In 2024, schools face an increasingly competitive educational market, driven by the need for digital transformation, student enrolment pressures, and evolving demands from both domestic and international students. To remain relevant, school branding strategies must shift beyond traditional marketing, with video content becoming a key tool in future-proofing your institution's brand.
In this post, we’ll explore how video content can help schools stand out, build their brand, and future-proof their institution. We’ll delve into the current challenges facing schools, backed by Australian data, and provide actionable video strategies to help your school navigate these shifts.
The Challenge: Staying Relevant in an Evolving Education Market
With more than 40% of Australian students now engaging in some form of online learning, and schools competing globally for enrolments, the education market has shifted drastically. Students and parents seek a deeper connection with schools, evaluating their values, community involvement, and inclusive environments.
Schools are competing not only locally but also on a global stage for international students. How does your school stand out? What is your unique story, and how can you communicate that in a crowded market? These are some of the key questions schools are facing in 2024, and traditional marketing materials alone are no longer sufficient to answer them.
According to a report from The Australian Financial Review, private school enrolment in Victoria is growing steadily, but the market is becoming increasingly competitive as public and private schools vie for student numbers.
The core issue is that schools need to communicate their value proposition effectively, to both domestic and international audiences, using modern channels that reach today’s students and families. How do schools stay relevant, engaging, and visible in this crowded space? The answer lies in dynamic video content.
How Video Content Can Future-Proof Your School
Video marketing has taken the world by storm across all industries, and education is no exception. In 2024, Video content has emerged as one of the most impactful tools for digital marketing in education, helping schools build emotional connections, boost engagement, and improve SEO rankings. Here’s why:
Emotional Connection
Video storytelling has the power to convey emotions that text and images simply can’t. Schools can showcase their values, culture, and community through real stories, creating a personal and emotional bond with prospective families.
Engagement
According to recent studies, 72% of people prefer video over text to learn about a product or service. For schools, this means that video content is likely to engage prospective students and parents more effectively than brochures, emails, or static websites.
SEO Benefits
Educational video content boosts your school’s visibility on Google and other search engines. Schools that integrate video content into their website, social media and platforms like YouTube see improvements in organic rankings. Meaning they are more likely to appear in search results when parents or students are researching their next school.
Adaptability
Whether it’s a virtual tour, student testimonials, or highlights from school events, video allows for flexible and creative storytelling that can be repurposed across different platforms like your website, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Video Trends Schools Should Leverage in 2025
Virtual Campus Tours
Virtual tours provide prospective students and families the opportunity to explore your school from the comfort of their homes. With travel limitations and the rise of remote learning, virtual campus tours have become essential for schools wanting to reach international students. Schools can give families a real feel for life on campus without the need to travel.
Actionable Step: Create a virtual tour that is dynamic and engaging, showcasing key areas of the campus, extracurricular facilities, and student life. For your school website, ensure the tour feels personal with narrations or interviews from current students and faculty. For social media platforms, make the video interesting and fast-paced to capture the attention of your online audience.
Student and Alumni Testimonials
Authentic stories from current students and alumni can serve as a powerful video strategy for building credibility and trust. Parents and prospective students want to hear real experiences that give them an insight into your school’s values, achievements, and community spirit.
Actionable Step: Film short testimonial videos highlighting diverse students and their achievements. These videos can be used on your website, social media, or during enrolment presentations.
Video Storytelling for School Values and Culture
What makes your school unique? Is it your focus on innovation, your inclusive culture, or your strong academic traditions? Whatever it may be, storytelling through video allows you to communicate your school’s brand and values more effectively.
Actionable Step: Develop a series of short videos that highlight different aspects of your school’s culture. This could include interviews with teachers, students, or alumni sharing personal experiences that reflect your institution’s values.
International Student Recruitment Videos
For schools looking to attract international students, video is crucial. Videos that showcase campus life, academic opportunities, and the local culture provide international prospects with a taste of what life could be like at your school, making it a powerful recruitment tool.
Actionable Step: International student recruitment is a growing area. Create videos specifically designed to appeal to international students, focusing on campus amenities, success stories, and the experience of living in Australia.
Explainer Videos for Parents
Parents are an integral part of the decision-making process, and often they need reassurance that a school will provide the right environment for their child’s growth. Explainer videos that address parents' concerns—such as academic excellence, extracurricular programs, and student wellbeing—can be highly effective in engaging them.
Actionable Step: Produce short, clear explainer videos on various aspects of your school, such as academic support programs, boarding facilities, and mental health resources.
Actionable Steps to Future-Proof Your School’s Brand
Create a Video Plan
Start by identifying key areas of your school that would benefit from video content. Do you want to showcase your school’s academic excellence, focus on inclusivity, or highlight your boarding program? Having a clear plan is the first step to building a strong video marketing strategy.
Partner with a Professional Video Agency
Schools often lack the internal resources to create high-quality video content consistently. Partnering with an experienced video agency like ONIX Education ensures your content is professionally produced and aligned with your marketing goals.
Incorporate Video Across Platforms
Once your videos are ready, don’t just limit them to your website. Share them across all platforms—social media, newsletters, and even during school presentations. This maximises your reach and helps build a cohesive brand image.
Monitor and Adjust
Video marketing is not static. It’s essential to monitor your video content’s performance and make adjustments based on what resonates best with your audience. By tracking engagement metrics, you can continue refining your strategy to ensure long-term success.
Future-Proofing Your School for Long-Term Success
The education landscape is constantly changing to keep up with technological and economic changes, schools must adapt and innovate to stay competitive. Video content offers an unparalleled opportunity to build an emotional connection with prospective students and parents, tell your school’s unique story, and communicate your value proposition effectively. With a well-executed video marketing strategy, schools can thrive in the future and attract the right students, even in an increasingly competitive educational market.
ONIX Education specialises in creating tailored video strategies that help schools navigate these challenges, ensuring that their brand remains strong, relevant, and future-proof. Contact us and learn how to leveraging the latest video trends, storytelling techniques, and digital tools, we empower schools to stand out and engage their audiences in a meaningful way.
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