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1. The Power of Video for Gen Z
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2. What Types of Videos Engage Students, Parents, and Alums?
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3. How to Hone Your Higher Education Video Marketing
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4. How to Optimize Higher Education Marketing Videos for Search Engines
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5. Amplifying Reach with Paid Advertising for Higher Education Videos
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6. Conclusion
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7. FAQs
As the landscape of higher education evolves, marketing and admissions professionals are increasingly turning to video content to secure a competitive edge. Higher education video marketing is not just a trend; it’s a strategic move that can set institutions apart.
In a world where video is king, especially among Gen Z, colleges and universities are refining their production skills to stand out.
The Power of Video for Gen Z
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 81% of Gen Z, which constitutes most of today’s traditional college students, spends 1+ hour daily on social media
- Over half of them are using social media for 3+ hours.
- With 1 in 5 users (21%), TikTok continues to be the most popular app, followed by YouTube and news applications.
It’s important to note that Gen Z consumers’ extensive online time is characterized by a preference for short-form material, particularly on sites like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok, where video clips last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes.
For teens and tweens, Gen Z’s younger, pre-college members, online video usage has also increased substantially. TikTok, the most popular social media network among teenagers, is where teens spend 1 hour 47 minutes daily.
Most teens in the US use social media and own a smartphone, and over half report being online constantly. And YouTube leads the list of the most used sites by this group (as revealed in a recent Pew Research survey).
This trend isn’t just confined to personal entertainment; it significantly intersects with the educational landscape, and reveals how videos have become a pivotal tool in both daily life and formal education, bridging the gap between how teens consume content and how they learn in academic settings.
“Video provides an opportunity to accurately capture an institution’s ethos and ‘feel’. Video storytelling can distinguish schools in a way few static campaigns can—emotionally.”
– Pete Schatschneider, Sextant Marketing
What Types of Videos Engage Students, Parents, and Alums?
Understanding your audience is key to creating video content that resonates. Different types of video content can be tailored to engage prospective students, parents, and alums; each having unique interests and engagement triggers.
1. Brand stories
Videos can effectively demonstrate a school’s mission and values by capturing examples. For prospective students and parents, these videos can ignite excitement and promise potential by showcasing success stories and innovative programs.
Berkeley demonstrates discovery and innovation, two of its brand values, by showing students and faculty in action. The video also shows student diversity, another brand value, which helps elicit a sense of inclusive community.
For alums, brand stories can evoke nostalgia by highlighting the school’s evolution and its enduring commitment to its founding principles.
2. Campus tours
Students who visit a school’s campus before applying are twice as likely to enroll. But it’s clear not all prospective students are willing to visit in person. Parents, too, benefit from virtual tours as they gauge the environment their children might inhabit.
Schools can expand access to the campus by producing video tours. A campus tour video might highlight:
- Top campus spots
- Dorm life
- Learning facilities, such as labs or research centers
- Sports arenas
- A school’s town or area
Duke University’s video tour is a well-rounded example. The video offers an overview of different parts of campus, paired with key school facts.
University of Sussex in the UK offers an especially impressive virtual tour. The school combines video with virtual reality for an immersive, and self-directed experience, narrated by current students. You need to configure it for your device, so check it out here.
3. Course content
For prospective students and parents, course content videos showcase faculty—a key enrollment criterion. These videos demonstrate faculty caliber and offer insight into their expertise, assuring parents of the quality education their children would receive.
Sample course content could include:
- Video clips of lectures
- Course overviews
- Faculty workshops
- Research presentations
4. How-to videos
Consider integrating how-to videos into your application process. Easily digestible videos help lower potential application barriers and position schools as helpful resources. For parents, these videos can clarify complex admission processes, alleviating concerns.
Topics might include:
- Admission requirements
- Tips on writing college admission essays
- Financial information
- Acceptance rates and selection criteria
Oxford University’s how-to application video is an especially strong example:
Once students are enrolled, schools can continue creating how-to videos to support students. Videos can provide guidance with more complex processes, like registering for classes or reapplying for financial aid.
Miami Dade College’s “How to Videos” webpage offers several good examples.
5. Livestreamed events
Research also suggests live video is three times more engaging than on-demand. Schools can foster engagement with prospective students through livestreamed events. For alums, live streams of reunions or homecoming events can rekindle school spirit. Like campus tour videos, live streamed videos help form personal connection from afar.
Consider live streaming:
- Guest speakers
- Forums and panels
- Graduation ceremonies
- Arts performances
- Sporting events
Post-event, schools can upload live streamed videos to the school’s YouTube page.
