Education marketing trends for 2025

The market trends education institutions are currently displaying reflect changing expectations from their target audience and a highly competitive landscape.

In 2025, institutions will need to embrace cutting-edge technologies, personalised content, and innovative storytelling methods to stand out.

Video production is becoming increasingly important, helping to support a range of higher education marketing trends.

As a medium, video can capture attention, engage audiences, support applicants and current students, while ensuring alumni and donors remain connected.

Here are some of the stand-out education marketing trends that we’ve noticed already in 2025:

The prevalence of short-form video

Over recent years, short-form videos have become more important in communicating key marketing messages.

Video-driven platforms like Instagram and TikTok are where social media users increasingly spend their time.

Higher education institutions are adopting short-form video, using bite-sized content to showcase campus life, student testimonials, faculty insights, and other information.

These can provide quick, personalised clips that provide an authentic and engaging glimpse into university culture. This makes them an effective tool for attracting prospective students.

Long-form documentary style content

If short-form video operates as a shop window for HE institutions, long-form documentary style video can give students and staff the opportunity to tell deeper, more meaningful stories.

Universities are now producing in-depth, documentary-style features highlighting exciting and important research, fascinating student journeys, and institutional history.

High-quality production can help institutions differentiate themselves by building stronger connections with their audience.

With a general growth in public interest in documentaries, HE institutions have a range of advantages when it comes to finding compelling stories to share.

Interactive and immersive content

One of the most interesting emerging education marketing trends is the development of interactive content.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are being used to allow prospective and current students to experience virtual campus tours, attend live-streamed events, or interact with course materials in new ways.

User-generated and influencer content

Authenticity is increasingly important in higher education marketing trends, with prospective students trusting peer recommendations more than traditional advertising.

Institutions are empowering students to create user-generated contents, such as student vlogs, day-in-the-life POV videos, behind the scenes-stories, and testimonials to build credibility.

Institutions are now partnering with influencers and would-be influencers among their student and alumni body to amplify their reach on social media.

Giving students opportunities to involve themselves in marketing can also be valuable in itself, providing great experience that can benefit them in their careers.

Live video for real-time engagement

Live streaming has become important for HE institutions over the past few years, fostering real-time engagement.

Institutions will often host live Q&A sessions, virtual open houses, and discussions with lecturers and students, to connect with prospective students.

These live interactions can encourage engagement, creating a sense of immediacy and transparency.

SEO-optimised video content

Educational video content can showcase the research and expertise of a particular university, forming part of its outreach to the wider public.

This valuable content is being used as a marketing tool for higher education institutions, with thought being given to how it can be made more accessible for the general viewer.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is essential in ensuring that educational content is seen.

Universities will need to optimise their video descriptions, use relevant keywords, and create high-quality informative content to ensure that their videos rank well in search results.

Higher education video content from Eight Engines.

Eight Engines is a leading video production company based in the North West of England.

We work with educational clients in Manchester and beyond to create compelling, professional, and persuasive films that engage and inspire your target audience.

We bring film and TV production values to every project we undertake, and can help you develop video content that supports your overall higher education branding strategy while making maximum impact.

Contact us today to give your institution the platform it needs to shine.

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