Ensure Every Marketing Project Has at Least 9 Lives
Last August, I met with one of the brightest minds in the education video world. His name is Miles Latham and his company is Affixxius Productions. They work with companies across different industries, but their education work is simply unmatched.
I first came across Miles through his work with Christ School (my alma mater and former employer). In 2018, the school hired Affixxius to create the video embedded below:
When I was Director of Communications & Marketing, we hired Affixxius again in 2021 to create the video embedded below:
Last August, I met with Miles in a coffee shop in London, England. I learned an incredible amount from the conversation, but one point has stuck with me in particular. He told me that many schools need help properly using the videos that Affixxius creates for them.
In the video world, this problem looks like a school investing major resources in creating a film. Once they have the film in hand, they upload it to YouTube, post it on social media, and wait for the inquiries to start pouring in. That’s a start, but there’s way more to it.
You have to properly use your marketing assets. Each asset – whether video, photo, article, or design – should have at least nine lives.
The best way to execute on your marketing assets depends on your school, target audience, goals, and of course, the assets themselves. You can build a terrific website, but that in itself won’t attract prospective families to visit it. You can shoot an incredible video, but people won’t find it on their own. You can create an amazing publication, but you have to get it in the right hands.
Put simply: If you build it, they won’t necessarily come.
When you’re budgeting to create an asset (like a new website, article, video, or design project), include resources dedicated to driving eyeballs to the asset. This could look like advertising spend, but it could also be something more experiential like using it at an event, sharing it through direct outreach, or something else. Too often, this side of the budgeting/resource equation is forgotten or undervalued.
What Does This Look Like in Practice?
In the case of Affixxius’ films, they are powerful enough to completely reset the perception of a school and set it on a new trajectory. If I was at a school who worked with Affixius on a perception-changing film, properly executing might look like this:
Create a sense of occasion and momentum by “launching” the video simultaneously via email, social media, and an 0n-campus premier.
Embed the video on your website homepage and use it as the hero element on your social media pages.
Immediately start using the video, and short-cut versions, in digital advertising on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. These campaigns should last well beyond the launch period. Use the video as an ad that constituents will see for months.
Show the video at donor events, open houses, board meetings, homecoming, and everywhere else. Have your head of school or admissions director use it as a storytelling point when they speak at events. Ask your constituents to show it to friends.
Write an article about the filming and production process in your school magazine or newsletter. Use the story of the video to show your expertise, momentum, and to build pride and excitement.
The importance of executing properly feels especially important when it is a major project like an expensive film, but this applies to everything your school creates for marketing. If you feel like you’re doing all of the right marketing things, but nothing is happening, then you should review this execution part of the equation.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Shoot us an email at info@38house.com with any questions, ideas, or stories that you have to share. We can also help determine the best way to execute on your marketing assets. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh set of eyes.
