If you’re a higher education institution, YouTube is your friend. That’s right—it’s time to stop thinking of YouTube as a place where kids post videos of themselves lip-syncing to Tay-Tay or getting dunked on by their friends. Instead, it’s time to start thinking about what else you can do with this incredible platform.
YouTube is an excellent way for higher education institutions to reach prospective students and parents in new ways, and it’s also a great way to keep current students engaged with the institution after they’ve left campus. In this article, we’ll examine the power of YouTube for higher educational institutions that want to leverage its growth potential.
#1: Trailers or Welcome Videos
The trailer for your YouTube channel can be an opportunity to show off what your school has to offer. It’s also great to get prospective students excited about learning from you. It doesn’t have to be too long, either. Most YouTube channel trailers are up to two minutes, even one-minute tops.
What Should Your Welcome Video or Trailer Include?
Here are some tips for creating an awesome trailer:
- Be creative—you don’t have to rely on the same old “gloomy shots of campus” approach.
- If possible, include real students and professors—they can talk about their experiences at your institution or even give testimonials about why they love it.
With these tips, you’ll create a YouTube channel trailer that will surely capture the attention you want for your institution!
#2: Testimonials
Testimonial videos are an essential part of any YouTube channel. They can give your audience a window into your institution’s heart and help them feel more connected to you and your mission. These are also great for compiling multiple interviews with students to show the diversity of your campus and how you represent various students.
What Should Your Testimonial Video Include?
A testimonial video is a great way to show real students talking about their experience at your institution and why they chose it. They can also be used to highlight some of your college’s or university’s unique features, such as its location or campus environment. For many students, this often gets them interested in college or university, so you need to make this video spectacular!
If you have testimonial videos on your YouTube channel, make sure to link them in the description for each video! This will help viewers find them more quickly and learn more about your school.
#3: Campus Tour Videos
Campus tour videos are one of the best ways to show off your school. If you’re an institution of higher education, you know that competition is fierce, and every single student you can get through the door is valuable to your institution. But how do you get them there?
One way is through YouTube. Campus tours are great for students to see all your institution offers. Still, they can be tough to put together—especially if you don’t have a lot of resources or experience in video production.
But we’ve got you covered! We’ve created this guide to help you create a campus tour video that will bring in more potential students than ever before.
What Should Your Campus Tour Video Include?
First, set up some basic guidelines and stick with them so your video looks like a manageable mess. The most important thing is to ensure people can navigate through it quickly—so don’t overload them with information or too many visuals at once!
If something needs to be added, leave it out! Consider using simple graphics rather than fancy animations so that viewers can focus on what matters most: learning about your school!
#4: Program-Related Videos
When you’re thinking about what program-related videos you need for your YouTube channel, it’s important to remember that there’s only so much information. This is especially true if you have an online school, as this will be the only way students can truly see what programs are available and what they are all about!
If you’re trying to reach potential students for your higher education institution, make sure to include plenty of details about the program itself, including:
- What kind of degree is available? What can you do with it? Can you get a job with this degree?
- What are some examples of people who have gone through the program and what they’re doing now?
- Who else has gone through this program and get jobs in the field? How long did it take them?
- Who should be interested in this program? Why would they want to come here? If they don’t want to go here, why not (and how can we change that)?
The more information you provide for them, the better. With it being in a visual format, the views climb as students watch to see what they could enroll for. Who knows? Your program-related videos might be the key to converting interested students into enrolled students for the new school year.
If You Need Help, We Are Here for You!
If you are stuck and unsure what to do to get started with video marketing—especially on YouTube—you’re not alone. However, if you are stuck, it is always a great idea to get some help from marketing experts in the industry. Book a complimentary strategy session today to workshop your marketing ideas, assess your efficiency, and get your firm on track for maximum results.
