4 Ways Colleges Can Use YouTube to Market Themselves

As a school, you may not think that video is useful for you. I mean what could you possible do on videos that people would actually care about?

Actually, just one video is worth over 1000 words of text. That means that your word-heavy brochures may go unnoticed but that one video...that could be the ticket to getting someone to stop and notice your school.

Speakers and Commencements
Did your school nab a high-profile speaker? Record a 10 minute clip and put it on YouTube. Conan O'Brien's Havard commencement speech has over 200,000 hits. 200,000! Anyone interested in listening to Colin Powell or George Will or David Sedaris would just at the chance to watch a free speech, through your YouTube channel.

Lectures
Have a particularly engaging professor? Do you have a class that has electrifying discussions? Record a lecture or a excerpt from a class and put it on the web. A prospective student may see Professor Smith's history lecture or the debate in the American Politics class and feel drawn to the school in a way they could've never just read about.

Testimonials
Have students talk about why they enjoy your school so much. Be careful, this can feel cheesy but a well done and genuine video could do wonders to convince a prospective student.

Tour of the School
A picture is good but a video tour is so much better! Imagine walking through campus like you were actually there. Get an experienced tour guide to give an abridged version of the campus tour and put it up for students to watch. This could be a powerful marketing tool and allow you to focus on the most spectacular parts of the school whether it be the architecture, plants or special buildings.


Gustavus Adolphus College http://www.youtube.com/gusties
Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing http://www.youtube.com/user/fpbnursing
Carnegie Mellon http://www.youtube.com/user/CarnegieMellonU