6. Keep customers happy. 

Lastly, retain the customers you have. While it’s easy to focus on attracting new customers, it’s also essential to nurture the ones you already have. With 65% of a company’s business coming from existing customers, you can’t ignore your customers once they’ve reached the end of the funnel. Instead, continue to nurture them through new campaigns. 

 

Is Your K12 Funnel Working?

Ultimately, if your K12 conversion funnel doesn’t feel like a good fit, it probably isn’t. Your conversion funnel is something that’s always evolving and changing to suit your goals. Your customers change over time and so should you. 

Consider these 6 steps above to apply them to your own conversion funnel. When you map each stage of the process to your customer’s needs, you make sure each one feels valued.

 

While K12 marketers need to focus on getting traffic to their website, your efforts don’t stop here. You could have all the traffic in the world, but without conversions, what’s the point? If you want to generate powerful leads, you need the right strategy. This is why it’s important to understand how to create lead magnets your K12 audience can’t ignore. 

Lead magnets aren’t a new concept, but they’re not always used the right way. Essentially, a lead magnet is when you give something for free (content, educational tools, download, etc.) in exchange for an email address. From there, you can launch a targeted K12 email marketing campaign to build trust. 

However, as most marketers quickly learn, you can’t throw together a lead magnet in a few minutes and expect it to work like magic. With a reported 50% of marketers already using lead magnets to capture emails, follow these tips to create lead magnets your K12 audience can’t help but love. 

How Do Lead Magnets Work?

First, how exactly do lead magnets work? It comes down to a concept most people are already familiar with: free value. Who doesn’t love a free gift? This is backed by psychological research, and it’s known as the zero-price effect. When you share something for free, your audience is tempted to part with their information (ie. their email address) because they perceive this download/freebie as valuable. 

What types of lead magnets can you create for your K12 audience? 

 

• Ebooks
• Downloadable guides
• Templates
• Webinars
• Research or stats
• Email course
• Trends review
• Free trial

 

While K12 educators and administrators aren’t usually open to sharing personal information like their phone or email, they’re much more likely to do so when they see this as an equal exchange. A lead magnet is something a person would be willing to pay money for, making it more valuable. With over half of all marketers who use lead magnets reporting higher conversion rates, this strategy pays off. 

 

How to Create K12 Lead Magnets

Before you begin, make sure you know how to create K12 lead magnets that actually convert. These can take a lot of time to create, so you don’t want to waste that effort on something your audience doesn’t want. Instead, focus on these key points:

 

Know what your audience wants. 

To start, make sure you know what your audience really wants. Don’t make assumptions, but actually focus on surveys and statistics. Not sure what your K12 audience is looking for? Ask them. Consider your most engaging content in the past, and build upon that. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. 

 

Use audience feedback. 

From there, make sure you’re using your audience’s feedback to hone in on your lead magnet. Soliciting feedback through email, social media, and so on is another great way to learn from your current users. For instance, you might have a calendar lead magnet that helps teachers organize their planning schedules. A survey about specific seasonal concerns to current teachers is a great way to understand how to present this calendar. 

 

Specify your value. 

If the value of your lead magnet isn’t clear, you can’t expect your K12 audience to take action. Much of this comes down to using the right language. Compare these two examples: “Clean your classroom” vs. “Flu-proof your classroom with this 5-minute process backed by research.” Which are you more likely to choose? Most are likely to act after reading the latter since it clearly defines its value in a way that’s engaging. 

 

Focus on quality. 

Lastly, your lead magnet needs to be high-quality and memorable. Your freebie is only the first step in your sales funnel. Your end goal is to convert these users to paying customers. They won’t take any next steps if your lead magnet is poorly designed, low-quality, and full of typos. Make sure you’re offering a high-quality, engaging lead magnet that builds real-world trust. 

 

Capture Your K12 Audience Through Lead Magnets

Ultimately, more K12 marketers should be taking advantage of lead magnets. This is the best way to learn more about your audience, build your email list, and nurture leads. In addition, it’s inexpensive and easy to get started. You don’t need any fancy tech skills or graphics to build an initial lead magnet. However, you have to make sure it has clearly defined value and worth. 

What is your K12 audience asking for? Do they want a webinar on the latest trends in the K12 space? Or are they looking for ways to simplify classroom planning? Consider what makes the most sense for your goals and start your next marketing campaign today.

 

Managing your email list is an important part of being an email marketer. In the K12 space, it’s normal for previously active users to become less active over time, especially at different parts of the school year. The way you manage these inactive K12 email subscribers makes all the difference. 

Creating a targeted strategy that re-engages these subscribers in your offerings and brand is the best way to keep your list healthy. While you don’t want to risk your email metrics and deliverability on those who have no interest in your emails, these aren’t a lost cause right away. In this guide, we’ll share the different types of inactive K12 email subscribers as well as how to manage inactive users. 

