Higher education marketing is impressive these days. Not only are prospective students drawn in by enticing visuals, inspiring taglines and digital communication, but also higher EDU marketers are highly strategic. Marketers refer to data to make decisions, launch sophisticated branding campaigns and target precise audiences on social media.
Yet with all of the strategic moves that are taken, higher education videos tend to be shallow and simple-minded. Do prospective students really care to watch random clips of your last orientation or commencement? We’ll let you answer that one.
Tips for Revamping Your School’s Recruitment Videos
Videos are an integral part of your higher EDU marketing strategy, so we’re not suggesting that you cut them out. Instead, you need to find innovative ways to bring your videos to life so that they resonate with students. Let’s look at some of the best ways to revamp your institution’s recruitment videos.
Share a Story
The audience you’re trying to target has a short attention span and expects immediate engagement. Knowing this, you have milliseconds to draw viewers in. This is what makes the story approach an effective format for your higher EDU videos.
Emotionally involve viewers in the story so that they feel something and are left wanting more. A perfect example is to connect viewers with the main character in the story. Choose your character carefully. They should represent your vision or tagline and have an impactful story to share.
Use Natural Sound Effects
Don’t add random background music or sound effects in your videos. Let the sound effects come from natural sources such as footsteps in the hallway or the sound of coffee brewing in the student lounge. This makes the video feel genuine and honest. If you have to interview someone, consider doing so in their natural environment.
Spring into Action
Don’t waste the first few seconds of your video showing your logo. You need to dazzle viewers right away, so jump into action and deliver something great. This could be an eye-opening statistic, a question from a staff member or a compelling statement from a student.
Keep the Story Going
If you use video to show static images of your buildings, you’re wasting an opportunity. Video is used to put viewers into the scene, so keep your video flowing with movement and a variety of shots. Some basic editing tips will go a long way in the final product, so brush up on shot sequencing, effective cuts and wide and tight shots.
End on a High Note
Your ending is just as powerful as the beginning. When shaping the end of your video, think about what you want viewers to do. Do you want them to fill out an application? Take a tour of your school? Visit with a guidance counselor? Put the power back in their hands, include an element of surprise and keep the video to two minutes or less.
It’s time for higher education videos to be more interesting and less boring. By following the tips above, you can revamp your institution’s videos and draw more students in with expressive storytelling.
