Video marketing continues to be one of the most powerful marketing initiatives because of its ability to capture and keep the attention of consumers. We repeatedly see how successful marketing campaigns become with the use of branded videos on social platforms. Video marketing is here to stay.
Here’s the proof:
1. Video appeals to online users because it fulfills their desire to get information quickly and effortlessly. Consumers prefer video: 54% of consumers want to see videos from brands they support in comparison to email newsletters (46%) or social image-based content (41%), according to Hubspot.
2. Videos appeal to mobile users: 82% of students research schools on a mobile device, according to The Learning House, and 77% of returning students cite mobile as helpful to their decision to go back, according to a Facebook survey of almost 500 men and women ages 18–70.
3. According to Hubspot, 43% of people want to see more video content from marketers, and 51.9% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI.
4. Snapchat reaches 9x more 13–34 year olds on any given day than the average top 15 TV networks. Creating a video for Snapchat is significantly more affordable than creating a TV commercial. Nielsen research commissioned by Snap Inc. found that 45% of 13–34 year olds in the US can be found on Snapchat on any given day, whereas on average only 5% can be reached by a top 15 TV network.
5. Video marketing has an impact even beyond Millenials and high schoolers. Parents of the latter demographic (known as Gen X) actively use this platform to stay current and connect with their children, as well as embrace their nostalgia for past events or people, says Think With Google. In addition, 68% of Gen X use YouTube as a method to stay on top of news and pop culture. Having a presence on YouTube ensures that you’re reaching not only prospective students but also their decision-making parents.
Our own test case:
CollegeXpress ran a charitable giveaway campaign, #CXGivesBack, and used YouTube to inform users and encourage engagement on our recently established channel. As a result, the video received 5,240 views, 549 comments, and 166 likes and gained our channel 179 subscribers. The 549 comments were from students who participated in the campaign. During past campaigns, CollegeXpress averaged only 20–30 engaged participants. We found that students were more inclined to participate because our message was reaching users at their preferred platform. Additionally, putting a face to the CollegeXpress brand instilled trustworthiness, which ultimately increased engagement.
Now that we have an understanding of the powerful impact video marketing has, here are a few ways you can incorporate it into your institution’s marketing strategy:
1. Get on YouTube. YouTube is the second-largest search engine after Google and the second-largest social media platform. You can’t go wrong by expanding your social media presence—the more platforms you establish, the greater of an audience you can reach. Your video will go further than a written post on other platforms too: researchers say a minute of video is worth 1.8 million words! Clemson University, Gettysburg College, and Slippery Rock University are all good examples of universities leveraging YouTube to their advantage.
2. Offer a virtual tour. If a student has taken the time to visit your school in person, you’re most likely on their list of top schools. Now that you have the option of video, you can post virtual tours, enabling you to convey the same message to a larger audience. As a result, you’re more likely to get students to apply and/or enroll. Check out this example of Slippery Rock University’s virtual campus tour on YouTube:
3. Turn your blog posts into videos. Get personal with the initiatives your institution is taking by creating a video version of your blogs, press releases, event promotions, etc. Put a face to the name of your school and have students get to know you and your culture before they even step foot on campus. If you have an initiative your institution cares about, a video will take it much further. Reading about how you’re impacting the world is one thing; seeing it firsthand will leave a much greater impact and will increase the likelihood of people associating your brand with an important initiative.
4. Repurpose current video for social media. Cut down your long-form video and reuse it for paid or organic content on YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. We’re also seeing platforms like Spotify, Pandora, and LinkedIn begin to offer video-specific advertising opportunities due to increases in video consumption.
If you have further questions about the impact of video marketing, or any social media marketing initiatives, our team at Carnegie Dartlet is here to help!