The advancements in computer, tablet, and phone technology as well as the improvements in consumer-level video quality have made both the creation and distribution of video far less costly and much more effective. Consumers can watch videos on myriad devices, which makes them accessible, and video production is no longer limited to companies with millions of dollars to spare on their marketing budgets.
With all this in mind, what does video mean for higher education content marketing?
You Need to Reach Generation Z
Much of the video marketing advice on the Internet is targeted toward Millennials — people who were born in the late 80s and early 90s. However, higher education marketing professionals need to target the next generation. In Generation Z, you’re facing a group of people who are extremely distracted, according to Bill Alberti of AdWeek. Videos are designed to hold the viewer’s interest because of the incorporation of sight, sound, and movement.
Related: 5 YouTube Content Ideas The Will Wow Prospective Students
Alberti also points out that videos allow businesses, such as colleges and universities, to tap into their wacky, weird, or off-kilter sides. Generation Z loves those types of marketing messages because they appreciate unique ways of telling stories. Video is far better than text and audio alone for provoking responses among members of Generation Z.
Videos Have Begun to Dominate Mobile Traffic
Reading pages of text on a small screen can become tedious, but video offers a fast, user-friendly way to convey useful information while keeping your audience entertained. In terms of higher education marketing, you have the opportunity to showcase your school’s culture and unique selling proposition through imagery as well as audio.
In fact, Business2Community reports that video has consumed about half of online mobile traffic. Whether it’s through your school’s website, its Facebook page, or its account on YouTube, you can snare a piece of that traffic if you devote some of your marketing dollars to video production.
You Can Experiment With Limitless Genres
A video marketing campaign doesn’t automatically translate to commercial-type productions that attempt to sell prospects on your school. Instead, you can create videos that range from student testimonials to day-in-the-life vignettes, to samples of classroom instruction. Use video to educate, entertain, motivate, or inspire your audience instead of just to sell.
Video is slightly more flexible than text and audio because you have numerous styles and genres to play with. Video engages more of the viewer’s senses, which means more opportunities to drive your point home and to create an emotional connection.
Video can become a key component of your higher education marketing campaign. If you haven’t given video a try, you might want to add it to your list of marketing techniques for the upcoming year. Of course, video is just one aspect of a solid marketing campaign.
