Video Marketing: Education Marketing Videos I Like

Are you in a rut with your video marketing? Looking for some new ideas on what you can do to stand out visually? Check out these education marketing videos for the inspiration you need.

From infancy, students today are being entertained, trained, and raised with screens. 

Ever since the advent of the television, video content is becoming the main language of the masses. 

And as we move forward in history, prospective students like Generation Z will become more and more responsive to video content.

But… video marketing is also one of the most difficult strategies to execute regularly.

Money is almost always the main concern with video content. (But if you grab a free copy of my guide to Marketing on a Shoestring Budget, I’ll show you how this can all be done with an extremely limited budget.)

However, I think the most difficult part of video marketing is the creative side. 

What kinds of videos should you be making? What if our school isn’t a creative arts kind of school? 

To help answer these questions, I wanted to show you some of the video marketing from various independent schools, colleges, and universities that I like. 

My hope is that this list will be a source of inspiration as you plan for the kinds of video content you can make for your school. 

Even small schools can use video marketing. 

Is your independent school small? Does it have an extremely focused academic purpose?

Then, take a look at Carolina College of Biblical Studies explainer video. 

In this video, they show us different areas of their campus and compelling shots of their faculty teaching. 

But what I really like about the video is how they emphasize their biggest competitive advantage, the thing that makes them unique.

They are a niche school, and they don’t shy away from it at all, making this a compelling video for those looking for this kind of a learning experience. 

Funny, light-hearted videos boost brand awareness.

A lot of independent schools want to be known for their serious academics. 

To show this visually, they often make all their videos about their majors or program offerings.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I think you should have these kinds of explainer videos in your video marketing arsenal. 

But these kinds of videos do not garner the high number of views that funny or otherwise creative videos generate. 

I agree that schools need the “serious” videos, but you also need the light-hearted video content to attract people to your content.

In fact, it’s content like the following that will set you apart and really get students to consider your school. For better or worse, today’s traditional Gen Z wants to be entertained.

Take, for example, this video from Anderson University. It’s one of the highest-performing videos on their Youtube channel with over 7,000 views. Which, by the way, starts with their president lip-syncing to Justin Timberlake.

Here’s a light-hearted video that generated more than 905,000 views for Biola University by utilizing a Biola alumni YouTube star.

Sports videos are another kind of light-hearted video marketing — and they’re very effective.

Just like the broader world of marketing, sports generates a LOT of views. Take for example, this video the Indiana Wesleyan University made for their football program’s inaugural game.

Not every independent school is going to have a sports program with this kind of budget. But consider making sports videos about whatever athletic programs you’ve got right now.

But what I really like about IWU’s video is how they show the community feel of the IWU brand and school spirit.

It really is possible for any independent school to do that with their sports program through video marketing, even if sports is not your school’s greatest strength. 

Use video marketing to show your community rallies around these programs because that’s the emotive reason students choose your school. They’re coming because they want to belong to a community.

Niche schools shine with video marketing.

Niche schools have to work hard to get prospective students to understand their value. 

By nature, these schools are different in their programs, philosophy, or approach. 

Video marketing is one of the best ways to meet this challenge and get your unique value across.

Portsmouth Abbey School does this so well in their overall school video. This is an incredible visual explanation showing why Portsmouth Abbey is different than other independent schools.  

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is another very niche school seeking a very specific kind of prospective student. This video here is generating almost 13,000 views.

I really like how you can see the emotional foundation of the campus culture through this interview-like video. 

You can definitely see how these students are the engineering-type, but you can also see just how social and friendly they are.

Even if you’re not a “science geek” or “math nerd,” this video makes you want to go there.

Houghton College isn’t necessarily a niche school, but they have a unique program that easily sets them apart from other colleges. In this final video, they take advantage of their equestrian studies program to show off the natural beauty of their campus.

Schools need more “top of the funnel” videos.

There seems to be a gap in the video marketing of most schools – light-hearted video content. 

This kind of video content brings prospective students into the top of your enrollment funnel. 

Light-hearted videos are not meant for the prospective student at the bottom of the funnel who’s getting serious about their enrollment decision.

They are to be used for the top of the funnel where prospective students aren’t ready for serious conversations. 

At this point, they just want to know if they’d enjoy living on your campus.

Later, down the funnel, they’ll come to the more serious questions of whether or not your academic offerings have what they need. Or, whether or not they can afford to enroll at your school. 

Don’t worry. You’ve got this!

There are so many ways to use video marketing to promote your education brand.

Featured image by DisobeyArt via Adobe Stock

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