York St. John’s Social Sciences department offers several undergraduate degree courses. A significant proportion of course applicants come from schools and colleges in the University’s local area.
The challenge
When the Social Sciences department’s usual recruitment visits and open days were cancelled due to the pandemic, they pivoted to an online approach and decided to create promotional video content to reach their target audience. They needed practical advice and strategic communications guidance to ensure their video was as effective and impactful as possible.
Our solution
We supported the department to establish a clear purpose for the video, and to pinpoint exactly where it fit into the prospective customer’s journey. We researched local, regional and aspirational competitors, analysing the promotional tactics being deployed in the sector. We used this insight to ensure the department’s video positioned York St. John’s courses competitively in the market.
We provided detailed insight into the target demographic and advice on tailoring the promotion approach, content and tone to their perspective and needs. We then created a clear narrative and key messages designed to have the greatest impact, and provided a full video script to ensure these messages were delivered effectively. We also provided practical guidance to ensure the shoot and edit proceeded efficiently.
The result
“LOCK was extremely helpful in developing our promotional video content to advertise our Criminology programmes at York St. John University. In particular, their research on how the sector and competitor institutions operate, the pros and cons of differing approaches to promotion, and the detailed advice around structuring and presenting our video really helped us sharpen our practice and produce the best possible video to sell our courses.
The outcome of this is that, despite challenging circumstances with the pandemic, our recruitment to Criminology courses has been stronger than ever, something we would not have achieved without the excellent service we received from Ces and her team. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend LOCK to other organisations looking for similar consultancy advice and support.”