From generic to genuine: Why personalization matters in higher ed advertising
May 29, 2025
As the number of students graduating from high school continues to decline and fewer students choose to go to college, higher education has become a highly competitive market. The number of high school graduates will peak at around 3.9 million in 2025 and then gradually decline by 13% fewer graduates by 2041. And 2023 saw 61.4% of recent high school graduates enroll in college, the lowest rate since 1990.
Add having only 8 seconds to capture a prospective student’s attention and you start to see why your ads need to drive results. With personalization, you shift the conversation from a broad audience to one-on-one, making your ads more relevant to prospects.
What is personalization in higher ed advertising?
Personalization in advertising delivers content that feels authentic to an individual. This is achieved through segmented messaging, where your message is tailored to specific groups or individuals based on demographics, interests or behaviors.
93% of students said a personalized message from a college or university would encourage them to explore a school further. This might involve delivering a prospective student an ad about nursing after they visit healthcare-related content on your site or select nursing when they fill out a form. It could also involve sending different ads to a high school student versus a student wanting graduate study information.
Personalization and segmentation
When determining your audience, you need to know when and how to use segmentation and personalization. Segmentation sorts your audience into groups while personalization speaks to each individual.
Segmentation:
Groups audiences based on shared traits like age, location or major and sends each group the same message.
Example: An email sent with the subject line “Amy, start your application today!” uses a name to personalize, but the same content is sent to anyone in your mailing list who is in the application stage.
Personalization:
Individual messages based on website behavior, email engagement or past inquiries to tailor content on a one-to-one level.
Example: A university might send “Amy” a digital ad for their architecture program because she attended the architecture program visit day during her junior year of high school.
Why personalization matters
In addition to traditional advertising like college fair brochures and emails, prospective students want to feel seen and valued in your interactions. Students expect the same level of personalization from you as they do from brands like Amazon and Spotify. The schools that deliver this experience see a positive impact on their recruitment with increased engagement and response rates.
Prospective students approach their academic journey the same way they shop for products and services – through comparison, research and connection. Your advertising should answer questions like:
Does this school understand my life goals?
Will this program fit my career path?
Can I see myself at this school?
84% of people say being treated like a person, not a number, is very important to winning their loyalty. When you talk to prospective students as individuals with unique goals and preferences, you capture their attention and build lasting connections that drive enrollment and retention.
Targeting with personalization
Personalization turns mass marketing into meaningful conversations, increasing engagement and conversions. Whether it’s a digital ad about a specific academic program or a direct mail piece about scholarships available to them, personalization tells your audience they belong at your school.
Digital ads: Targeting that feels tailor-made
Personalized digital advertising serves the right message to the right audience at the right time.
Geo-targeted ads based on a person’s physical location make advertising more relevant. You might send ads to students at high schools or those who attend a college fair.
Behavioral targeting uses browsing history or device usage to customize ads. If a person recently searched for tuition and fees, they’re likely to engage with this type of information.
Retargeting: Convert interest into enrollment
Ever browse a product and see it show up again later? That’s retargeting, and it works because it keeps your brand top of mind.
Website actions like visiting an academic page or filling out an application can trigger personalized retargeting.
Inquiry behavior, such as signing up for a campus visit day or filling out a form for more information on a specific program, can start follow-up content tailored to those interests.
Video storytelling: Connect emotionally
Telling the story of your college or university is more personal through video as it elicits an emotional response.
Showcase your current students. Telling your story through their eyes allows prospective students to identify with your school and create a real connection. Allow students to contact those in the video via chat or email to get their questions answered.
You can send out reels from significant events like graduation or visit days to build excitement. Videos detailing academic colleges, programs and career outcomes would generate interest.
Direct mail: a personal touch in the mailbox
Personalized direct mail continues to show results in higher ed. You can customize direct mail with scholarship offers, ACT/SAT information and insert images based on each person (ex., females like to see photos of females interacting on campus).
Parents also appreciate direct mail as they use the information to advise their children on where to attend school with 75% of parents wanting direct communication from schools during the college-search process.
Add the student’s name or information specific to their academic interest to boost engagement.
Deliver content that speaks directly to the recipient, making it feel authentic and keeping your school top-of-mind. Direct mail about financial aid and scholarship deadlines would show you understand their priorities and are here to help them take the next step.
Brochures: targeted storytelling
Brochures tell the story of your school in photos and words. And when personalized, they become experiences that resonate with your prospective students.
Swap out testimonials from current students and alumni based on the prospect’s chosen degree program.
Update visuals or calls-to-action depending on the prospect. If someone is interested in college athletics, you would insert sports photos to make a direct connection.
Strategies to implement personalization
To connect with prospective students, your advertising must speak to them. Personalization starts by recognizing where each student is in their enrollment journey, from interest to applying to officially enrolling. At each stage, tailor your messaging to reflect their interests, behaviors and needs.
3 key strategies to make personalization work across all your advertising:
Leverage Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and behavioral data.
Your CRM has actionable insight and information to create audience segments:
Interests (like academic program, campus life or sports)
Engagement history (such as webpage clicks, completing forms or campus visit sign-ups)
Enrollment stage (inquiry, applicant, admitted etc.)
Advertising example: Deliver program-specific digital ads to students who browsed academic pages on your website.
Align messages to student interests and enrollment stage.
Once you segment your audiences, create advertising and email to match their interests and where they are in the enrollment funnel:
Prospects receive alumni success stories, campus tour information and financial aid or scholarship options.
Applicants need reminders about deadlines and required documents.
Admitted students want details on enrolling for classes, student housing and orientation.
Advertising example: Use segmented digital ads and retargeting to keep content relevant as students progress through the enrollment journey.
Use personalization across the enrollment funnel.
Prospective students are looking for useful and timely information as they move through the enrollment funnel:
Top of funnel: Serve interest-based digital ads
Middle of funnel: Invite prospects to virtual information sessions
Bottom of funnel: Use ads about enrollment deadlines or orientation invitations
Advertising example: Provide a consistent, multi-channel advertising presence to reinforce your message and credibility as prospects move closer to visiting campus, applying or enrolling.
Your personalization ad partner
Forum Communication Company advertising experts are ready to assist you with your personalized higher education advertising strategies. Work with us and get:
Access to the largest audience in the Upper Midwest
Precision targeting with exclusive data insights
No hidden fees for design, customer support or reports
A local expert managing your advertising strategy
In addition, Forum Communications Printing offers personalization services on our digital presses, which allow for personalization during printing. Digital presses are ideal for personalized postcards, letters, flyers, mailers and more.
Implementing personalization in your advertising improves communication and transforms the prospective student experience. By delivering the right message at the right time, your college or university will build stronger relationships, enhance engagement and get more students to choose your institution with confidence.
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