Videos are transforming social media. If you’re not already convinced about the power of video, here are some interesting video marketing statistics that might interest you.
- 85% of all internet users in the U.S. watch online video content monthly
- 54% of consumers want to see more video content
- 87% of marketing professionals use video as a marketing tool
- There are 8 billion video views on Facebook every single day
- Facebook videos increased by 360% in newsfeeds in the last year
- 100 million hours of Facebook videos are watched daily
- 88% of viewers spend more time on a website with video content
- 72% of people would rather watch a video than read text on the same page
- 95% of viewers are more likely to remember a call to action after watching a video than reading it in text format
Why are videos so popular on social media? It’s because they allow us to tell a story in a natural, organic way that comes alive for the viewer.
How to Choose the Best Topics
As with any marketing, the topic matters. In essence, you want to choose topics that:
- Will engage your audience
- Matter to your audience
- Is a topic in which your school has expertise, is educational or education-related in some way
Be Prepared to Organize Your Topic Ideas
The first thing to do is to be prepared when it comes to generating video topics. I use the Evernote app to store and organize my ideas. Use whatever works for you – a whiteboard, journal, pen and paper, spreadsheet. Just get ready for lots of ideas!
Research Keyword Ideas
There are many ways to research keywords. One of my favorites is AnswerThePublic. AnswerThePublic is a free app that you can use to discover what people are searching for in Google. It aggregates all the data from Google’s autosuggest feature and puts it in a visual diagram format. It literally generates hundreds of ideas on a given topic.
Use TubeBuddy to Determine Popularity
Another favorite tool is a Chrome extension called TubeBuddy. This software will help you do keyword research. Use the Tag Explore feature to see which keywords (topics) have the potential to rank well. The Trending tab is a great tool for determining what topics will help your content gain views very quickly.
Create Series-Based Content
Series-based content will encourage people to keep coming back and allows you to explore topics from different perspectives. Too many organizations scratch the surface of topics and move on. If you go deep you will gain credibility and authority.
Repurpose Blog Content
Use Google Analytics to determine your most popular blog posts and repurpose content by creating videos on those topics.
36 Topic Ideas to Get You Started
Here are 36 video topic ideas to get your creativity sparked and generate new video topic ideas for your school marketing.
1.Introduce your school
Video is a great way to introduce your school and let parents know what you’re all about.
2.Your school’s history
This type of video helps parents understand the history and background of your school. Make sure you make this type of video relevant and interesting.
3.Respond to parents’ questions and concerns
This type could be considered an “explainer” video. Think about the most common questions parents ask about your school, education in general or parenting questions. Find someone in your school that has expertise on the specific question or concern and have them either do a Facebook Live video or record the video and post it. This is a good topic to brainstorm with parents, teachers and administrators.
4.Learning disabilities
Discuss learning disabilities and how your school helps kids with special needs.
5.Classroom projects
Parents love seeing what their kids are doing in school. Just make sure you have permission from parents to photograph and videotape their kids.
6.Your school’s educational philosophy
It’s really important that parents understand the philosophy behind your school and why your school has embraced your educational approach.
7.Reviews
Consider reviewing books or movies that might interest your families. You can take any type of slant that fits with your school’s philosophies or best parenting practices.
8.Phone apps
Review the best apps for parents and kids. There are lots of great apps out there like safety apps, parental control apps, family game apps, family organizing apps, tracking apps, photomath and other educational apps, health apps, recipe apps, finance apps to teach kids about money, networking apps, chorebank apps and so much more!
9.School sports
A perennial favorite, film and edit excerpts of school sporting events and post it on your blog and social media.
10.A Day In the Life
Take your camera and shoot a variety of experiences that create “A Day in the Life” of your school.
11.Give a tour of your school
Everyone will love watching a video tour of your school. You can narrow this down to one room at a time to really give an in-depth view of each room.
