If you’re a higher education institution, you’ve grappled with far too many upheavals in the past decade. The rush towards online learning, the democratization of education options, changes in the social environment (thanks, Covid), and the increasing importance of technology.
You don’t just compete for faculty, research grants, endowments, and prestige—you’re probably heavily focused on how to draw more students to your campus. When bright young highschoolers come to your college campus outside of admissions season, you’re increasing the chances they’ll want to apply.
As a video production company in business for over 20 years, we’ve seen over and over again that one thing helps a college stand out like nothing else: video.
Video Marketing is Key for Connecting with Gen Z
The new generation of students born between 1997 and 2012 has grown up with mobile phones, and they’re called the Snapchat generation for a reason – their unabating love for video content and social media. They are technologically savvy, used to having a wealth of information at their fingertips, and research shows — are more likely to engage with video content.
That’s not the only reason you should produce video content for Gen Z.
Colleges and universities should incorporate video content into their marketing strategies to effectively market to Gen Z students. Gen Z prizes authentic and personalized experiences, so institutions should leverage user-generated, influencer-created, and interactive content to engage with them.
They should also, however, take control of the message where possible and make video content of their own. There are so many ways to use video for promotional purposes. Here are 8 of them:
8 Ways to Use Video Production to Reel in Students
1. Student testimonials
Hearing from peers can be incredibly influential. Create videos featuring current students sharing their experiences and insights about classes, clubs, internships, study abroad experiences, and more. Authentic voices can lend credibility and create a relatable narrative for prospective students.
2. Day-in-the-life videos
What better way to showcase the student experience than to capture a day in the life of a student? Following a student or group of students around for a day can give prospective students a glimpse of what their daily life might be like. This kind of transparency can be very appealing and relatable.
3. Showcase campus events
One of the primary ways that colleges can use video to attract students is by showcasing campus events. Prospective students want to know what it’s like to have fun on campus. Colleges and universities can make campus event videos highlighting all the fun activities and experiences available.
4. Highlight the surrounding community and local attractions
Often, students are drawn not just to the college, but also to the geographical region the college is situated in. That’s why it’s a good idea to highlight the campus’ surrounding community and local attractions. Prospective students want to know what the local area is like, what amenities are available, and what attractions are nearby.
5. Showcase campus resources
While online education can offer a lot by way of academic learning, it can never replace the importance of libraries, labs, and other facilities. There’s an opportunity to highlight these things with video as these are major differentiators that will inspire students to visit the campus and ultimately desire to join the institution!
6. Provide virtual campus tours
Not all prospective students can visit a campus in person, but video can provide a virtual campus tour for those who cannot. By providing a virtual tour, colleges and universities can showcase their facilities, campus culture, and academic environment to prospective students who cannot visit in person. We’ve written more about it here.
7. Create promotional videos for specific academic departments or majors
Colleges and universities can create promotional videos for specific academic departments or majors as part of virtual tours. These videos can feature professors discussing their areas of expertise, current students engaged in research projects, and alumni talking about how their education prepared them for their careers.
8. Create videos that highlight unique campus traditions or events
Colleges and universities can create videos that highlight unique campus traditions or events. Prospective students want to know what makes the institution unique and what they can look forward to if they attend. By showcasing these traditions or events, colleges and universities can provide a glimpse into the campus culture and community.
Looking for Video Production Services in DC?
As technology democratizes access to quality video through smartphones and affordable cameras, it’s more important than ever to raise the bar in terms of production quality. That’s why we recommend that you hire professional video production services such as those offered by us at Rock Creek Productions. We have one of the most experienced teams delivering the most sophisticated video production services in Washington DC. Having worked closely with several reputed institutes like George Mason and Virginia Tech, our team is well-equipped to create video content that attracts the current generation!
Hire us to make your videos today!
