Everything is Awesome! Four Enrollment Marketing Lessons from the Lego Movie

I had a chance to watch The Lego Movie a few weeks ago with my kids. I was struck not only with how well it was done, but the fact that such a movie had not previously been created. Here are four take aways that I think apply to enrollment marketing:

1. Know Your Audience

As mentioned in one of my other blog posts regarding my oldest son’s bedroom walls, it’s important to be sure to understand your audience. The Lego Movie understands that they market to children, but that Mom and Dad are right there with them. Had the movie been just a commercial for Lego, it would not be earning the box office revenue it has. The movie has aspects that appeal to kids as well as adults. Does you education marketing appeal to both your prospective students and parents?

2. Multi-Faceted Approach

As with any Hollywood blockbuster, there is more than just the movie: merchandising at McDonald’s, video games, mobile trailers. The same should be true of your enrollment marketing. You cannot rely on just a few tricks such as the view-book and search. Be sure to include social media marketing, search engine marketing, inbound marketing, and a rich website with marketing automation built in to assist your staff. In addition, consider items such as guerrilla marketing and your mobile strategy. Understanding today’s best practices as well as being ready for the next practices will round out your multi-faceted approach.

3. Driven by Content and Emotion

Several of the movie reviews comment upon how the movie was so much more than expected. The movie had content and emotion in addition to clever use of the legos. That content, whether from the snarky comments of Batman to rooting for the hero of the story, is grounded with emotion and depth. Is your enrollment marketing generating emotion from your audience? Do you create regular content with depth and substance to engage your potential students and parents?

4. Leverage YouTube

My kids are tweens and teenagers. They live on YouTube. Hollywood knows that and makes YouTube an extension of the movie going experience. Taking a look at the Lego Movie channel on YouTube: no less than 24 videos, including the office trailers, featurettes, behind the scenes, and additional immersive content. They are even encouraging and featuring user-generated content!

Does your institution have the same type of immersive content for your prospective student audience?

Are you using the power of video and YouTube for your enrollment marketing efforts?