Crafting the Perfect Promotional Video for Your Educational Institution

In this digitally dominated age, universities and schools are turning to promotional videos as an invaluable marketing tool to attract students. Videos are an effective way to capture attention, and help an institution stand out in the crowd. Videos in higher education marketing increase clickthrough rates by 96%. What’s more, prospective students are 84% more likely to research schools online, and 68% point to videos as an influence in their final school decision. Primary and secondary schools use promotional videos to showcase their unique features and help win over prospective students. Read on to find out what university and school promotional videos are, the purpose of educational video promotion, and how to make the best promotional video for your educational institution.

What is a Promotional Video?

A promotional video is a visual media product using moving images to inform or educate consumers about a specific product or service. Promotional videos are usually between 30 seconds and 3 minutes in length, depending on the platform and marketing strategy. They are used to inform consumers about a specific product or service. For social media, short and punchy videos are often more effective. However, promotional videos for educational institution websites can often be 2 to 3 minutes in length, particularly if promoting school life including both extracurricular activities and educational opportunities. 

Purpose of Promotional Videos

University and school promotional videos can form the cornerstone of an educational marketing strategy. It showcases what the institution is and how it is unique. A well made promotional video can capture a school’s character, culture and energy.  There are numerous reasons to use promotional videos for educational institutions, including:

• Increasing engagement. Promotional videos boost customer engagement by creating personal connections through visual storytelling. Video strategies increase online engagement and potentially enhance student conversion rates. This is because a video captures the attention of the audience, conveys a message clearly and drives them to action.

• Showcasing school/campus  life. Video marketing is an excellent way to showcase school/campus life. Videos are an effective way to provide the experience of what life is like at the institution. A professional video can demonstrate academic and extracurricular activities through virtual tours, student testimonials, events and social activities.

• Building trust. Video builds trust for students by giving authentic insights into life  at the school and what it is really like to be a student there. Prospective students are often looking to feel more comfortable with an institution and this can happen when trust develops. Videos showcasing academic accomplishments of students can also build trust that the school or university has a history of successful graduates.

• Powerful storytelling. Unlike other media, video is a powerful tool for storytelling and the perfect way to engage an audience. The combination of visuals, sounds and motion creates a rich narrative experience that strikes an emotional chord, inspires and leaves a lasting impression on prospective students.

• Building brand awareness of your school. Promotional videos boost brand awareness and reinforce brand identity when used to communicate the unique selling points of the institution. The key is to remember that schools and universities are a brand and, as such, should have an identity that resonates with students. This brand identity can be carried through in promotional videos that clearly and concisely represent the institution’s culture and message.

8 Great Promotional Video Ideas for Your Educational Institution

There’s no shortage of inspiration when it comes to promotional video ideas for educational institutions—over 86% of colleges and universities have a presence on YouTube.

Consider these eight ideas for your institution.

1. Campus Tours

Campus tour videos let applicants imagine themselves as students lounging around in the dorms, laughing in corridors with their new friends, studying in the library, or having lunch in your school’s dining hall. They trigger excitement and interest in your institution, highlighting what makes your campus such a great place to study.

Campus tour videos are also great for connecting with students from faraway areas. International students or those who can’t physically visit your campus can use them to virtually walk through your campus before making their final decision.

Take a look at UNSW campus tour and NYU’s campus tour videos for inspiration.

2. A Day in the Life

“A Day in the Life” videos feature personal accounts of students as they navigate their daily life at your school. These videos give insight into what it’s like to be on campus, study in the classrooms, and what a typical student’s schedule looks like.

When done right, they help viewers relate to the featured students, find out more about campus life, and spark their interest and curiosity in your institution.

Take a look at this A Day In The Life video posted by the University of South Florida.

3. Testimonials—Student, Faculty, Alumni

Students put a great deal of value in what their peers say—undergraduate students are 33% more likely to value reviews by current university students when considering their school options.

The good news is that testimonials don’t have to be limited to students—alumni, parents, and faculty testimonials are equally effective.

Alumni testimonials highlight the opportunities a program or degree gave them, while faculty testimonials give insight into research opportunities and facilities, student and classroom culture, areas of focus, and more.

Middlebury College’s Our Lives at Middlebury video is a good example. This student testimonial video features three students from different ethnic backgrounds, highlighting how Middlebury helps them find support, success, and academic and personal fulfilment. Another good example is this UNSW Business School’s student testimonial, which promotes the school’s Information Systems program.

What’s more, if you’re a primary or secondary school, including parent testimonials instead of student reviews may be more helpful in gaining applicants. Prospective parents are more likely to connect with the words of other parents who have made the same decision they’re currently considering.

This testimonial from Forman School is an excellent example of an emotional, engaging parent testimonial video. It features parents sharing their experiences with the school and how it has helped their children transform and grow. The video does an excellent job of highlighting Forman’s unique purpose (educating differently-abled children) by focusing on three students’ journeys.

4. Alumni Success Stories

Alumni story videos highlight how your institution can transform fresh students into accomplished, talented, and confident individuals who are successful in life.

Take a look at these eight alumni success stories we did for UNSW. It was a four-month adventure that took us from Canberra to as far as Indonesia. The result? Eight high-quality videos showcasing the struggles and triumphs of successful UNSW alumni and the impact they’re creating.

5. Events & Celebrations

Videographing school events and celebrations introduces prospective students to the amazing things that happen on campus. This welcome ceremony video by the University of Sydney is a good example.

Unique university factors are 36% more likely to influence prospective undergraduate students, meaning event and celebration videos are especially effective if you feature a unique event or tradition that defines your institution.

If you don’t wish to pre-record event videos, you can also live stream them on YouTube or your school’s social media channels. Live video is three times more engaging than on-demand video content.

