The Ultimate Guide to Video Content for Higher Education
In today's digital age, higher education institutions constantly seek innovative ways to stand out and attract prospective students. One powerful marketing tool that has gained significant traction in recent years is video content. From virtual tours to student testimonials, video enables educational institutions to showcase their unique offerings and create an emotional connection with their audience.
In this ultimate guide, we'll explore why video content is an effective marketing strategy for higher education institutions and provide practical tips for creating and promoting engaging videos that resonate with potential students.
Get ready to take your higher education marketing efforts that attract students to the next level with the power of video!
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Why is Video Content a Good Marketing Strategy for Higher Education?
Video is an increasingly effective marketing strategy. HubSpot found 96% of people watch a video to learn more about a product or service, with the video swaying 89% of them to make a purchase. Integrating videos into your marketing strategy lets you tell your institution's story, offering a more immersive and authentic glimpse into your campus, student life, academic programs, and overall experience.
Furthermore, video content, including faculty and staff interviews, student testimonials, and virtual tours, helps build an emotional attachment with future students. This connection fosters trust and relatability, increasing prospective students' likelihood of choosing your institution over others. Also, video content's shareability makes it a powerful tool for amplifying your school's reach and visibility.
With engaging and informative videos, you can tap into social media engagement and sharing behaviour during the college search process, expanding your reach organically and attracting a diverse pool of applicants, including traditional students and adults. By leveraging video in your higher education marketing strategy, you'll meet your prospect's expectations and gain a competitive edge in the increasingly crowded higher education landscape.
How Do You Market Educational Content to Attract Prospective Students?
Developing a comprehensive and targeted strategy is crucial as you work on marketing educational content through video.
Conduct thorough research to understand future students' specific demographics, interests, and challenges. This insight will enable you to create video content that addresses their needs and aspirations, making your online marketing strategy efforts more effective and relevant. A tailored approach connects you with your audience and builds trust, as potential students feel understood and valued.
Here are some tips to ensure you reach future students where they're most likely to engage:
Leverage multiple channels for content delivery.
Utilize social media platforms, email campaigns, and targeted online advertising to encourage viewers to share your content, and harness the power of search engine optimization (SEO) to increase visibility and accessibility.
Consider partnering with influencers or industry experts to amplify your message further and enhance your credibility.
As you create educational content, focus on storytelling and providing value. Share the success stories of current students and alums and your institution's unique features and benefits to craft a compelling narrative that resonates with potential students.
Incorporate engaging visual elements like infographics and videos to make your content easily digestible. Finally, always include clear calls-to-action (CTAs) within your content to guide your audience toward the next steps in their educational journey.
Bonus: An Actionable Tip for Video Marketing
To kick-start your video efforts, create a content calendar outlining your video strategy key topics and channels for sharing. This organizational tool promotes consistency in messaging and regular engagement with your target audience—essential factors for building trust and establishing strong connections with prospective students.
Seven Types of Higher Education Marketing Videos to Create
Creating diverse video content can help you make personalized videos that appeal to potential enrollees and showcase various aspects of your offerings.
Here are seven types of marketing videos you can create to promote your institution:
Number 1: Virtual reality tours
Provide immersive virtual reality campus tours of your campus, allowing prospective students to take a virtual campus tour and explore the facilities from the comfort of their homes.
For example, New York University's YouTube channel features a video titled "Take a (Virtual) Tour of NYU," which displays various students talking about the different locations on campus, how to get there and what they like about it. The campus tour provides an authentic and relatable perspective, which can help prospective students envision themselves as part of the NYU community.
Number 2: Testimonials
Share authentic stories from current students, faculty members, and alums discussing their experiences at your institution and their impact on their lives.
For example, Harvard University's YouTube channel features a video titled "Harvard Alumni Community Video," which shows older alumni speaking about how their education shaped them into who they are today. By featuring older alums, the video also emphasizes the long-lasting benefits of a Harvard education, instilling confidence in prospective students that their investment in education at the university will continue to benefit them throughout their lives.
Number 3: Promotional videos
Create compelling promotional videos highlighting your institution's unique selling points, such as state-of-the-art facilities or innovative programs.
For example, the University of Birmingham's YouTube channel features a video titled "Welcome to the University of Birmingham," a promotional video that uses various pictures, videos and text to promote the school. It is a powerful introduction for students considering the university, providing a first-hand look at the institution's strengths and unique features.
Number 4: Behind-the-scenes content
Offer a glimpse into the daily lives of students and faculty by sharing behind-the-scenes footage of classes, research projects, or extracurricular activities.
For example, the University of New Hampshire's YouTube channel features a video titled "UNH Hockey Behind the Scenes Episode 1," which shows the hockey coach and other players on the team, giving you a glimpse of what happens before a hockey game. Short videos like this can appeal to future students who are passionate about sports and seek an institution prioritizing athletic success and academic excellence.
Number 5: Campus culture and traditions
Showcase your institution's campus culture and unique traditions, giving prospective students a sense of the atmosphere they can expect when they join.
For example, the University of Missouri Kansas City's YouTube channel features a video titled "Graduation at UMKC," which displays various graduation ceremony clips and communicates how their students achieved this milestone and their impact on the world. By sharing how students will make a difference in the world, the video highlights the value of an education at UMKC and its potential to transform lives and shape future careers.
