Continuing Education is one of the industries with the best success rate for direct mail. The main reason for this is the accessibility to data, and thus continuing education is an example of how targeted mailings can be highly successful. Other industries can have the same results as that of continuing education, but more work will need to be placed on determining the ideal demographic and finding data sources associated with that demographic.

With continuing education, the demographic and data are clear and very accessible. Since most continuing education is to maintain a certification or status, it is very easy to pull data associated with that certification and only target those individuals. Direct mail is a perfect way to advertise to these individuals. Direct mail also offers the opportunity to provide valuable information as to the value a course can provide, as there are many different options available. Many times people will not want to do the research to find the best course to fit their needs, but if they receive a mail piece for an interesting seminar or conference that also meets their continuing education requirements the choice is easy.

Targeting new prospects as well as marketing to previous clients is essential in growing a continuing education business. Direct mail is a great way to specifically target individuals who need continuing education credits because the list is already defined and a physical mail piece gives you the time and opportunity to pitch your course or seminar. Continuing education is a great case study in that it shows how important data is. Direct mail is a powerful tool if done correctly, and most importantly direct mail will need to be targeted to the correct people.