This document discusses strategies for effective online video marketing in higher education. It finds that while many schools have increased video production, viewership and engagement are generally low. It argues that video marketing needs to be strategic, targeted, goal-oriented and measurable to be successful. It then highlights several best practices including using video for admissions, branding, development and media relations. Key aspects of successful strategies include clear goals, multiple discovery methods, and qualitative and quantitative metrics to measure impact.

1. INSIDE WEB VIDEO MARKETING FOR EDU
Seth Odell
Video Marketing Manager, SNHU
Founder & Host, Higher Ed Live
Co-Founder, Connect & Engage

2. WHERE ONLINE VIDEO IS TODAY
• 60 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute
• Fastest-growing ad format in 2012 with nearly 55% growth
• 179 million US internet users watched nearly 38 billion videos in February
• YouTube #2 search engine, integrated into Google

3. ONLINE VIDEO IN EDU
• The last few years saw a land grab for YouTube
real estate
• Increase
in in-house resources, either
equipment or additional videographer staff or
budget
• Increase in video publishing

4. SO WHAT HAS IT GOTTEN US?

5. LOW VIEWERSHIP
• SetonHall has
3 videos >10,000 views
485 <10,000
• UCLA has
88 videos >10,000 views
2,461 <10,000
• Dartmouth has
29 videos >10,000 views
842 <10,000

6. LOW ENGAGEMENT

7. IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT VIEWS, BUT...
• Isan online video, which lacks engagement or sharing, that different than a traditional
article printed in a newspaper?
• Your YouTube video might have 10,000 views, but every LA Times article gets 500,000
“views” a day
• If
we measured higher ed video marketing on an even playing field, is it worth the
money at all?

8. IT GETS A BIT MORE COMPLICATED
• What is a view worth?
• How do we measure success of our online video marketing efforts?

9. IS VIDEO MARKETING IN EDU BROKEN?
• No, but posting videos to YouTube “just because” is not a strategy
• Successful online video marketing in EDU is still being built

10. VIDEO MARKETING NEEDS TO BE
• Strategic
• Targeted
• Goal-oriented
• Measurable

11. VIDEO CONTENT DISCOVERY
• Delivered
• Passive Search
• Active Search

12. SPOTLIGHTING SUCCESS
AND BEST PRACTICES

13. VIDEO FOR ADMISSIONS
• What: Virtual campus tours
• Goal: Conversion
• Key: Self-navigation

14. VIDEO FOR ADMISSIONS
• What: Virtual Open Houses
• Goal: Conversion
• Key: On demand

15. VIDEO FOR ADMISSIONS
• What: Targeted admitted student vid
• Goal: Decrease summer melt
• Discovery: Delivered
• Results: Unknown

16. BRANDING
• What: UCLA Veterans Day Campaign
• Goal: Increase
awareness of UCLA’s
support of veterans
• Discovery: Passive & Delivered
• Results: 100,000 views, YouTube Feature

17. BRANDING
• What: SEO
• Goal: Leverage search
• Discovery: Passive & Active

18. BRANDING
• What: UNT College of Music
Performance Live streaming
• Goal: Brand expansion, community bldg
• Discovery: Delivered
• Results: 100,000+ views

19. BRANDING
• What: SNHU author presentation
• Goal: Brand bridging & building
• Discovery: Delivered
• Results: 83
live viewers, 72 social shares,
7 submitted questions, 5 post-event
videos, course curriculum, hundreds of
views

20. BRANDING & MEDIA RELATIONS
• What: Faculty interviews
• Goal: Brand & faculty awareness
• Discovery: Passive
• Results: 20,000 views

21. DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT
• What: Solicitation support
• Goal: Donations
• Discovery: Delivered
• Results: Easily measured

22. DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT
• What: Solicitation support
• Goal: Donations
• Discovery: Passive

23. DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT
• What: BowlingGreen State University
gift announcement video
• Goal: Increase awareness
• Discovery: Delivered
• Results: 100,000 views, NCAA coverage

24. DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT
• What: UCLA donor thank you
• Goal: Donor appreciation
• Discovery: Delivered
• Results: 1 view

25. TESTIMONIALS
Best performing video for direct response

26. PROFESSIONAL & USER SUBMITTED
A recent comScore study found that professional AND user submitted
videos perform significantly higher when coupled within a single campaign

27. SNHU STORIES

28. BUT WHERE’S THE VIRAL?

29. HOW DO WE MEASURE SUCCESS?
• It starts with clear identifiable goals
• Track views, and use YouTube insights to
better understand your audience
• Use bit.ly & Google strings to track traffic
paths
• Qualitative surveys
• Test, test, test

30. FINAL TAKEAWAYS
• It’s not about changing what we shoot, it’s about changing how we approach it
• Utilize a video one-sheet to identify goals, strategy and resource requirements
• Repurpose, reuse, recycle
• Mobile is coming fast
• Video marketing is somebody’s job, but who?

31. QUESTIONS?
@sethodell
sethodell.com