How Can Universities Use Video Content to Boost Student Recruitment?
By Morgan Northmore, Digital Marketing Coordinator at Noetic Marketer. Morgan specializes in crafting digital content and social media strategies that help higher education institutions connect with prospective undergraduate students and drive enrollment.
Key Takeaways:
Video content is a crucial marketing tool for higher education, as it builds an emotional connection with prospective students by offering an authentic glimpse into campus life, academics, and culture.
A diverse video strategy should include virtual tours, student and alumni testimonials, short-form content for platforms like TikTok, and behind-the-scenes footage to appeal to different audience segments.
To effectively market educational content, institutions must identify their target audience, craft value-driven stories, and utilize multiple channels, such as social media, email, and SEO, to increase visibility.
Measuring the success of video marketing involves tracking key metrics such as views, engagement rates, click-through rates (CTR), audience retention, and return on investment (ROI).
In a competitive higher education landscape, institutions need innovative ways to stand out. Video content has emerged as a powerful tool, allowing universities to showcase their unique offerings and forge a genuine connection with prospective students.
This guide offers practical strategies for creating and promoting engaging videos that resonate with your target audience, helping you achieve your enrollment goals.
Why Is Video Content a Good Marketing Strategy for Higher Education?
Video content is an effective marketing strategy for higher education because it enables institutions to tell their story in an immersive way, offering a genuine glimpse into campus life, academic programs, and the overall student experience. According to a 2024 Wyzowl survey, 87% of people say watching a video has convinced them to buy a product or service. For universities, this translates into a powerful tool for building trust and relatability, which increases the likelihood that a prospective student will choose your institution.
Furthermore, video content, including faculty interviews and student testimonials, helps build a deeper emotional connection with future students. This connection, combined with video’s inherent shareability, makes it a powerful tool for amplifying your school's reach and visibility. With engaging and informative videos, you can tap into social media sharing behaviours, expanding your reach organically to attract a diverse pool of applicants, including traditional students and adults.
How Can Universities Create an Effective Video Marketing Strategy?
Universities can create an effective video marketing strategy by conducting thorough research to understand the specific demographics, interests, and challenges of their future students. This insight enables you to create video content that addresses their needs and aspirations, making your online marketing efforts more relevant.
This tailored approach connects you with your audience and builds trust, as potential students feel understood and valued. As you create educational content, focus on storytelling and providing value. Share the success stories of current students and alumni alongside your institution's unique features to craft a compelling narrative that resonates with potential students.
To build a strategy, consider these tips:
Create a content calendar: An organizational tool to promote consistency in messaging and regular engagement with your target audience—essential factors for building trust and establishing strong connections with prospective students.
Leverage multiple channels: Utilize social media platforms, email campaigns, and targeted online advertising to encourage viewers to share your content, and harness the power of search engine optimization (SEO) to increase visibility.
Incorporate clear calls-to-action (CTAs): Always include clear CTAs within your content to guide your audience toward the next steps in their educational journey, such as applying or registering for an event.
Boost SEO with video embeds: Embedding videos in blog posts increases visitor time on your site, signalling to Google that your content is valuable and relevant, which can improve your search rankings.
What Types of Videos Should Universities Create for Marketing?
Universities should create a diverse range of marketing videos to showcase various aspects of their offerings and appeal to different prospective student segments. Here are seven effective types of videos to include in your strategy:
Virtual reality tours
Provide immersive virtual reality campus tours of your campus, allowing prospective students to take a virtual campus tour and explore the facilities from the comfort of their homes.
For example, New York University's YouTube channel features a video titled "Take a (Virtual) Tour of NYU," which displays various students talking about the different locations on campus, how to get there and what they like about it. The campus tour provides an authentic and relatable perspective, which can help prospective students envision themselves as part of the NYU community.
Testimonials
Share authentic stories from current students, faculty members, and alums discussing their experiences at your institution and their impact on their lives.
