1.
Incorporating Videos into
International Recruitment
Strategies
Session I: 11:30am
Tuesday, May 29, 2018

2.
Who We Are…
• Marty Bennett, President, Social Media and International
Education Consulting, LLC
• Erin Yingling, Associate Director of Graduate Recruitment and
Admissions, George Washington University
• Katia Scodova, EducationUSA Regional Educational Advising
Coordinator, Europe/Eurasia
• Jemma Davies, Postgraduate and International Marketing
Manager, Birmingham City University, UK

3.
Poll questions
Are you responsible at
your institution for
social media outreach?
Is your institution using
video platforms to get
the message out (FB
Live, YouTube) to
international
audiences?
Are you using native
language
content/subtitling/508
compliance?

4.
What we’ll do…
Provide case studies of video interview plans with alumni and current international students on
campus that includes opportunities for multiple uploads to various third-party social media
platforms.
Provide Case
Studies
Share data on video usage, effectiveness, and potential for expanding an institution’s message
globally to prospective students through networks and partners.Share Data
Best practices and practical issues involved with live and on-demand examples of successful
video marketing projects.Best Practices

5.
Provide case studies

6.
EducationUSA Belarus YouTube
● #5 EducationUSA YouTube channel in the EducationUSA
network
● Interviews with admitted students
● Pre-defined themes
● Russian language
● Regional reach

7.
Case Studies - EducationUSA Belarus
Student Success Stories
• 26 stories starting from
2012
• Playlist viewed - 3,866
• Total views - 22,488
• 1-3 challenges student
overcame
• Same basic structure
• Includes inspirational
message about studying
in the U.S.
• 2 – 4 minutes in length

8.
Case Studies – EducationUSA Belarus
• Conversational style
• Personal experience
• Connected to keywords
• Shared through personal
social media networks
• Russian language

9.
Case Studies - U.S. Embassy Tallinn, Estonia
Facebook
• Estonians talking about
American culture
• Americans talking about
Estonian culture in English
• Content duplicated on Russian
language page
• 1K-5K views / video

10.
Previous Institution
•5-6 students selected for videos
•Less formal approach – I organized and
filmed the videos
•Done in native language with English
subtitles
•Questions were given in advance –
responses were rehearsed but not
reviewed in advance with staff
•No ‘real’ budget – staff time for filming,
editing, etc.
Two Recent Video Projects = Approach #1

11.
Two Recent Video Projects = Approach #2
Current Institution
•1 student selected from India, specific
reason and timing for selecting that
country
•All filming done in English with closed
captioning
•Contracted with professional
videographers
•Significant investment of money, less
investment of staff time

12.
Same End Goals
Publish to YouTube
Share to other social media
platforms
Share firsthand experience of
programs directly from students or
alumni
Elevate the profile of the school or
program overall and in specific
markets/countries

13.
Challenge =
small budget,
small team, lack
of resource
Video a growing
medium
Produce future
proof content
Consider the
distribution
channels
Solution…
Video content for a global audience

14.
5 second videos

15.
Create 10 x
5 second
videos
Animated Translated
Distribute &
pay to boost
Landing
pages
International Holidays

16.
Share data

17.
Institutional vs. Student Shares

18.
Had 408 views, after 3
weeks online
Published immediately
before a recruiting and yield
trip to India
Shared in India with
students and families
“Student Spotlight” Video

19.
Seek Valuable Insight from Website Analytics

20.
“Overview” Video
 Had 203 views, after 3
weeks online
 Overview of our new
Science and Engineering
Hall, programs,
technology
 Features the facilities and
programs, not a specific
student

21.
Seek Valuable Insight from Website Analytics

22.
Tag the student in
your posts with
their video
• Get permission first!
1
Consider the time
of day of target
audience when
posting
2
Ask the students to
share it to their
networks
3
Share with relevant
EducationUSA
offices
• E.g. based on the
language/native country
of the featured student
4
Ideas for Expanding Your Reach

23.
YouTube – Social Media Market Share
Top used platform
38.73%
Top used platform
28.85%
Top used platform
32.66%
2nd used
platform 21.64%
70% of 13-16 y.o.
use daily
Social Media Data Source: http://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats

24.
EducationUSA Belarus YouTube

25.
EducationUSA Belarus
YouTube – Belarus Channel Impact Survey
• 61 responses - interested in MA/MS (64%),
BA/BS (18%) and PhD degrees (16 %)
• 92% - student videos provided motivation to
purse U.S. studies
• 66% - current members of Competitive
College Club and Graduate Study Cohort
and intend to apply to U.S. institutions
• 15% already accepted to U.S. institutions
• 5% currently studying in U.S.

