Patterson-Brandt, Inc.
Results-focused creative video and multi-media for …
- University Recruiting and Development
- Healthcare Topics
- Non-Profit Fundraising and Public Relations
The PBI Post
Small Budgets
It surprises me when I find a school that has little or no video their web site. I realize that, especially for smaller schools, getting into video can be intimidating. If you make the wrong choice in producers you might get stuck with a video that isn't very good ... but you’ve spent the money, so you use the video, and you're left with a bad taste in your mouth from it and you don't want to go through the experience again.
If you have a limited budget it’s particularly important to choose a production company that has experience in higher education. It might seem surprising, but you don’t necessarily have to pay more money for a company with experience. When you have a small budget the key is to find a company that knows how to effectively use the money that you have. That's where experience is very important.
My advice if you have a limited budget — choose one small story that represents your school well, and use your limited budget to do a great job telling that story. If your story’s scope is small your producer can focus their efforts (and your budget) on telling that story really well. That story might be a profile of a popular professor who is a great example of the type of teaching your schools represents. Or maybe your story is about a well-regarded program on campus that is graduating students who go out and make a difference in the world.
The key is to find a single story that represents one of your core marketing messages. Too many schools make the mistake of thinking they have to create a comprehensive portrait of their school with a limited budget, and that’s just not possible. If you try to do comprehensive on a small budget you end up with a video that tries to do too much and accomplishes nothing.
It’s okay to start small if you have to ... but it’s important to get started in an effective way.
New Releases
“Video Map” for Geneva College Launches!
Our new “Interactive Video Map” for Geneva College is online!
The Geneva map has a clean, bright interface … the videos spotlight Geneva’s core marketing messages … and the feedback from prospective students has been impressive! Check it out!
“Video Map” for Rider University Launches!
Our interactive campus video map for Rider University is now online.
This creative approach is a great way to give web site visitors a feel for the campus while conveying your core marketing messages. Through the short tours of campus, led by actual student tour guides, you can show off the best features of your campus while highlighting majors, programs and activities that attract students.
Misericordia University Video Site Goes Live!
Our interactive “day in the life” video site for Misericorida University has launched.
The marketing department at Misericordia decided to start small, with two videos. They plan to add more over the next few years. This approach allows them to get started with a limited budget and begin enjoying recruiting benefits right away. By adding videos in installments they can expand when they have the budget … and the regular expansion keeps the site fresh with new content.