How to create a school video that leaves a lasting impression.

Choosing a school for your child is a big decision. Parents often do a lot of research – and they start online. Promotional videos for schools give families a feel for what it might be like to attend. Creating the right impression is a key part of driving enrolment. Read on to find out what video can do for your school – and how to get the production right.

Starting the journey.

Time to dig into the educational customer journey. The customer journey is a marketing technique that’s been around for a long time. It involves mapping every time a customer comes into contact with a brand, before optimising each interaction to drive a desired result. And it applies to schools too.

Think about how prospective families find out about your school and where they go with questions. Are you providing engaging information at every step of the way?

Customer journeys are changing as a result of the pandemic. For schools, it’s meant fewer and more restricted in-person events. Both of these factors mean that your website is increasingly replacing your school reception desk. And your promotional video is the warm welcome you’d want all visitors to receive.

Hard-wired for visuals.

Writing about your school may seem easier than creating a video. There are fewer people involved and it’s likely that many of your staff members will be confident writers. But humans are hard-wired for visuals. Consider this:

The earliest known cave art is 44,000 years old. The oldest writing systems have been around for 5,000 years. This gap is reflected in the ease with which we’re able to decipher text and images. In fact, we can process images within 13 milliseconds. Reading is much slower – the average human may only be able to process 300 words per minute. (So 200 milliseconds per word.) If you want to get someone’s attention, visuals give you a distinct advantage.

Your audience of prospective parents may be a mixed bunch, with their own preferences for receiving and processing information. Creating a stand-out promotional video for your school means you’re catering for a wider range of people. And it connects with our innate liking for visual formats.

“…we can process images within 13 milliseconds. Reading is much slower – the average human may only be able to process 300 words per minute.​”

Show, don’t tell.

Parents know that schools want to make a good impression. And they’re keen to build up a realistic and truthful idea of what day-to-day life might be like for students. At an in-person open day, you could invite students to give a tour of the building. How can you give the same effect in a video format?

Creating one long video isn’t a good idea. Data from social media platforms shows that short videos get a lot more engagement. If a video is less than 60 seconds, over two-thirds (68%) of viewers will keep watching until the end. If a video is over 20 minutes long, only 25% of viewers will finish it. These figures refer to all types of videos, but the principle applies to promotional videos for schools too.

Instead, why not consider a series of short videos (say around two minutes each)? Prospective parents may visit your site several times during their decision-making process. For example, an initial look to find out who you are. A second look to explore what you do. And a final visit to sign up for a virtual tour or enrolment.

Short videos tailored to each visit mean you can cover all of the parents’ most common concerns. There’s less risk of viewers dropping out mid-video. And parents in a hurry can find the answers to their questions quickly.

Final Thoughts.

In 2020, more schools than ever are creating promotional videos. Some are going for big-budget productions; others are taking a more low-key approach. They’re all balancing the need to make a good impression with authenticity.

At Blue Apple Education, we specialise in unearthing the remarkable in each school. We provide full support from initial planning to final edit. If you’d like some help creating the right impression with promotional videos for schools, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.