How a promotional film can make your website more effective.

Let’s start at the beginning: what is an effective website for you? A showcase for your school, a way of attracting prospective students, an online learning portal… Gauging the effectiveness of your site depends on knowing what your goals are.

Nevertheless, a school promo video can make a huge difference on many fronts. In fact, studies have shown that video performs better than text or other website content. Here’s more:

Video keeps people on your site for longer.

People spend 88% more time on websites that contain video. Websites that use video are up to 53x more likely to rank on the first page of Google search results. 72% of people would rather use video to learn about a product or service.

You’ll be able to see the results for yourself too. Google Analytics is a free tool that gives you insights into your website traffic. This includes which pages receive the most visits and how long people spend on them.

Videos keep people engaged with your message.

Some social media platforms started off as text-only (think Facebook or Twitter). They’ve all added video functionality over time. Why is that? Because video is an engaging format.

When a website visitor takes a specified action, like signing up for an open event or downloading a brochure, that’s called a conversion. Video users have 34% higher web conversion rates. That means that people enjoy video, spend more time watching it – and also act on the messages in the video more often.

“…telling your school’s story effectively will make the watchers trust you and feel good at the same time.​”

Video is a great way to tell your school’s story.

Humans love stories. It’s how we make sense of the world around us. And neuroscience is showing that stories have a physical effect on us too. For example, they trigger the release of the hormone oxytocin, which is important for social bonding and wellbeing.

In other words, telling your school’s story effectively will make the watchers trust you and feel good at the same time. Video is the perfect medium for visual storytelling. That’s why it’s such an effective communication method.

Videos build trust.

Choosing a new school for your child is a big deal. Parents want to get to know the staff at the school and to have a feeling for what day-to-day life might be like. Even though videos can still be edited, they nevertheless provide much richer information than a written web page or photo.

If a picture tells a thousand words, think about how many words you’d need for a two-minute school promo video. You can show the parents your facilities. You can introduce them to your head and key staff members. You can interview students, current parents and governors to give a rounded picture of your school. And each piece of information builds a rounded picture that also inspires trust.

Final thoughts.

Once a prospective parent has watched your school promo video, what do you want them to do next? It might be to sign up for an open event. Or to head over to the admissions page. Keeping this endpoint in mind means you can incorporate the best ‘call to action’ in your video. Inviting people to take a particular action greatly increases the chances they will.

At Blue Apple Education, we’re here to help. With more than twenty years of experience, we love to unearth the remarkable story of each school. And to support the school to achieve its goals through video, websites and more. Want to know more? Please get in touch. We’d love to talk.