6. Sample Course Content

The quality of curriculum, teaching, and faculty is one of the most important criteria for any prospective student. A great way to highlight your school’s curriculum and the calibre of your teaching staff is to demonstrate it.

This can be in the form of course overviews, lecture clips, or flipped classroom content that gives viewers a feel for your faculty’s expertise, teaching style, and the classroom environment they foster.

Here’s the video of a sample lecture by the University of Groningen to inspire you.

7. Research Spotlights

Universities are more than just educational institutions—they’re also important research centres. Showcasing this side of your institution builds credibility, boosts your university’s image, attracts collaborators, and helps you recruit top researchers.

There are different types of research spotlights, such as those highlighting specific projects, research findings, or focusing on a specific researcher. When targeting a larger audience, make sure to spell out the details of your featured research project and its practical application to give your video mass appeal.

This researcher spotlight video by McGill University is a good example.

8. Student Generated Content

Re-sharing user-generated content is a well-known marketing strategy. In the case of educational marketing, prospective applicants and students are more likely to be drawn to your school if you re-share or feature student-generated content.

That’s because student-generated video content helps showcase your school more authentically. It’s also a low-effort, cost-friendly way of facilitating your video marketing efforts without creating videos yourself.

Take a look at this video re-shared by Toronto Metropolitan University, featuring a student discussing what she typically eats in a day as an online student at the university.

5 Great Promotional Video Ideas for Schools

Promotional videos are a captivating way to tell your school’s story, encourage prospective students and teaching staff, and build brand awareness. Primary and secondary schools are finding this marketing tool a great way to promote admissions and build school reputation. These video ideas can be an effective part of your school’s marketing strategy.

1. Virtual School Tours

A digital tour allows prospective students and their parents to see the school remotely. With a virtual tour, you can walk the audience through the grounds of the school and showcase the facilities and curriculum offerings. For students and parents who cannot visit the campus in person, virtual tours allow them to explore the different schools at their own pace. Virtual tours allow a student and parent to get a feel for what the school has to offer if they are unable to attend an in-person tour.

Take a look at this video shared by Carey Baptist Grammar school, featuring a virtual tour of the school.

2. Welcome Message

A welcome message is a more personalised video often made by the head of the school. A welcome message is a way for the school head to share their thoughts on the school, its vision and what makes it unique. These small promotional videos put a face to the school and can help create a feeling of community within the school. Welcome message videos can also welcome a new principal and allow themselves to introduce themselves.

Take a look at this welcome message from Acklam Grange.

3. Student Testimonials

These videos feature students, both past and present, sharing their experience of the school. Students have the opportunity to talk about their class, what they enjoy most and their general experience of the school. It puts another personal perspective on the school’s brand.

Take a look at the student testimonials from Totino-Grace High School, where 10 students talk about their own experience of life at the school.

4. Pupil Stories/Achievements

Videos showcasing the individual stories of pupils and their achievements are a great way to build connection with the school and what can be achieved there. These real life stories can showcase the transformative experiences from being at the school. 

Take a look at some of the pupil achievement stories showcased from students at Hartland International School. 

5. Milestones and Events

Showcasing the school’s milestones and events in a promotional video is another way to engage prospective students and their parents to feel more connected to the institution. Events and milestones being celebrated can capture another community aspect of school life and showcasing important moments. 

Take a look at the Mansfield State High School 2024 formal, a video promoting an annual school event.

Best Practices for Creating Educational Promo Videos

Now that you know the types of promotional videos you can create for your educational institution, here are five video production best practices to ensure you get it right:

• Tell a good story—Storytelling is a powerful way to connect emotionally with your audience, whether it’s through humour, inspiration, or pride. Anyone can make a good video but not everyone can come up with a compelling story angle for their promotional video. The easiest way to do this is to feature student, staff, and alumni stories, highlighting their journeys of growth, challenges, and learning. This student acceptance reaction by Stanford University is a great example of an emotionally-driven promotional video.
• Use high-quality visuals—Shaky footage, poor audio, and jump cuts have no space in a promotional video. Invest in good production quality to ensure your video is visually appealing. If you’re producing videos in-house, invest in basic equipment (advanced smartphone/digital camera, microphone, tripod, and basic lighting kit) and stick to simple content your team is capable of producing. If you’re aiming for a professional quality, complex promo video, outsourcing to a video production company is the best way to go.
• Edit to perfection—Seamless editing is essential to turn your raw footage into an engaging, snappy promotional video. If you’re editing in-house, consider using a beginner-friendly yet effective editing tool. iMovie is a great free option with a variety of controls and transitions to explore and play with. Other editing software recommendations include Animaker, Nero Video, Filmora, and CyberLink PowerDirector.
• Promote on multiple channels—A promotional video is only as strong as its distribution strategy. It’s always recommended to post your promotional videos on multiple forums, from social media platforms like Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook, to your institution’s website, email newsletters, and paid advertisements.
• Optimise for different platforms—Don’t forget to optimise a given video for different platforms. A 15-minute detailed campus tour will work great for YouTube but will gain little traction on social media. Feature longer video content on your institution’s website or YouTube channel, and trim videos down to quick, engaging reels or TikToks under 60 seconds when posting on social media.

In this day and age, video marketing is a powerful strategy to promote educational institutions. Universities and schools are utilising promotional videos to create compelling stories and help capture the unique spirit of educational institutions. Promotional videos are one of the best methods to increase engagement and recruit new students and staff. However, if not done professionally, a promotional video can drive prospective students and teachers away instead of attracting them. 

That’s where we come in.

We have four decades of combined experience in conceptualising, filming, and editing promotional videos tailored to educational institutes and are ready to bring your ideas to life for effective promotion.

Contact us now to get a free quote today.