 

What Is an Inactive Subscriber?

First, what exactly is an inactive email subscriber? This is anyone on your K12 email list who isn’t engaging with your emails after a period of time. It’s up to you how long you define this period and how you define engagement. Most consider an engagement as an email open or a click, but this depends on your email marketing tool and your goals. 

There are also different types of inactive email subscribers. They aren’t all the same, so it’s important to understand their key differences. As you’ll see, some are more likely to re-engage than others. 

 

• Never Active: First, the least likely to re-engage is never active customers. These are users who have never engaged with your emails from the start. They never opened emails or clicked on anything. They’re unlikely to be interested in receiving any messages in the future. 

• Lapsed Customer: A lapsed customer is one that no longer opens or clicks on emails, and they also aren’t converting into long-term customers. That being said, they did open emails and interact with your brand in the past. While they might become less active in the future, they also could be re-engaged. 

• Currently Inactive: Lastly, currently inactive customers are still actively buying from your brand. While they aren’t engaging with emails, they are still engaging with your brand.

 

Having never active customers on your email list long-term is bad news. These customers are unlikely to make a purchase in the future, and they’re only negatively affecting your email metrics and deliverability. Similarly, it’s a good idea to create a timeline for lapsed customers who are no longer engaging. Usually, this is a period of 6 months. After this point, any customers who have still failed to engage again aren’t likely to in the future. 

 

Your Brand’s Inactive Strategy

With that in mind, what should your brand do with inactive K12 subscribers? There is no one-size-fits-all. If you’ve struggled with spam filters and deliverability problems in the past, it’s a good idea to only send emails to your engaging customers. Otherwise, you might be willing to nurture these inactive leads for longer. 

In general, pay close attention to your subscriber activity and metrics. Consider these questions below to guide your own brand strategy towards K12 email marketing:

 

• Are you using a trusted, vetted K12 email list? 
• Are your emails up-to-date and accurate?
• How much of your email list engaged with your messages within the past few months?
• Does your customer activity match your email activity?
• Have you struggled with deliverability issues?

 

It’s important to have a segmented, personalized email list to use for your K12 marketing efforts. If you’re busy marketing to everyone with your message, nobody is really listening. Consider the distinct needs of your subscribers. For example, teachers respond to different content than administrators and vice versa. 

To engage lapsed or currently inactive customers, consider ways to give them greater value. This could be as simple as a special discount, exclusive offer, or asking for feedback. The average number of emails in an inbox is 200, so it’s understandable for your messages to go unnoticed for a while. Create a K12 email strategy to attract more eyes to your content. 

 

Understand Inactive K12 Emails

Managing inactive emails doesn’t have to be complicated. While some might discover it’s time to delete these inactive emails to improve overall deliverability, that doesn’t mean they’re all a lost cause. In reality, there are many actionable ways to re-engage these users to draw them back into a brand. 

Now that you understand the different types of inactive K12 email users, you’re ready to segment your list and create a real impact. As long as you’re mindful of your audiences’ needs, you’re on the right track.

 

In the email marketing world, there are a lot of different terms and phrases to keep track of. Along with the most important metrics, one of the best identifiers of email deliverability is the bounce. Essentially, when you get an email that can’t be sent (ie. ‘return to sender’), this is a bounced email. However, did you know there are differences between a hard bounce vs. soft bounce?

While you’ll hear both hard bounce and soft bounce used interchangeably, these terms have very distinct meanings in K12 email marketing. Understanding these differences impacts your overall K12 email marketing strategy. Like all things, it’s important to know the basics if you want to maintain a healthy, active email list. Keep reading to learn the difference between hard bounce vs. soft bounce and what they mean in the K12 email space. 

 

What Is a Hard Bounce in Email Marketing?

When you send an email and you get a hard bounce, what does this mean? This is a permanent bounce. This means the email will never be received by this specific email address. This is usually caused by an error. The most common errors are:

 

• The email doesn’t exist
• The email has a typo
• The address has been deactivated 
• You’ve been blocked

 

The good news is most email service providers (ESPs) remove hard bounces for you. For example, if you’re emailing a teacher who no longer works at a specific school, it’s very likely their email has been deactivated permanently. This isn’t an address you want to keep on your email list because it impacts your overall metrics. 

As part of basic list hygiene practices, it’s a good idea to remove any hard bounces after the email failed to be delivered several times. You don’t want to keep sending emails to these wrong addresses. Instead of deleting them from your list, first check if there’s a common typo (@gmil.com vs. @gmail.com) or misspelling. If not, deactivate it or add it to a suppression list. This ensures you don’t accidentally send something to this email again in the future. 

