How Video Brochures Help Colleges Recruit Students and Athletes

College recruiting is about more than giving prospective students and athletes information.

Most schools already have websites, pamphlets, emails, campus tours, social media, and admissions materials. The bigger challenge is getting recruits to care enough to picture themselves there.

That’s where video brochures have proven to make a big difference.

By combining printed information with a built-in video screen, colleges can show their traditions, programs, facilities, professors, coaches, and experiences that make their school distinctive. 

Whether their video brochure is handed out in person or mailed to a priority recruit, it can help make the school feel more real before the prospect ever arrives on campus.

Video Helps Recruits Feel Connected Before They Arrive

College decisions are both emotional and practical.

Some students already have feelings about certain schools because of family traditions, location, school colors, athletic success, academic reputation, or memories of growing up wanting to attend a specific school.

Video can reinforce those existing feelings, or help create new ones.

Unlike motionless photos and text, video combines movement, music, voice, crowd energy, campus footage, and personal stories.

A prospective student might see:

• Students on campus
• Residence halls
• Classrooms and labs
• Professors
• Clubs and student organizations
• Campus traditions
• Graduation scenes
• The surrounding community

A prospective athlete might see:

• Coaches
• Teammates
• Training facilities
• Locker rooms
• Stadiums and arenas
• Fans
• Game-day traditions
• Support services

That can help prospective students and athletes begin imagining themselves as part of the school before they ever visit.

Video Brochures Can Show More Than Academics

Academic programs are obviously important, but they’re only one factor in choosing a college.

Recruits may also care about:

• Campus culture
• Student support
• Social life
• Housing
• Internships
• Research opportunities
• Career preparation
• Faculty
• Alumni testimonials
• Specialized programs

A video brochure gives colleges a way to bring those pieces together into one exciting message.

Instead of asking students to sort through multiple pages on a website or several printed pieces, the video content can guide them through the school’s strongest selling points in a fun, clear, and engaging way.

Video Brochures Are Especially Effective for Athletic Recruiting

Athletic recruiting is one area where video brochures can be particularly effective.

Recruits are often considering multiple schools, sometimes even in different states or regions. When doing so, they might be comparing coaching staffs, facilities, team culture, competition level, academic support, fan enthusiasm, and what life would be like as a student-athlete at that school.

Also, now that name, image, and likeness (NIL) money gets paid to college athletes, many are also comparing financial offers.

Video can communicate all of those things quickly.

A recruiting video might feature:

• A message from the head coach
• Team highlights
• Practice footage
• Player testimonials
• Locker rooms
• Training and rehabilitation facilities
• Stadium or arena footage
• Traditions
• Academic resources
• Campus life
• Travel or other program benefits

That gives recruits a much more complete impression than printed information can on its own.

Chad Lewis, Associate Athletic Director at BYU, described his school’s experience with a MediaFast video brochure campaign this way: “Regarding the Video Brochure; I’m happy to confirm that the campaign was very successful and we are very pleased with every aspect of the project from start to finish.”

As that illustrates, that kind of presentation can make a strong impression for athletic departments trying to elevate their program in the eyes of priority recruits.

Video Brochures Can Be Hand-Delivered or Mailed

Many college recruiting materials are distributed in person.

For instance, video brochures can be handed out during:

• Campus visits
• College fairs
• High school visits
• Recruiting events
• Counselor meetings
• Scholarship presentations
• Athletic visits

However, they’re not limited to hand-delivery.

When packaged inside custom mailing boxes, video brochures can also be sent as video mailers.

That’s especially convenient for athletic recruiting, where priority recruits may live hundreds or thousands of miles away.

By sending video brochures through the mail, colleges have a way to deliver a highly visual, personal message before or after an in-person meeting.

Parents and Families Are Part of the Decision Too

College decisions are often family decisions.

When making them, parents and other family members may care deeply about:

• Community
• Academics
• Housing
• Financial aid
• Graduation outcomes
• Career preparation
• Student support
• Athletic development
• Healthcare and wellness resources

Conveniently, a video brochure can be watched anywhere, at any time, and as often as desired.

That makes it easier for students to share the same message with the people who may be helping them make their decision.

Instead of trying to explain everything from memory, they can simply open the brochure and let family members experience a school’s video message for themselves.

Video Helps Colleges Keep Their Message Consistent

Larger colleges typically have many people involved in recruiting.

Admissions officers, coaches, faculty members, counselors, and other representatives may all talk with prospective students.

A video brochure helps ensure that the most important parts of a school’s message stay consistent.

For example, the video can clearly explain:

• What makes the school different
• What students can expect
• Why specific programs stand out
• What support is available
• Institutional values
• What the next step should be

Recruiters can then personalize the conversation around the individual student or athlete.

Strong Reactions Create More Recruiting Opportunities

Colleges have also seen strong internal and external reactions to video brochures.

For instance, Liz Lippincott, Senior Graphic Designer at Cal University and one of our clients, wrote: “Everyone absolutely LOVED the video card and we have had such wonderful feedback from our Admissions team … other institutions and our Chancellor.”

She also noted that the school’s executive leadership team wanted to explore ordering additional units.

That kind of response shows how strongly video brochures can resonate as recruiting pieces.

According to feedback from our clients, when admissions teams, leadership, and other departments see how effectively the format communicates their school’s story, they often find additional ways to use it.

Help Prospective Students See Where They Belong

For colleges, recruiting is ultimately about helping prospective students and athletes imagine where they belong.

Printed materials can provide facts. Websites can provide information. But video can help people feel the energy of a campus, see the personality of a team, hear directly from students and coaches, and begin picturing themselves as part of the experience.

Video brochures bring all of that together in a tangible format that can be handed out personally or mailed directly to recruits whom a school most wants to reach.

For colleges competing for talented students and athletes, that provides a powerful recruiting advantage.

If you’d like to experience a video brochure in person, click this link to request a FREE SAMPLE.