For example, Harvard University's YouTube channel features a video titled "Harvard Alumni Community Video," which shows older alumni speaking about how their education shaped them into who they are today. By featuring older alums, the video also emphasizes the long-lasting benefits of a Harvard education, instilling confidence in prospective students that their investment in education at the university will continue to benefit them throughout their lives.
Promotional videos
Create compelling promotional videos highlighting your institution's unique selling points, such as state-of-the-art facilities or innovative programs.
For example, the University of Birmingham's YouTube channel features a video titled "Welcome to the University of Birmingham," a promotional video that uses various pictures, videos and text to promote the school. It is a powerful introduction for students considering the university, providing a first-hand look at the institution's strengths and unique features.
Behind-the-scenes content
Offer a glimpse into the daily lives of students and faculty by sharing behind-the-scenes footage of classes, research projects, or extracurricular activities.
For example, the University of New Hampshire's YouTube channel features a video titled "UNH Hockey Behind the Scenes Episode 1," which shows the hockey coach and other players on the team, giving you a glimpse of what happens before a hockey game. Short videos like this can appeal to future students who are passionate about sports and seek an institution prioritizing athletic success and academic excellence.
Campus culture and traditions
Showcase your institution's campus culture and unique traditions, giving prospective students a sense of the atmosphere they can expect when they join.
For example, the University of Missouri Kansas City's YouTube channel features a video titled "Graduation at UMKC," which displays various graduation ceremony clips and communicates how their students achieved this milestone and their impact on the world. By sharing how students will make a difference in the world, the video highlights the value of an education at UMKC and its potential to transform lives and shape future careers.
Student success stories
Share inspiring success stories of students who have overcome challenges, achieved personal or academic milestones, or made a difference in their communities, demonstrating the transformative power of your student body and institution's education.
For example, Western Sydney University's YouTube channel features a video titled "The College - Student Success Stories." The video showcases various students as they share their challenges and how they overcame them. Featuring real students sharing their genuine experiences fosters credibility and trust in the university's commitment to student success.
@binghamtonu No wonder they’re the most popular club on campus! Go check out @ binghamtoncheeseclub on Insta 🧀 #ratatouille #fyp #binghamtonuniversity #cheese ♬ Le Festin (From "Ratatouille") - Movie Sounds Unlimited
Short-form videos
Create concise and engaging short-form videos for social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, showcasing campus life, events, or achievements.
For example, Binghamton University's Tik Tok account features a short-form video about their Cheese Club that demonstrates the different activities you'll experience as a club member. Short-form videos like this allow potential students to envision themselves as part of the campus community, fostering a sense of belonging and connection.
How Can Universities Measure Video Marketing Success?
Universities can measure the success of video marketing by defining clear goals and tracking key metrics to understand its effectiveness and make data-driven decisions. A successful measurement strategy involves a combination of platform analytics and business outcomes.
Here are some key steps and methods you can use to measure and evaluate your video marketing efforts:
One: Identify your goals
Start by defining the objectives of your video marketing campaign, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or boosting student enrollment. These goals will help you determine the most relevant metrics to track for your videos.
Two: Choose the right analytics tools
Select analytics tools that best align with your needs and the platforms where you share your videos. Google Analytics, YouTube Analytics, and platform-specific social media analytics tools are known for tracking video performance.
Three: Implement tracking codes
Use tracking codes or UTM parameters in your video links to accurately identify the sources driving traffic and conversions. This information will be invaluable for optimizing your distribution channels and refining your targeting strategy.
Four: Monitor views and engagement metrics
Regularly track views and engagement metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and watch time. These metrics offer valuable insights into how well your content resonates with your audience, enabling you to optimize your video content for a more significant impact.
Five: Measure click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates
Keep an eye on your video content's CTR and conversion rates, especially if you're using video ads or including calls-to-action (CTAs) in your videos. High CTR rates suggest your content effectively encourages viewers to take the desired action.