 

What Is a Soft Bounce in Email Marketing?

With that definition in mind, what is a soft bounce? This is a temporary bounce. While you couldn’t deliver your current message, you might be able to successfully deliver a message in the future. This kind of bounce is a bit trickier, and many marketers mistake it with a hard bounce. Why does this happen? There are a few possible reasons:

 

• You’ve been put on an email client blocklist
• The recipient’s mailbox is full
• The email address is temporarily suspended
• There’s a mail server outage
• Your emails have been marked as spam

 

In most cases, these things resolve on their own. For example, if a specific administrator has a full inbox, they’ll likely clear these in time and have the ability to receive new messages again. However, after several soft bounces, it might be worth treating these the same as a hard bounce. Most marketers say after 3 soft bounces, consider this email no longer deliverable. 

A soft bounce is also a good reason to check your email deliverability. Are your emails accidentally being marked as spam? Are you using words that are commonly flagged as malicious? These things can impact your ability to appear in your recipients’ inboxes in the first place. Keeping a close eye on both hard and soft bounces is an important part of managing the health of your email list. 

 

Is Your K12 Email List Up-to-Date?

Ultimately, it’s up to you as the marketer to stay up-to-date on your K12 email marketing list. Whether you notice a hard or soft bounce, both of these metrics are an opportunity to take a closer look at the health of your list. 

If you continue to send emails to bounced addresses, this sends the wrong signal to internet service providers (ISPs). Not only might they assume you’re spam, but you’re negatively affecting your own metrics. Get in the habit of checking your email bounce status regularly. This should be on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on how many messages you send your subscribers. 

Remember, it’s always better to have a smaller, engaged email list than to send thousands of messages that don’t appear in inboxes. Each message has value, so you don’t want to doom them to the inbox graveyard. Understanding the difference between hard bounce vs. soft bounce is the first step in understanding email list hygiene.

 

Automated confirmation emails are often considered throwaway emails. These are quick, brief emails that most people don’t give much thought to. In reality, confirmation emails carry a lot of weight. They set the tone for your continued K12 email marketing, and they’re an opportunity to create a strong impression with your audience.

With marketing emails influencing the buying decisions of over 50% of customers, it’s important to give close attention to all aspects of your email funnel. While most K12 marketers understand the value of your content and offer-driven emails, don’t underestimate the power of your confirmation emails. In this K12 marketing guide, we’ll share how to create a confirmation email that leaves a lasting impact. 

 

What Is a Confirmation Email?

First, what even is a confirmation email in K12 email marketing? This is the email you get right away after making a purchase or signing up for something. It’s a way to say ‘thank you,’ as well as provide a summary of the order or purchase. It’s an important part of the blueprint funnel for selling to schools, teachers, and other K12 professionals. 

What can confirmation emails do for your K12 business? Because these confirmation emails are about a recent purchase, they typically end up directly in your audience’s inbox (rather than spam). That means these emails have a high open rate. Confirmation emails are used for all different types of situations, such as:

 

• Booking confirmation (event, travel, reservation, etc.)
• Newsletter signup
• Order confirmation
• Appointment confirmation
• Download confirmation
• Shipping update

 

Because they contain important information users want to hold onto, they’re likely to read this email fully. This is a chance to start a conversation, build trust, and continue your relationship with your user. With an average open rate of 42%, confirmation emails have untapped potential for businesses of all shapes and sizes. 

 

How to Create Strong Confirmation Emails

With that definition in mind, how do you build stronger confirmation emails for your K12 audience? First, recognize that K12 professionals are busy. They don’t have a lot of time to scroll through lengthy emails. Because of this, keep things short and to the point. 

Aside from a warm welcome, include important details related to the order or action. This could be a confirmation number, order number, payment information, and so on. This should be right at the top where customers can easily access it. By making your emails easy to understand, the experience is positive for your users. 

Beyond the basics, there are other meaningful ways to leave a strong impression with your confirmation emails. Here are some ideas to help you stand out and drive further action.

 

Share next steps

Though confirmation numbers and shipping information is a good first step, don’t be afraid to share even more. Start a conversation based on your audience’s pain points. What might they need to know to hit the ground running with their new product, event registration, or so on?

For example, if you’re sending a product for the classroom, sharing success stories or helpful how-to guides is a great way to help your customers. This is a proactive way to anticipate their problems, rather than waiting for them to come to you.

 

Celebrate customer loyalty

Another way to stand out with your confirmation emails is to celebrate customer loyalty. When someone makes a purchase, this is a sign of trust. It’s always worth celebrating, so treat it like the occasion it is. 

Use your confirmation email to thank your customers for their support, and consider implementing a reward program to boost long-term loyalty. Never underestimate the power of a simple ‘thank you.’ When your customers feel valued and heard, they know they’re more than just a number on a sales page. 