12.Show off your trophies
Have students show off and tell a brief story about how your school was awarded each trophy. You could do a “Trophy Tuesday” or other weekly video to highlight one trophy a week.
13.Review video games
Kids love video games and parents want to know more about them. This is a great way to engage kids and help parents decide what games are suitable for their children.
14.Healthy family recipes
Most kids love to cook with their family and most families are looking for easy, healthy, budget-conscious recipes. Consider enlisting a teacher or volunteer interested in helping families learn how to cook healthier meals and engage kids for a great video.
15.Explore scientific concepts
How do magnets work? How do robots come up with their own concepts? What is teslaphoresis? There are so many scientific concepts that could be explored – and demonstrated – by your students.
16.Create math tutorials
Let’s face it – many kids have trouble with math. Math tutorials are a great way to engage students and parents alike.
17.Discuss historical writers and authors
Explore the great authors and help families discover the people behind the stories.
18.Teach an important life skill
Show families how to perform basic, practical skills like changing a tire, read a nutrition label, do laundry, vote, jump start a car, back up your data, basic first aid, etc.
19.Show off magic tricks
Kids and adults alike are delighted by magic tricks. Find a volunteer and enlist their help showing off magic tricks.
20.Discuss current news
Search out current news that relates to education or your school in some way. Invite your principal or another administrator to share their views on the topic.
21.Discuss historical texts
There are many historical texts that could be introduced and discussed. From the Bible to the Art of War, political texts, literary works, books that have had a major impact on society, science, math, geography and religious texts all have influenced our world in many ways.
22.Discuss people who have had an influence on your school
What a great way to highlight people who have made special contributions or have volunteered for your school. Help families recognize your school’s “village”.
23.Make cool stuff
Show students and parents how to do cool stuff like build a treehouse, do-it-yourself kids toys, tie-dye fabric, arts and crafts projects and other fun things. Ask for parent volunteers in your school newsletter that would be interested in showing other families how to make cool stuff.
24.How to care for an animal
Most people know basic care of pets, but there’s always more to learn like grooming techniques, training, dealing with behavioral issues and more. Consider non-traditional pets like hedgehogs, pigs, de-scented skunks, pet bugs and reptiles.
25.Go on a field trip
Parents are always looking for interesting things to do in the area. Visit family-friendly local attractions experience a local hiking trail or highlight a place off the beaten path.
26.Discuss animal habitats
Highlight various animal habitats, especially local wildlife.
27.Explain how certain tools work
We live in a world where people don’t know how to use a lot of essential tools. Fix that. Include students in the video learning how to use the new tool.
28.Discuss different climate regions and weather patterns
People are interested in different climates and weather patterns. Pay special attention to strong weather patterns that may affect your area and how families can be prepared for natural disasters.
29.Discuss the history of different countries
Give a brief overview of the history of various countries and how it relates to what your students are studying.
30.Explore how a computer or other piece of technology is made
Help students and their parents gain a basic understanding of how certain technological hardware works.
31.Explain educational technologies
There are certain education technology-related topics parents should have a basic understanding of, such as kids learning code, augmented and virtual reality, gamification in education, flipped classrooms, robotics, and artificial intelligence, autism and iPads, etc.
32.Environmental education
Help kids learn the importance and how to do their part to protect the earth. Good video topic for Earth Day.
33.Facts about your state
Help families learn more about your state and invite them to share photos of places they’ve visited.
34.Review kid-friendly gadgets
The right gadget can fight boredom and provide hours of fun for the whole family.
35.Share tips and tricks
Make a video on little ways you can use technology better and more efficiently. Make the video easy for kids to understand as well as present useful tips for parents.
36.Interview an alumni
Find out how your school had an impact on the life of the alumni. What do they remember most about your school? What advice can they offer to potential families and students about enrolling at your school?
Creating great video content for your school is only the first step. After your video is published, make sure you are following through with promotion tactics to include in your social media strategy.
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