How one-to-one storytelling turns info into enrollment
College students are saturated with content material of their each day lives, and video is a large a part of what they see and devour. Nevertheless, because the 2025 E-Expectations Report reveals, college students are additionally now not impressed by one-size-fits-all advertising. They need outreach that feels private, related, and genuine (RNL, Halda, & Trendy Campus, 2025). What resonates with them is personalization that reveals faculties see them and never simply one other applicant.
And when a customized video connects these dots, combining storytelling, emotion, and knowledge, one thing highly effective occurs: curiosity turns into dedication.
Why personalization works
That is clear. When college students see themselves mirrored in a narrative, they have interaction extra deeply and really feel a stronger sense of belonging.
Zhao and colleagues (2024) examined this by a creative experiment involving customized animated movies. Contributors watched brief tales the place their moods and habits formed the lifetime of just a little corgi making an attempt to succeed in the moon. The outcomes? Viewers not solely loved the video, however additionally they recognized with it. Some even began calling the character “me.” That sense of recognition is strictly what faculties intention to spark after they ship a customized admit or monetary support video.
Banerjee et al. (2023) discovered comparable results within the schooling expertise sector. When apps delivered suggestions primarily based on particular person pursuits, pupil engagement elevated, particularly amongst those that usually ignored suggestions. The message for increased schooling entrepreneurs is obvious: those that ignore your emails or skip your occasions might merely be ready for the proper message on the proper second.
Lastly, Deng et al. (2024) confirmed that personalization is not only about what content material seems; additionally it is about how it seems. TikTok’s algorithm, for instance, predicts which segments you’ll watch and preloads them for a frictionless expertise. In the case of customized video for college kids, the identical precept applies. A message that hundreds shortly, feels easy, and speaks on to their wants earns consideration and belief.
Actual outcomes from customized video campaigns
You may see the total potential of personalization when faculties put it into follow, particularly with the channel college students use essentially the most: video. Establishments throughout the nation are utilizing customized video to make advanced info clear, emotional moments unforgettable, and on-line discovery actually interactive. We work with our companions Allied Pixel, the pioneer in customized video expertise, to assist campuses make that customized connection that drives enrollment.
Customized monetary support movies: Turning confusion into readability
At Coastal Carolina College, affordability grew to become a possibility for connection. By means of Personalized Financial Aid Videos (PFAVs), the college walked college students and households by their support packages in plain English and Spanish, serving to them perceive what school would really price. The end result was exceptional:
- College students who considered their PFAV have been almost twice as more likely to enroll as those that didn’t
- Greater than 75% of scholars who clicked an motion button after watching enrolled.
- Coastal Carolina credit the movies as a significant component in enrolling a record-breaking incoming class.
What may have been a complicated second grew to become one in all readability and confidence.
Admit hype movies: Constructing emotional momentum
As soon as affordability is obvious, emotion takes middle stage. The College of Cincinnati used Personalized Admit Hype Videos as a part of its “Moments That Matter” marketing campaign, designed to have a good time admitted college students in a manner that felt deeply private.
The outcomes spoke for themselves: over 1,200 college students confirmed their enrollment after watching their customized video. One pupil shared, “It made me really feel like I’ve discovered a brand new house. Thanks for placing this collectively!” A father or mother commented, “This is absolutely the coolest factor I’ve seen in school recruiting, and that is my third youngster. Effectively completed!!!”
It’s onerous to think about a clearer instance of how belonging drives yield.
Actual-time internet movies: Personalization in 30 seconds or much less
Earlier than a pupil ever inquires, faculties like Aquinas School are utilizing Personalized Real-Time Web Videos to create rapid engagement. Guests to the Aquinas web site can construct their very own video in below 30 seconds, that includes content material related to their pursuits.
Over 70% of holiday makers select to create their very own customized clip, a unprecedented engagement price. Even higher, the shape captures names, emails, and non-obligatory cellphone numbers, offering the admissions workforce with high-quality leads whereas providing college students a memorable first touchpoint.
These examples present that personalization is not only a creative flourish. It’s a measurable driver of engagement, confidence, and enrollment.
What customized video means for enrollment leaders
For enrollment and advertising groups, customized video has shifted from a novelty to a necessity. The outcomes are too compelling to disregard. Here’s what to give attention to subsequent:
- Begin with knowledge. Use CRM or utility knowledge to personalize content material round main, support standing, or subsequent steps.
- Make it one-to-one. Embody every pupil’s title, main, and related particulars so it looks like their story.
- Preserve it brief. The candy spot is 30–60 seconds, sufficient to tell with out overwhelming.
- Information with function. Finish each video with one clear name to motion: verify, apply, schedule, or log in.
- Measure and refine. Observe engagement and conversion metrics to maintain bettering.
- Construct belonging. Mix knowledge with empathy, as a result of personalization is about individuals, not simply platforms.
When completed proper, customized video meets each emotional and sensible wants. It solutions questions and builds confidence, however it additionally sparks pleasure, pleasure, and a way of belonging. That’s the candy spot the place conversion occurs.
So, if you need college students not simply to look at, however to really feel seen, don’t simply write it, movie it. Preserve it brief, actual, and private. As a result of when just a few seconds can change a pupil’s resolution, essentially the most highly effective phrase in recruitment would possibly simply be their title.
Wish to see the total image?
Learn the way customized video can create highly effective engagement at each stage of the enrollment journey. Watch our webinar, How to Ramp Up Student Engagement Through Personalized Videos, to study how one can add customized movies to your advertising and recruitment efforts.
You can too obtain the 2025 E-Expectations Trend Report to see the total findings on how right now’s high-school college students discover, consider, and select faculties, plus what they anticipate from each click on, video, and message.
References:
- Banerjee, R., Ghosh, A., Nanda, R., & Shah, M. (2023). Customized Suggestions In Edtech: Proof From A Randomized Managed Trial. Proceedings of the 14th ACM Convention on Studying at Scale. ACM.
- Deng, W., Fan, Z., Fu, D., Gong, Y., Huang, S., Li, X., Li, Z., Liao, Y., Liu, H., Qiao, C., Wang, B., Wang, Z., & Xiong, Z. (2024). Customized Playback Know-how: How Quick Video Providers Create Wonderful Person Expertise. IEEE Transactions on Multimedia. Advance on-line publication.
- RNL, Halda, & Trendy Campus. (2025). 2025 E-Expectations Report. Ruffalo Noel Levitz.
- Zhao, X., Lee, J., Maes, P., & Picard, R. (2024). A Journey To The Moon: Customized Animated Motion pictures For Self-Reflection. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Pc Interplay, 8(CSCW2), 1–27.