 

Try a CTA

Last but not least, consider experimenting with CTAs to drive even more action with your emails. A call to action is a great chance to share more about your company or even bring a user back to your website. Remember, it’s all about keeping the conversation going. 

However, avoid bombarding users with too many CTAs and messages. You don’t want them to feel like they’re being aggressively sold to right after they’ve made a purchase. Instead, focus on ways to add real value. Whether you share a relevant blog post, your trending product page, or an upcoming event, make sure it’s meaningful. 

 

The Bottom Line on Confirmation Emails

Ultimately, confirmation emails are a powerful way to follow up with customers at a critical moment. In the K12 space, relationships are everything. Building real-world trust with each email is the best way to encourage repeat purchases. 

Now that you know how to use your confirmation emails to your advantage, it’s time to craft your own. As long as you’re making the user experience as easy as possible, you’re well on your way to creating a winning K12 email marketing strategy.

 

While most businesses focus on attracting new customers, it is also very important to spend some time on your existing customers. Marketing and selling to new customers take time, money, and resources. In fact, existing customers are 50% more likely to buy new products and spend more compared to new customers. 

With that in mind, how can you show existing customers you value and appreciate them? Modern customers are smarter than ever before, especially in the K12 space. These professionals have more options than in the past, and it’s hard to earn their long-term loyalty. In this guide, we’ll highlight some of the best ways to show value to your K12 customers. 

 

1. Give Customers Incentives

First, incentives are a great way to engage existing customers. When you provide incentives, you encourage repeat purchases and boost spending. When you have customers that haven’t engaged in a while, incentives are one of the most powerful ways to drive them back towards your business. 

When customers are happy, they spend more. In the K12 space, you have to compete with a lot of distractions and yearly changes. Incentives can make all the difference in how your customers approach your brand and whether they come back again. Here are some incentive ideas to spark inspiration:

 

• Discounts for bulk orders
• Holiday or seasonable discounts
• Free add-on services or products
• Exclusive event invites
• Loyalty products with purchase

 

2. Build a Loyalty Program

Next, brand loyalty is worth its weight in gold. A reported 71% of consumers say loyalty programs are an important part of their brand relationships. When you give your existing customers special loyalty benefits, they’re more likely to choose you over the competition. It’s all about making your K12 audience feel special and valued. 

There are a lot of different types of loyalty programs, and you’re likely already familiar with these systems. You can have a point system, adding up customer purchases to earn things with their “points.” Another option is a service fee, like Amazon Prime, which offers customers discounts and special offers. Consider what makes the most sense for your specific K12 audience and create something with them in mind. 

 

3. Collect Feedback and Take Action

Additionally, you need to check in with your existing audience to make sure you know how they feel. Too many brands assume they know best. In reality, it’s easy to be out of touch with your existing audience. Taking the time to collect feedback from K12 professionals directly is the best way to stay on top of your current strengths and weaknesses. 

How do you get to know your audience and their true feelings? It’s simple: ask them! Conduct polls, surveys, and questionnaires to collect key metrics. Email is a great way to deliver these surveys. In exchange for their time, offer existing customers a special discount or freebie.

 

4. Use Reviews to Your Advantage

Did you know negative reviews can actually be a good thing for your company? Though it sounds fake, it’s true. A negative review is an opportunity to do better. Not only does this give you a chance to learn from real feedback, but you can also address this review and turn the situation around. 

In fact, 45% of users are more likely to visit a business if they respond to a negative review. Taking the time to correct the situation shows you go above and beyond for the customer experience. With this in mind, you can use both positive and negative reviews to give value to your K12 customers. 

 

5. Care About Customer Success

In the K12 space, you need to do everything you can to stand out in a crowded inbox. You understand that K12 professionals are busy, and they work hard every day. You should also help your customers succeed. 

Not only does this mean understanding their pain points, but consider how your business can help their own journey. Whether you’re offering a simplified solution for teachers or a product for schools, make sure your story aligns with your customer’s story. When you care about your customers’ success, they care about yours as well. 

 

6. Be Personal

Last but not least, be personal with your customers. No matter the interaction, make sure it’s real and authentic. This should be at all levels of your business, from email marketing messages to sales calls. Look for ways to personalize the overall experience. 

Your customers are looking to you for real value. If you want to make your brand memorable, make sure you personalize it whenever you can. Business is all about relationships. When you develop real relationships, you create real trust and loyalty. 

 

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, if you want to create value, you need to put your customers first. Your customer’s needs can’t be an afterthought. They need to be at the foundation of each interaction, message, and offer. 

From loyalty programs to reviews, this guide is the best way to show value to your K12 customers. They follow you for a reason. Make sure you’re delivering on your promise to make their lives and workdays better.