Videos That Vibe
Month: July 2025
|July 9, 2025To earn a spot on Gen Z’s screen, higher ed marketers need more than great visuals; they need real stories, told in the way Gen Z expects. After all, Gen Z grew up surrounded by digital content, and they’re experts at spotting what feels real and what doesn’t. They care about authenticity, creativity, and content that actually speaks their language, rather than marketing that’s simply trying to sell them something. In higher ed, where the enrollment journey often starts with broad awareness campaigns, there’s a major opportunity to make a meaningful first impression through short-form content that feels personal and engaging. With the help of student ambassadors and interns, we can make content that fits the bill, and hooks a prospective student by allowing them to see themselves in another student’s shoes.
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat are where Gen Z naturally spend their time — and they expect content there to match their vibe. While each platform has its own personality, one thing holds true across all of them: the content that resonates most is fun, honest, and often student-created.
Video Inspo
If you’re looking for inspiration, take a peek at the following:
A quick day-in-the-life video from a student showing the real ups and downs of campus life can be more powerful than a scripted testimonial.
An on-trend video made to showcase students having genuinely fun times together on campus makes your institution shine bright with authenticity.
A fun, spirited highlight reel of a campus event, filled with real emotion and student voices, brings energy that traditional ads can’t replicate.
Now the real magic comes when these authentic moments are adapted and shared across multiple platforms. That same day-in-the-life TikTok can easily be repurposed as a YouTube Short or Instagram Reel with just a few adjustments to fit the tone of each channel. This kind of cross-platform approach doesn’t just make content creation more efficient, it helps reinforce your brand message. When prospective students see a familiar tone and story across platforms, it builds recognition and recall. Consistency in visuals, messaging, and voice helps create a strong digital presence that sticks.
From Inspo to Reality
Before you begin, it’s important to understand which platforms students are using. According to a survey of teenagers’ use of social media carried out by Pew Research, YouTube is still the most-used platform among U.S. teens, with 90% saying they use it and 73% using it daily. TikTok isn’t far behind—63% of teens use it, and 58% do so daily, based on Pew’s data.
And then there’s Snapchat, which often gets overlooked but shouldn’t be. Snapchat’s own data shows that nearly half of its daily users aged 16 and up don’t use TikTok every day — yet 60% of Snapchat users over 18 are also daily TikTok users. That tells us Snapchat has a unique and sizable audience we can’t afford to miss.
Now that we know where the students are, it’s time for us to start showing up. But not just showing up — showing up in the right way. Content should feel human, honest, and centered on real student experiences. While there’s absolutely still a place for high-production video, especially further down the funnel, the early stages of engagement should be about connection. Real moments, student voices, and consistent storytelling across platforms are what creates familiarity and sparks interest to “follow” and engage in the early days (i.e., sophomore, junior, even early senior year for some!). When we focus on showing up authentically, we’re providing opportunities for students to picture themselves as part of something real, taking us beyond marketing to building real connections that can lead to enrollment.
Let’s Do This 💪
There’s still time to master this cross-platform, authenticity-driven (or, vibes-driven) search strategy, so don’t just settle for reusing existing ad content from last cycle. Let the team at Spark451 help guide you through the planning, strategy, and execution of what it takes to up your institution’s social channels to drive critical funnel goals for the upcoming year! Reach out today and connect with one of our enrollment marketing and digital media strategists to learn more!
New York University Tandon School of Engineering
Award: Gold
Entry Name: NYU Engineering Student Giveaways
Group: Graduate School (MBA, Law, Med, etc.)
Category: Advertising Specialty (laptop stickers)
Hartwick College
Award: Silver
Entry Name: Hartwick College Brand Repositioning
Group: School 1,001–2,000 students
Category: Total Advertising Campaigns
Mount Saint Mary College
Award: Silver
Entry Name: Mount Saint Mary College – Sophomore-Junior Mailer
Group: School 1,001–2,000 students
Category: Brochure
If you’d like to learn how Spark451’s award-winning team can help your institution gain a competitive edge, reach out today.
A Different Kind of Summer Bucket List
Summer is here, and with it — summer bucket lists! You know what we’re talking about… all the wonderful things we want to do while the weather is warm and the days long. At the top of that list always seems to be “go on vacation!” but, since we can’t take the whole summer off (disappointing, we know), we’re here to provide a different type of summer bucket list: the get-your-CRM-ready-for-the-cycle-ahead list!
So put on your favorite music, pour a cold drink (iced coffee, anyone?), and get ready to dive in.
Bucket List Item #1: Cycle Prep
You’ve likely already gotten started on this one, but just in case you haven’t, we’re here to remind you: The time to start cycle prep is now! This critical process is key to a successful and smooth transition to the new recruitment cycle, so don’t put it off any longer. Not sure where to start? Check out our previous blog posts for comprehensive lists of action items:
Spark451’s Guide to Slate Cycle Prep
Essential Cycle Prep for All CRMs
Pro Tip: Cycle prep is an excellent time to start implementing past project ideas that never came to fruition as well as building upon those that were possibly started but never finished.
Bucket List Item #2: Collaborating
You know that post-conference feeling? The excitement of returning to the office knowing that any project, big or small, can and will be tackled? For most of us, that feeling is a bit too temporary… reality sets in and questions start arising: How exactly am I going to build out those dream features? Do I have the time for this? Where do I even start? 🤔
The answer? Teamwork! There’s no need to go at these projects alone, so this summer, see if you can gather at least three people to help you. The expertise, input, and hidden talents you’ll uncover will undoubtedly bring your projects to new heights.
Pro Tip: Turn the business cards you’ve collected into actionable next steps by connecting online with the people you’ve met. Whether it’s building connections, sharing ideas, or partnering with Spark451, don’t let new faces fade away!
Bucket List Item #3: Training
Between the turnover of your student workers and new staff hires, training should never be put on the back burner. Investing in your team’s technical abilities has long-term benefits and learning new skills helps them and you.
If you’re wondering where to find your next Slate, Element451, or Salesforce subject matter expert, look no further than IT staff and eager student workers. Sometimes the next great thought leader in your office is already there!
Bucket List Item #4: Events
Summer is prime event time, with new student orientation, arrival day, and increased campus visits taking center stage. Stay organized and on top of all those moving parts by using your CRM (so long, Excel spreadsheets! 👋) to track attendee details and staff availability, and to create timely communications that keep every audience engaged and informed.
Pro Tip: Hoping to get a bigger budget for future events? Nothing says “this is worth it!” more than a report showing how these events impact yield. Be sure to take full advantage of your CRM’s reporting capabilities and track, track, track!
Final Thoughts
With your focus now shifting to next year’s class, don’t forget about your incoming students and families. They have questions that need answers, and giving them some extra support in the coming weeks will pay off in the long term.
Need help building an anti-melt campaign? We have some tricks up our sleeves we’d be happy to share with you! Reach out anytime to discuss your needs and explore how our flexible SparkAssist service can help you get the most out of your CRM!
