Video marketing is a powerful tool when trying to capture the attention of your audience, especially when you’re targeting the younger generation.
According to the 2017 Social Admissions Report, 4 out of 5 students have watched a video while conducting their college search. 1 out of every 3 students use social media to research colleges before applying. It’s clear students decisions are largely based on a school’s digital marketing efforts and social media presence.
Give prospective students a visual representation for what your school is really like by highlighting your campus, student life, and academic programs. Not only is video good for students, but it’s very beneficial for parents to see where they are sending their children. Below are some video content ideas you can utilize to market your school.
Website Videos
Website banner videos are becoming increasingly popular. It’s understandable! When students are considering a college to apply to, not everyone has the luxury of visiting all the schools of their choice. Aerial video is the perfect tool to show students the campus and surrounding areas. Include campus beauty shots, athletics, student life, etc. in one video making it much more effective than photos scattered all over the website.
Here are a two great examples of video content to use on your website from Cornell and University of Virginia.
Athletics
There are a variety of creative ways to promote your athletic programs through video.
– Excite potential and current students through school spirit. Capture highlights from sporting events and games. Show the fans cheering, mascot dancing, and action shots. Hype videos are perfect for sharing on social media. Students will replay over and over again and also re-share on their social accounts.
– Follow a day in the life of a select few athletes. What is it really like to be a full time student and athlete? Begin from waking up in the dorm room, rushing to class, running to practice, and finishing the video studying with friends. A look into what life is like juggling both class and sports, while also highlighting other areas of campus.
Areas of Study
There are many students who are unsure of what area of study to focus on when enrolling in college courses. They begin school with an undeclared major or switch to a different focus later in their college career.
Creating videos that focus on certain areas of study could potentially help students better decide on their major. For example, what does the engineering major consist of? What type of classes are offered? Is it a hands on program? This video will better answer all the student questions that may arise, by envisioning themselves there.
Have Your Students Talk For You
What better way to market your school than having current and past students talk about their experience? Hearing what students are saying about their student life, classes, and extra curricular activities could hit a cord with those looking to apply to your institution. Capture student testimonials, a day in the life, walk around campus, etc.
Here a few examples of colleges that have enrolled students to speak on their behalf, University of South Carolina and University of Delaware.
Focus on Individual Student Achievements
Provide your audience with an inspirational look at how their students are succeeding. It’s a great way to highlight your school, with an uplifting, storytelling piece. You have a school full of inspiring kids, who face challenges, and have come from a variety of backgrounds. There are so many stories just waiting to be told.
University of Pennsylvania has created an array of video content focusing on their students achievements. This example is from one of their Presidential prize winners for Innovation.
Want to know more or discuss your video marketing ideas?
