Reaching Students With Empathy Through Monthly Admissions Videos

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About the Episode:

This episode of Talking Tactics is all about empathy. Allie Bear and Madelin Thompson from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada share how they came up with a very successful Admissions Top Questions video series to support their prospective students through their university decision. The tactic was grounded and born from a robust student journey mapping project, and ended up getting 15,000 views (with half coming from email!) over the 2023 admission cycle. 

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Check out Wilfrid Laurier University's Admissions Top Questions series.

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Key Takeaways

• Start with Empathy: Empathy-driven, user-centric research is the foundation for creating effective student communication strategies.
• Streamline Content for Clarity: Address common pain points in digestible, accessible formats to meet students' needs at the right time.
• Integrate Video and Email Campaigns: Embedding clear, actionable video content in email communications can drive high engagement and trust.
• Leverage Internal Expertise: Collaborative efforts between admissions, recruitment, and marketing can ensure authenticity and precision in messaging.
• Measure and Adapt: Monitor audience behavior, refine content strategies, and improve year over year for continued success.

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Episode Summary

What Sparked the Idea for the Admissions Top Questions Series?

The Admissions Top Questions series stemmed from a user journey mapping initiative aimed at understanding prospective students' fears and needs. Wilfrid Laurier University identified key concerns like application clarity and a sense of belonging early in the process. These findings underscored the importance of clear, empathetic communication to alleviate student anxiety and build trust.

The team identified a gap in proactive support for prospective students and leveraged this as an opportunity to position Laurier as a reliable guide in the admissions journey.

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How Did Laurier Approach the Series Creation?

1. Gathering Insights: Laurier’s admissions, recruitment, and service teams brainstormed the most common student questions across the application cycle, categorizing them by month.
2. Thematic Storyboarding: Questions were grouped into monthly themes to ensure relevance and alignment with the student decision-making timeline.
3. Script Development and Execution: Madeline Thompson scripted concise, two-to-three-minute videos that emphasized clarity while remaining engaging and personable. The final videos were filmed professionally for high production value.
4. Evergreen Content Strategy: Recognizing the limitations of year-specific videos, Laurier updated its series in 2023 to ensure reusability and efficiency, eliminating redundancies between international and domestic versions.

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What Made the Distribution Strategy Effective?

Laurier's distribution focused on three primary channels:

1. Email Campaigns: Emails drove half the total video views with click-through rates of 5% for domestic students and 6% for international students. Simple, engaging subject lines like "Here’s How to Apply to University" ensured students knew the email's value upfront.
2. Social Media: Instagram stories reached nearly 7,000 viewers per month, extending the series’ visibility organically.
3. Web Integration: Embedding the videos in Laurier’s admissions pages ensured prospective students accessing resources organically could find the answers they needed.

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What Challenges Did They Overcome?

Laurier faced several challenges in their first iteration:

• Balancing Audiences: Separate videos for domestic and international audiences proved resource-intensive and unnecessary. Streamlining content for both audiences significantly improved efficiency.
• Resource Management: Producing the first series in-house was labor-intensive. Partnering with a professional video production company for key services allowed Laurier to maintain quality while staying within budget.

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What Results Did They See?

The impact of the Admissions Top Questions series was substantial:

• 15,000+ Views: Half driven by email campaigns, with an average view duration of 1 minute and 16 seconds—well above industry averages.
• 320 Hours of Watch Time: Demonstrating meaningful engagement with the content.
• Decreased Inquiries: Service teams noted a significant reduction in repetitive prospective student inquiries.
• Broader Audience Reach: Nearly 28% of viewers were aged 25+, indicating parents and influencers were also engaging with the content.

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