26.
EducationUSA Belarus
YouTube – Belarus Channel Impact Survey
Most valuable content:
• 54% - Searching for financial aid
• 32% - Program search and writing essays
• 10% - Test prep
• 4% - Communication with U.S. HEIs
Least valuable content:
• 49% - Description/history of an institution
• 16% - Most successful alumni
• 13% - Comparison to other institutions
• 11% - Campus facilities

27.
British Council IELTS – 1001 Ways app
Goal:
• to promote the visibility
of the IELTS test around
the test’s 25th
anniversary through a
mobile app

28.
Launched October 2014
161,000+ unique users
1900 videos uploaded
249 countries and
territories represented
1001 Ways Data

29.
Work with agents
Westminster
approached 10 UK
universities to film
on their campus
Produced a series
of short TV
programmes (16
mins) ‘UK Snap’
Hosted by a
national
celebrity/comedian
In local language
Thai
Recruitment in Thailand

30.
Thai current student video

31.
125,000 views on Facebook
Almost 20,000 on YouTube
1,100+ Social Reactions
Almost 300 social shares
Cost £3,000
Applications from agent +633%
Results

32.
International Recruitment and Marketing
Correct name of schools (visa)
Logo use
Lessons Learnt –
Partnerships

33.
Best practices and practical issues involved

34.
Mission:
Provide accurate, comprehensive, and current information about opportunities to
study at accredited postsecondary institutions in the United States.
Goal:
Promoting the diversity of U.S. higher education to help international students
find their best fit.

35.
EducationUSA Recommendations
○ Add your #YouAreWelcomeHere videos
○ Add institutional videos (targeted toward international students)
○ Add student-focused interviews
○ Around one minute and must be compliant with Section 508 of the Disability
Act of 1973
○ Avoid rankings, focus on “fit”

36.
EducationUSA Recommendations
To EducationUSA advisers in target language/country/region for ideas and feedbackReach out
With EducationUSA advisers visiting your campuses to meet with students for short interviews
(in local language or English)
Coordinate
With current international students on campus from the target country/language group for
local language content
Coordinate
With American students learning target languages to record videos (either on campus or part
of study-abroad experience)
Coordinate
Students to share videos through their own social media channelsAsk

37.
Think about your target
audience – who are you trying to
reach?
• Students from specific countries
• Students interested in specific
degree programs
• Other audiences (alumni?
parents?)
• Level of study
In recent video projects, we
have considered:
• Mix of current students and
alumni
• Different areas of study or areas
of focus
• Countries considered priorities
for recruitment
• Mix of experiences (e.g. summer
study, internships)
Identifying Students and Stories

38.
Prospective students
are more likely to
listen to current
students or alumni
than anyone else
Videos often
watched without
sound, so subtitles
are very helpful!
Tell a story, end with
a call to action -
where can they go
for more information
or for next steps?
Include keywords
and a relevant title
when posting and
sharing
Tag students - and
be sure your settings
allow sharing!
Keep it short – under
2 minutes is best
Best Practices for Reaching Your Target Audience

39.
Availability of
students
1
Budget –
professional or
in house?
2
Language of
filming
3
Location
4
Media Release
forms
5
Time for
production &
ideal timing for
release of the
final product
6
Practical Considerations

40.
Be sure to have
each participant
sign a release
waiver!

41.
Vietnamese Student Video Chat
 On the ground EducationUSA fairs in
Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City, spring
2017
 Connected with over 1000 students
in person
 Handed out cards with info for the
chat, invited parents to join
 Set-up live video chat with a current
Vietnamese student two days later
 253 students and parents
participated in the live video chat

42.
The Challenge
• Keeping offer holders
engaged
• Academics desperate to be
involved in conversion
• Tried webinars but low
attendance
Our Idea
• Set up a Facebook Group
and invited offer holders in
• Wanted to broadcast live to
bring the campus to
applicants overseas
• Scheduled various pieces
of content to engage offer
holders
Community Building

43.
Facebook group
+1,000 students
We’re keeping the
group active for this
year recruitment
Facebook LIVE
received up to 400
views
Student interviews
revealed the
Facebook
community was an
asset
Students loved
being able to see
the campus before
arrival
The quick response
times were
reassuring
Results

44.
Keep it short for course
selling
Let it run if you’re getting
engagement
Try not to plan it so much it
doesn’t come across as
authentic
Horizontal shooting not
portrait
Remember your audience
(recruiting or converting)
Mix up the content – campus
tours, academic Q&A,
student Q&A
Duo’s make it easier for
camera shy people
Facebook LIVE lives on after
you’ve finished filming and
you can download the
footage (do this straight
away)
Expected the unexpected –
make a joke of the situation
(if possible)
Don’t do it by yourself – have
a buddy to signal/write down
ideas
Lessons Learnt LIVE streaming

45.
Thank you!
Questions?

46.
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