Salesforce Marketing Cloud Consultant
5 minutes
SFMC for Alumni Engagement | Focused Alumni Campaigns | Reaching Alumni Through Social Media
Salesforce Marketing Cloud | Institutions | Student recruitment | Digital marketing for education | Alumni Engagement
University admissions teams | Higher education marketing professionals | Student recruitment officers | Education administrators | Marketing automation specialists | Private and public school administrators | School directors
Part 3: Effective Alumni Engagement
(Missed Part 1? Check it out here)
Article 3: Effective Alumni Engagement
We’ve already talked about how Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) helps with student recruitment and onboarding, but now let’s dive into something just as important: Alumni Engagement. Why? Because they are not just your past students, they are also your school’s lifelong brand ambassadors, mentors, donors, and networkers. In short, they’re one of your school’s greatest assets.
The challenge? Keeping that connection strong as your alumni network grows in scale and variety. SFMC is your secret weapon, helping you engage alumni more effectively. For one, it requires thoughtful, targeted communication and effective event management. Let’s explore how you can use SFMC to build deeper, lasting relationships with your alumni.
Focused Alumni Campaigns: No need for target practice
The key to effective alumni engagement lies in personalization. As mentioned previously, alumni groups vary in scale and variety. They vary by graduation year, degree program, geographic location, career path, and past engagement with the institution, and so on. With that being said, a one-size-fits-all approach not only falls flat most of the time, but also feels like a dishonest way of reaching out. Since you already have the data, there’s no need to target practice. So why send them the same, generic messages? It’s like posting a general message on Facebook and expecting a connection. \_(ツ)_/ You don’t want that, and neither do they! Instead, use SFMC’s segmentation capabilities to hit the bullseye every time.
Segmenting your data to specific groups based on factors like graduation year, field of study, or past event attendance allows you to create tailored campaigns that resonate with each unique group. Recent graduates? Invite them to networking events or professional development webinars. Alumni who graduated decades ago? Tap into their nostalgia with invitations to sports events or fundraising efforts! Whether the goal is to invite them to an event, update them on campus developments, or ask for donations, you always know that the communications they are receiving are relevant to them. Plus, keeping alumni updated on how their past donations have made a difference makes them feel appreciated and more likely to stay involved. It’s about creating genuine connection that feels meaningful to both you and all of them. All hits, no misses. 🎯
Social Media World: Reaching Alumni Where They Are
It’s the world of social media, and we’re living in it! LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter—that’s where they’re hanging out. Why not meet them there? SFMC’s Social Studio and social listening tools allow you to track alumni interactions, enabling you to engage at just the right moment.
Whether alumni are celebrating professional milestones on LinkedIn or sharing throwback college memories on Facebook, SFMC helps you jump in with timely, relevant content. This could be promoting a fundraiser, sharing alumni success stories, or inviting them to a networking event. With social media, you can connect in real-time when your alumni are most engaged.
For example, imagine an alum tweets about wanting career advice. With SFMC, you can quickly respond by inviting them to a mentorship program or career workshop. Social media makes staying connected simple and effective. The key is to maintain connections that feel genuine, not forced.
Alumni engagement is about building lifelong relationships that benefit both you and your graduates. With SFMC, you have the tools to craft personalized, meaningful campaigns, leverage social media for real-time interactions, and manage events that keep alumni connected. SFMC helps transform alumni from past students into lasting partners in your school’s success.
Mint Consulting Australia Pty Ltd (ABN: 13 629 524 572) is a Sydney-based CRM and Salesforce Managed Services consultancy specializing in implementations, integrations, and business strategy, supported by a skilled local team of consultants, solution architects, and developers.