6. Testimonials
Research shows prospective undergraduates are 33% more likely to value student reviews than in previous years. Video testimonials are a powerful—and persuasive—way to showcase students’ experience.
Video testimonials help build emotional connection through empathy. Subjects should emphasize personal experience and impact to maximize emotional resonance.
Check out the video testimonial from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD):
Students build rapport with views by sharing personal experience. Testimonials emphasize NASCAD’s impact on students’ artistic development. The video also intermixes faculty testimonials, helping diversify perspective.
Schools might also consider producing video testimonials which primarily feature:
- Alums
- Staff
- Faculty
Alum testimonials can reinforce a sense of pride and continuity, showcasing successful career paths that were launched from their alma mater.
7. User-generated Content (UGC) on social media
Gen Z increasingly prefers user-generated content (UGC) on social media, which is unscripted and appears more “authentic.” Potential ideas include:
- “Day-in-the-life” videos, which chronicle a student’s typical day
- Running a student-generated video campaign on YouTube
- Reposting Tik Tok videos
Crowdsourcing video content from students and faculty offers several advantages in higher education marketing. This approach not only resonates with the Gen Z audience but also proves to be a cost-effective content strategy. By leveraging videos created by current students, faculty, and staff, institutions can generate engaging and relatable material without the high production costs.
Moreover, the authenticity of user-generated content can significantly boost engagement, making it more likely to capture the attention of prospective students. Remember to keep your videos brief.
How to Hone Your Higher Education Video Marketing
Schools and institutions can elevate their video marketing efforts and engage prospective students effectively. Here’s how to start:
Develop a creative strategy
Develop a video marketing strategy to ensure your video content supports your enrollment goals. Video strategy should integrate into the overall marketing plan, so each component works together to reinforce the brand.
Strategic planning questions include:
- Who is the specific target audience (age, gender, demographics)?
- Why should people watch the video?
- How will video content be delivered?
- What action will the video inspire?
Evaluate the competition
Evaluate your competition’s video marketing. Understanding a peer institution’s approach helps ensure your school content remains unique—and might inspire new ideas.
Evaluation questions could include:
- Which competitor videos receive the most engagement?
- Which characteristics are most emotionally resonant?
- How is the school’s brand portrayed?
Include CTAs
Never pass up the chance to include a call-to-action (CTA). CTAs tie the story to the product, offering viewers the resources needed to take action.
Consider the following options for video marketing CTAs:
- Include a concluding slide with the school website
- Incorporate the next steps into the video script
- Include CTA slides between sections
And here are some key things to consider while adding CTAs:
Make Your CTAs Relevant and Enticing
For higher education marketing, your CTAs should offer something of value to prospective students. Here are some compelling options to consider:
- Early Enrollment Information: Encourage students to take advantage of early admission opportunities.
- Application Guide: Provide a step-by-step guide to simplify the application process.
- Financial Aid Guide: Offer insights and tips on securing financial assistance.
- Contest Entry: Engage students with something simple yet enticing – like a chance to win a free university t-shirt.
Create an Engaging Landing Page
Once you’ve piqued interest, direct viewers to a landing page that captures their details. You can use platforms like LeadSquared to easily create one. Ensure this page clearly explains the offer and includes a form for them to fill out. An engaging landing page is crucial in converting viewers’ interest into actionable leads.
Make it mobile
About 26% of the time, Google displays a video thumbnail next to a search result, increasing the likelihood that consumers will click on that listing. Schools must ensure videos are mobile-friendly.
Mobile-friendly tips include:
- Format videos for each platform
- Include readable captions
- Optimize video thumbnails
- Limit video length
Prioritize production quality
Videos should be as highly produced as possible. Gen Z expects polished videos on websites and YouTube, as opposed to user-generated content on social media.
Schools should invest in high-quality video equipment to ensure polished presentation.
Consider using:
- External microphones to upgrade audio
- Professional cameras (vs. smartphone)
- High-quality lighting
Publish captions
According to a report from Verizon Media and ad buyer Publicis Media, 83% of American consumers watch videos with the sound off, and 92% of them do so on mobile devices. Omitting captions drastically limits a video’s accessibility and might dissuade viewers from watching.
Schools can create their own captions via YouTube Studio or hire a video production company. They should also include real-time captions during live-streamed events. Consider hiring a transcription company like CaptionSync to manage real-time captions.
