Harnessing the Power of Video Marketing for Higher Education Institutions
With the higher education market growing increasingly competitive in the UK, marketing teams within HEIs are looking for new ways to stand out from the crowd. Today's prospective students are bombarded with information, making it crucial for universities and higher education providers to adopt innovative and engaging marketing strategies. In this context, video marketing can be a dynamic tool that can not only capture attention but also effectively communicate the unique value proposition of a HEI.
This article explores the power of video marketing for UK higher education institutions, outlining how it can be leveraged to achieve recruitment goals and enhance brand perception.
Why Video? Understanding the Student Mindset
The dominance of video in today's digital world is undeniable. Studies show that people retain information significantly better from videos compared to text. Prospective students, a generation who have been consistently exposed to social media and video content through sites like YouTube, are more accustomed than most to consuming information visually.
Video marketing caters to this preference, offering a compelling way to showcase your institution's offering and student experiences. It allows you to:
Connect emotionally: Videos foster a sense of connection with the viewer by bringing your university and students to life in a way that text cannot imitate.
Tell a story: Videos can construct a narrative about your institution, its values, and the importance or transformative potential of higher education at large.
Information Richness: Videos compress a lot of information into a digestible format.
Accessibility: Videos can be consumed with or without sound, and with captions for additional accessibility. This means your marketing campaign can engage viewers with different preferences and learning styles.
Engagement: Videos are inherently engaging, capturing attention better than text or static images and keeping viewers interested for longer. This could translate to a better brand recall and higher chance of a prospective student considering the institution.
Strategic Storytelling: Starting Points to Craft Videos for Maximum Impact
Not all videos are created equal. To positively support your recruitment goals through a video marketing approach, your video content needs to be strategically crafted:
Know your audience: Tailor your video content to specific demographics and subject or degree interests.
Define your objectives: Are you aiming to increase applications, raise brand awareness, or showcase a specific course or aspect of university life?
Develop a compelling narrative: Craft a clear and engaging story that resonates with your target audience.
Prioritise quality: Invest in high-quality visuals and audio for a professional and polished look.
Optimise for online platforms: Ensure your videos are sized and formatted for optimal viewing on websites and social media.
A Multifaceted Approach: Video Content Formats
The basics
The beauty of video marketing lies in its versatility. Some effective video formats you might consider for your institution’s marketing strategy could include:
Promotional videos: These high-impact videos provide an overview of your institution, its values and offering, and student life.
Example: The University of Manchester's short and impactful video "Making the Difference" showcases the university's commitment to social responsibility and its positive impact on the world. This video effectively taps into the potential of video content to have an emotional impact, including a poem by a former Chancellor of the university and tying the institution’s brand closely to social responsibility.Course-specific videos: Highlight specific modules, areas of research, and career opportunities for each course.
Example: King's College London's YouTube channel is full of engaging video content. Their "A Day in the Life" video series offers a glimpse into the experiences of students from various courses, providing a relatable and authentic perspective on student life at King's.Virtual tours: Take prospective students on a journey through your campus, showcasing facilities, learning spaces, and student areas.
Example: Pioneering the use of virtual reality (VR) in their video marketing strategy, the University of Sussex created an immersive virtual tour that allows prospective students to explore the campus in a unique and interactive way.Student testimonials: Let current students and alumni share their positive experiences about your institution.
Example: The University of Edinburgh's Business School’s ‘As told by students’ video is great example of video content that is well produced but also conversational and engaging. The video features six undergraduate students, who explain what attracted them to Edinburgh and discuss their student experience. This format builds trust and credibility with prospective students by demonstrating the value of a University of Edinburgh education and the flexibility of the learning options available.Faculty or department profiles: Introduce prospective students to the researchers and teachers in your institution and their subject areas.
Q&A sessions: Host live or pre-recorded video sessions where representatives answer student questions.
Beyond the basics
While the above are a great starting point for video marketing campaigns, it’s worth thinking outside the box. Here, we can look to examples across the sector of university marketing teams who are connecting with their audiences in creative ways through video. For example:
Manchester Metropolitan University’s 200 Years of MMU Campaign
This campaign is particularly effective because it’s oriented around a strong story and brand identity. The short introductory video condenses MMU’s 200-year history, highlighting innovation. Each subsequent instalment of video content then focuses on a specific area of strength within the institution, keeping the brand identity tight and bolstering reputation.
Nottingham Trent University School of Art & Design ‘Make It’ campaign
Exploring what ‘making it’ means to students, this campaign highlights the stories of real students at Nottingham School of Art & Design. The campaign was part of a wider rebrand that strived to emphasise the diversity of creativity in the school and the theme of collaboration, which comes through clearly in these videos, helping to define the brand and create an emotional connection with the intended audience.
AUB’s campaign is a great example of how using video content in the right tone on a given platform can be impactful. This humorous campaign tapped into ‘conspiracyTok’, featuring a spoof unmasking of the university’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor as the anonymous street artist, Banksy. In addition to tapping into a market of young people using platforms such as TikTok, the campaign also helped to counteract the reputation of higher education as stuffy or unrelatable.
Putting it into Action: Practical Tips for Success
Here are some practical tips for marketing teams looking to enhance their video marketing strategy:
Conduct audience research: Understand your target student demographics and their preferred video content formats.
Set a realistic budget: High-quality video production doesn't have to break the bank. Explore cost-effective options like student-produced content or animation software.
Promote your videos: Use social media platforms, your website, and email marketing campaigns to get your videos seen by the right audience.
Track and analyse results: Monitor key metrics like video views, engagement, and website traffic to measure the success of your video marketing efforts.
These are starting points for optimising your strategy around video marketing. Think carefully about how your video content will feed in and speak to other aspects of your wider digital marketing strategy. As your content progress, you’ll learn more about your audience and adapt your approach accordingly.
Staying Ahead of the Curve
By embracing video marketing, HEIs and their marketing teams can create a dynamic and engaging communication strategy. Compelling videos can not only attract talented students but also establish a strong brand identity that resonates with your target audience.
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