Using video in your school’s marketing and communication mix can feel like it raises more questions than the problems it potentially solves. How professional should it look? How long should my video be? What portion of my budget should be devoted to video? Of course, there is no single answer.

Two things are certain: strategy should always come before execution and video is not a strategy; it is simply one of the tools in your marketing and communication toolkit. Just as the phrase, “I want to do a school print,” sounds absurd, so should the phrase, “I want to do a video.” Greater precision and intent are required to create videos that are true assets.

Start with the end in mind. Make sure you can answer the big picture questions before even considering how you will execute your production. What do I want the viewer to do, understand or change once they have watched the video? Who is our audience? In what context will they watch the video?

Videos can often pull double duty in much the same way that printed matter can (think of your yearbook that is also a useful tool in enrolment conversations), but don’t let this false sense of economy pull your strategy out of focus. Be clear about your strategy, the purpose and intended outcome of creating a video asset and then let your creative team express your school’s personality within those parameters.

There are few better ways to show what is possible with video than to watch a video. We have raided the imageseven link library to bring you examples of just 16 school video categories.

Insight applied

• Strategy should always come before execution.
• Video is a tool … not a strategy.
• Define your strategy, purpose and intended outcome.
• Identify your audience.