How Influential Is Video Content on Students’ Decision to Study Abroad?

By Josh Hopton-Stewart

Studying abroad is an exciting but overwhelming prospect for many students around the world, one that requires a large amount of research and effort in order to make decisions and take action.

Without a doubt, videos are becoming an increasingly important and influential content type over students trying to decide which country, university and program they should choose.

According to a recent study of over 20,000 international students, 64% said that YouTube as a platform had helped influence their decision on where and what to study abroad.

Additionally, in Northern Europe, prospective students are 100% more likely than those who have studied abroad in the past to cite video content as a major influence.

Thus, incorporating video content into your marketing and recruitment strategy should be something every university considers.

The problem with marketing through YouTube is that the same search that turns up your university…will also turn up your competitors. (And plenty of other distractions, too.) YouTube is great, and you should definitely have a presence, but you also need a video platform that’s under your own control.

How can you make sure your campus marketing is taking full advantage of video?

1. Build a video portal where you can showcase academics, student activities, athletics, and community outreach, so prospective students can get the full flavor of your institution.
2. Customize your video players so that the video embedded in your website uses your own branding.
3. Syndicate those videos out to the major social media hubs, like YouTube and Facebook.
4. Don’t just rely on a few high production, expensive marketing videos. Include more authentic, homemade videos from students and faculty to give a more relatable view into your campus.
5. Find a video platform that will help you manage all this video in a sustainable, scalable way.

Today’s students embrace video as their primary way to learn about the world. Isn’t it time your campus made the right first impression?

Josh Hopton-Stewart is the Site Manager for educations.com, a search platform for international students to find and compare degrees and study abroad programs at universities all around the world. Every year, educations.com releases its industry report based on a survey of 20,000+ students, exploring trends in student behavior when it comes to choosing what and where to study abroad. Find out more at educations.com or email Josh at [email protected].