How to Optimize Higher Education Marketing Videos for Search Engines
When it comes to making sure your higher education marketing videos stand out in search engine results, strategic optimization is key. Here are some effective strategies to boost your video rankings:
Incorporate long-tail keywords
Use specific, detailed keywords to match what prospective students are searching for. Long-tail keywords can help tailor your content to meet niche search intents, driving more qualified traffic to your videos.
Craft compelling titles
Develop engaging and relevant titles that capture attention without resorting to clickbait. Your title should clearly convey the video’s content and keep in mind the keywords important to your audience.
Utilize SEO best practices
Implement SEO techniques similar to those used in webpage optimization. This includes a comprehensive video description with relevant keywords, tagging with appropriate phrases, and selecting a strong thumbnail to improve click-through rates. Also, use some SEO strategies and tactics to boost your higher education institute’s visibility.
Leverage the power of transcriptions
Including a text transcription of your video helps search engines index your content more accurately, increasing the likelihood of your video appearing in search results. Transcriptions also enhance accessibility, making your content available to a broader audience.
Engagement and sharing
Encourage viewers to like, comment, and share your videos. High engagement levels signal to search engines that your content is valuable, which can improve both ranking and visibility.
Take advantage of video hosting platforms
Host your videos on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, which are optimized for video searches. These platforms have high domain authority, often ranking videos better on search engines compared to other hosting solutions.
By integrating these strategies into your video marketing efforts, you can effectively enhance visibility and reach your target audience more successfully.
Amplifying Reach with Paid Advertising for Higher Education Videos
Paid advertising, particularly Pay-Per-Click (PPC), can significantly boost the visibility of higher education marketing videos. Here’s how:
- Precision Targeting: Unlike broad content distribution methods, PPC operates with pinpoint accuracy. It allows marketers to specifically target prospective students based on demographics, interests, and search behaviors. This approach ensures that your videos reach the right audience by identifying those who are most likely to be interested in your educational offerings.
- Enhanced Visibility: Video content naturally ranks well in organic search results but coupling it with paid strategies like Google Ads can maximize exposure. By bidding on relevant keywords that prospective students frequently search for, your video can rank higher in search engines like Google and YouTube. For platforms like TikTok and Instagram, focusing on trending hashtags, engaging content, and targeted ad campaigns helps maximize visibility.
- Improved Engagement: When your videos are displayed to a calibrated audience, engagement rates, such as views and interactions, are likely to increase. Effective PPC campaigns not only draw more eyes to your video but also bolster overall interest and engagement, leading to a higher likelihood of conversion from viewer to applicant.
- Optimized Landing Pages: A successful PPC strategy doesn’t stop with video ads. Ensuring that your landing pages are optimized with the right content is crucial. When prospective students click on your video ad and land on a well-designed page that speaks directly to their needs, their experience is seamless, thus increasing the chances of converting interest into action.
In essence, integrating PPC into your marketing strategy places your higher education videos directly in front of those who matter most, optimizing both reach and engagement in a competitive online landscape.
In Conclusion
Video marketing is essential for engaging Gen Z, who prize video over other digital content. Videos help schools spark emotional connection, strengthen brand, and capture ethos. With student enrollment declining, strong higher education video marketing is key to an institution’s enrollment success.
A CRM solution, such as LeadSquared, is built specifically for the education sector. It offers robust support for enhancing video marketing efforts in higher education. Learn how its integrated automation tools help institutions manage video-driven outreach, nurture student interest, and maintain a strong edge in a crowded market.
Higher Education Video Marketing Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is video marketing important for higher education institutions?
Video marketing helps institutions connect with prospective students in a more engaging and authentic way. From virtual campus tours to student testimonials, videos increase emotional connection and drive higher engagement rates—boosting inquiries, applications, and enrollments.
2. What types of videos work best for attracting students?
Effective formats include campus walkthroughs, faculty introductions, student life highlights, alum success stories, and explainer videos on admissions or financial aid.
3. How can LeadSquared support our video marketing strategy?
LeadSquared combines CRM and marketing automation to help track viewer engagement, score leads based on video interactions, and personalize follow-ups—making video marketing more measurable and results-driven.
4. Where should we publish and promote our videos for maximum reach?
Use a mix of platforms: YouTube for search visibility, TikTok and Instagram for social engagement, and your own website and email campaigns for direct conversions. With LeadSquared, you can track performance across all these touchpoints in one unified dashboard.
5. How do we measure the success of our video campaigns?
Success metrics include video views, watch time, click-through rates, and conversions (like form submissions or applications). LeadSquared lets you tie these metrics directly to leads and enrollment outcomes, helping you optimize content and ROI.