Six: Analyze audience retention rates
Examine audience retention rates to determine how long viewers watch your videos. According to Retention Rabbit’s 2025 report, the average YouTube video retains ~23.7% of its viewers.
Seven: Assess traffic sources and audience demographics
Identify the sources driving traffic to your video content and analyze the demographics of your viewers. This information will help you reach your target audience and create content that resonates with them.
Eight: Calculate return on investment (ROI)
Compare the costs of producing and promoting your videos with the revenue generated from conversions, such as student enrollments. A positive ROI indicates your video marketing efforts are paying off.
Nine: Adjust your strategy based on insights
Use the insights gathered from your analysis to continuously evaluate and adjust your video marketing strategy, content, and distribution efforts. This process will help optimize your higher education video marketing campaign for better reach, engagement, and conversions.
How Does Video Fit into a University's Overall Marketing Funnel?
Video fits into a university's marketing funnel by utilizing different video types to engage prospective students at each stage: brand awareness videos for the top of the funnel, program-specific explainers for the mid-funnel, and student testimonials or application guides for bottom-of-funnel conversions. Aligning your video content with the student's journey ensures you deliver the right message at the right time.
Top-of-Funnel (Awareness): At this stage, the goal is to introduce your institution to a broad audience. Videos, such as virtual campus tours, brand anthem videos, or engaging short-form content on TikTok, are effective for capturing attention and making a memorable first impression.
Middle-of-Funnel (Consideration): Once a student is aware of your school, the goal is to provide them with more detailed, value-driven content, such as in-depth program explainer videos, recorded webinars with faculty, or day-in-the-life vlogs that help a student compare your offerings to competitors.
Bottom-of-Funnel (Decision): As a student prepares to apply, videos should build confidence and create a sense of urgency. Highly effective content at this stage includes student and alumni testimonials that provide social proof, step-by-step application guide videos, or personalized video messages from admissions counsellors.
Final Thoughts on Higher Education Video Content
Following the strategies and insights presented in this guide, you can create a compelling video content plan that raises awareness of your institution and creates lasting connections with prospective enrollees. With this ultimate guide in your hand, you're well-equipped to make your mark through the compelling medium of video content.
Boost Your Undergraduate Enrollment
Implementing new video marketing strategies requires careful planning and effective execution. We offer customized, full-service higher education marketing services that will fill your pipeline with quality prospects and applications.
Book a free, no-obligation consultation with our education marketing experts today.
Don’t miss our other posts on higher education digital marketing.
What Are 5 Effective Marketing Strategies for Recruiting Undergraduate Students?
How Can Universities Use AI for Marketing?
What Are the 7 Key Challenges in Higher Education Digital Marketing and How Can They Be Solved?
Key Recruitment Marketing Terms
Audience Retention: A metric that shows what percentage of your audience watches your video and for how long. High audience retention signals that your content is valuable and engaging to viewers.
Call-to-Action (CTA): A prompt within the content designed to guide the viewer toward a specific next step, such as "Apply Now" or "Download Our Brochure."
Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of viewers who click on a specific link or CTA within a video or its description. It is a key metric for measuring how effectively a video drives action.
Marketing Funnel: A strategic model that visualizes the customer journey from initial awareness to a final action, such as applying to an institution. It is typically divided into stages: Top-of-Funnel (Awareness), Middle-of-Funnel (Consideration), and Bottom-of-Funnel (Decision).
Return on Investment (ROI): A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of a marketing investment. In higher education, it compares the cost of a video campaign to the revenue generated from new student enrollments attributed to the campaign.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results. For video, this includes using relevant keywords in titles, descriptions, and transcripts to enhance discoverability on platforms such as Google and YouTube.
Short-Form Video: A type of video content that is typically under 60 seconds long and designed for high engagement on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. It is characterized by its fast pace, trending audio, and vertical format.
UTM Parameters: Snippets of code added to a URL to track items such as the source, medium, and campaign that converted the lead. They are essential for accurately identifying which videos are driving traffic and conversions.