Number 6: Student success stories
Share inspiring success stories of students who have overcome challenges, achieved personal or academic milestones, or made a difference in their communities, demonstrating the transformative power of your student body and institution's education.
For example, Western Sydney University's YouTube channel features a video titled "The College - Student Success Stories." The video showcases various students as they share their challenges and how they overcame them. Featuring real students sharing their genuine experiences fosters credibility and trust in the university's commitment to student success.
Number 7: Short-form videos
@binghamtonu No wonder they’re the most popular club on campus! Go check out @ binghamtoncheeseclub on Insta 🧀 #ratatouille #fyp #binghamtonuniversity #cheese ♬ Le Festin (From "Ratatouille") - Movie Sounds Unlimited
Create concise and engaging short-form videos for social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, showcasing campus life, events, or achievements.
For example, Binghamton University's Tik Tok account features a short-form video about their Cheese Club that demonstrates the different activities you'll experience as a club member. Short-form videos like this allow potential students to envision themselves as part of the campus community, fostering a sense of belonging and connection.
How to Measure the Success of Using Video Content for Higher Education Marketing
Measuring the success of your higher education video marketing campaign is crucial to understanding its effectiveness and making data-driven decisions for future campaigns.
Here are some key metrics and methods you can use to measure and evaluate your video marketing efforts:
One: Identify your goals
Start by defining the objectives of your video marketing campaign, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or boosting student enrollment. These goals will help you determine the most relevant metrics to track for your videos.
Two: Choose the right analytics tools
Select analytics tools that best align with your needs and the platforms where you share your videos. Google Analytics, YouTube Analytics, and platform-specific social media analytics tools are known for tracking video performance.
Three: Implement tracking codes
Use tracking codes or UTM parameters in your video links to accurately identify the sources driving traffic and conversions. This information will be invaluable for optimizing your distribution channels and refining your targeting strategy.
Four: Monitor views and engagement metrics
Regularly track views and engagement metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and watch time. These metrics provide insights into how well your content resonates with your audience and can help you optimize your video content for a more significant impact.
Five: Measure click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates
Keep an eye on your video content's CTR and conversion rates, especially if you're using video ads or including calls-to-action (CTAs) in your videos. High CTR rates suggest your content effectively encourages viewers to take the desired action.
Six: Analyze audience retention rates
Examine audience retention rates to determine how long viewers watch your videos. According to Uscreen, some general benchmarks on the average audience retention are 50% to 70% for YouTube, 60-80% for most TikTok short-form videos, and 40-60% for Instagram Reels.
Seven: Assess traffic sources and audience demographics
Identify the sources driving traffic to your video content and analyze the demographics of your viewers. This information will help you reach your target audience and create content that resonates with them.
Eight: Calculate return on investment (ROI)
Compare the costs of producing and promoting your videos with the revenue generated from conversions, such as student enrollments. A positive ROI indicates your video marketing efforts are paying off.
Nine: Adjust your strategy based on insights
Use the insights gathered from your analysis to continuously evaluate and adjust your video marketing strategy, content, and distribution efforts. This process will help optimize your higher education video marketing campaign for better reach, engagement, and conversions.
Bonus: Another Actionable Tip for Video Marketing
Embedding a video in a blog post (like we’ve done above) can significantly improve your SEO efforts as visitors spend more time on sites with multimedia content, which increases user engagement on your page. This increased engagement will signal to Google that your content is valuable and relevant, improving search rankings. Check out our 43 steal-worthy blog post ideas for higher education to get ideas on what to write.
Final Thoughts on Higher Education Video Content
Following the strategies and insights presented in this guide, you can create a compelling video content plan that raises awareness of your institution and creates lasting connections with prospective enrollees. With this ultimate guide in your hand, you're well-equipped to make your mark through the compelling medium of video content.
That said, implementing new marketing strategies requires a lot of planning and execution. If you need help, we offer customized, full-service higher education marketing services that will fill your pipeline with quality prospects and applications. You can schedule a free consultation with one of our experts to learn more about our services and how they can help your school grow!
Who We Are
Noetic Marketer is a higher education digital marketing agency that supports universities and colleges in many aspects. At the heart of Noetic Marketer are a team of strategists, designers, and analytic minds focused on achieving your school's enrollment and student and alums engagement goals.
Over the past few years, our team has created and implemented complete digital marketing solutions for higher education institutions across North America.
Our services include digital strategy consultations, search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, social media advertising, content marketing, website design, email marketing, CRM implementation, and conversion rate optimization.
About the Author
Krystal Wiltshire first entered the digital marketing world when she interned at a small agency in Montreal, Quebec, where she discovered her knack for blog writing.
Since then, she has continuously improved her skills, working closely with small business owners and marketing teams in larger-scale businesses.
As a Digital Marketing Coordinator at Noetic Marketer, Krystal strives to create content that positions our clients’ brands or companies in a positive light and uplifts them to become industry leaders.
When she’s not working, Krystal loves to break into spontaneous dance sessions, look up new cooking recipes, and watch her favourite crime shows on Netflix.
