Why does some content get so much attention? It’s all about the story! Crafting a compelling story is essential for educational institutions to capture the hearts and minds of students and parents. By harnessing the power of storytelling, you can create a strong connection with your audience and position your institution as a leader in the field.

Nowadays, with so many different schools and curriculums available, institutions are constantly competing for the attention and loyalty of students. In this context, the art of educational branding has become a crucial factor in standing out from the crowd. At the heart of this strategic approach lies the power of storytelling – a timeless and captivating tool that has the ability to engage, inspire, and forge lasting connections between educational brands and their target audience.

Effective educational branding goes beyond simply promoting a school’s features and benefits. It involves crafting a narrative that resonates with students, parents, and the broader community. It’s about capturing the essence of the educational experience and the unique value proposition and turning it into a story people want to hear and remember once it's over.

This article outlines some key steps and tips for leveraging the power of storytelling. It explores ways to unlock the potential of brand stories to attract and retain students, foster a strong sense of brand loyalty, and position your educational institution as a leader in its field.

What is storytelling, and why is it important in educational branding?

Storytelling is the art of using narrative elements to convey information, ideas, and emotions in a compelling and memorable way. It’s one of the oldest art forms, with storytelling traditions dating back to ancient times. Sharing stories is a big part of what makes us human, and it has helped humanity to survive, evolve, and prosper. The emotional impact of a well-told story can create a deep connection with the audience, making them feel engaged and connected.

Brands also have stories. Just think of the brands you loved as a child. What do you remember about their commercials or one-liners? Or consider the big household names of Nike or Coca-Cola; you probably know a thing or two about their tagline and what their brand represents. Indeed, examples of strong brand storytelling aren’t difficult to find or remember because they stick in our minds. For instance, Harvard University's 'The Harvard Campaign' is a great example of how a compelling narrative can be used to engage alumni and donors in a fundraising campaign.

Psychologist Jerome Bruner found people are 22 times more likely to remember details when stories communicate messages rather than just facts and numbers.
Brand Storytelling: The Definitive 2024 Guide

In education, storytelling is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience – namely students and parents – on a deeper level, humanizing your institution, and creating a lasting impression.

Well-crafted educational brand storytelling allows you to:

  • Capture your audience's attention, draw them in, and foster a connection.
  • Differentiate your institution's unique story and showcase its exceptional value.
  • Build Emotional Connections to create a more profound and lasting impression.
  • Enhance Brand Recall and Loyalty, increasing the likelihood that prospective students will remember you and return to you when it’s time to choose.

The power of storytelling in engaging students and building brand loyalty

Storytelling has the remarkable ability to captivate and engage students, fostering a deeper connection with your educational brand. This ability applies to the entire student journey. Storytelling should retain students’ attention and nurture their relationship with the school from the day they begin searching for the right school and visit its website to the enrollment process and their first day of class, all the way to the end of the entire educational experience.

By crafting narratives that resonate with students throughout their educational journey, you can:

Inspire and motivate students to pursue their educational goals, ignite their passion for learning, and encourage them to become active participants in the academic journey.

Enhance the learning experience to make learning more engaging, memorable, and impactful, ultimately improving student outcomes and satisfaction.

Foster a sense of belonging: When students can identify with the stories and values represented by your educational brand, they are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and community, further strengthening their loyalty and commitment to your institution.

Amplify word-of-mouth: Powerful stories have a way of spreading organically as students and alums share their experiences and become brand ambassadors, further amplifying the reach and impact of your educational branding efforts.

A study in the Harvard Business Review found that emotional connections are significant drivers of brand loyalty and one of the best indicators of future customer value.
Brand Storytelling: The Definitive 2024 Guide

Elements of effective storytelling in educational branding

Compelling educational brand stories requires a strategic approach incorporating key narrative elements. Some of the essential elements include:

Compelling characters: Introduce relatable and engaging characters that embody the values and experiences of your target audience, allowing them to see themselves reflected in the story. In the world of education, your best bet is to focus on students and faculty members. Look for people in your institution who stand out by their exceptional life stories and experiences, sense of humor, or remarkable appearance. By highlighting the role of students and faculty in your storytelling, you make them feel valued and integral to the brand.

Authentic narrative: Ensure that your stories are grounded in the authentic experiences and perspectives of your institution, its faculty, staff, and students, creating a genuine and trustworthy brand image. Students are great at this; they know how to talk about their experiences and add details that prospective students can easily identify with. By stressing the authenticity of your narrative, you make the audience feel trust and confidence in the brand.

Emotional resonance: Tap into your audience's emotions by weaving in elements of joy, inspiration, challenge, or triumph, creating a deeper connection and lasting impact. Short videos are an ideal medium for this aspect of storytelling.

Clear plotlines: Structure your stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end, guiding your audience through a coherent and engaging narrative that aligns with your brand's messaging and objectives.

Memorable visuals: Complement your storytelling with captivating visuals, such as stunning photographs of your campus, videos of your students celebrating or experimenting in class, or infographics with easy-to-grasp numbers representing your institution (think number of nationalities, student-teacher ratios, graduation employment statistics, etc.).

For example, at EHL Hospitality Business School, prospective students are often curious about the school’s dress code. EHL created a professional appearance guide that shows various looks and outfits with a fun and dynamic mix of photos and stories.

These elements enhance the overall impact and make your brand stories more appealing and memorable.

Six steps to incorporate storytelling into your educational branding strategy

Integrating storytelling into your educational branding strategy requires a multifaceted approach.

The process begins with creating a vision and a framework for your brand story. Then, you set up the tools and connections to integrate storytelling into your marketing strategy.

Here are some key steps to help you map out your storytelling and use it as a compass for your marketing, communications, and social media campaigns:

1. Identify your brand's unique story: Uncover the distinct narratives that define your educational institution, its history, values, and the transformative experiences it offers students.

2. Know your target audience: Conduct thorough research to understand the aspirations, pain points, and motivations of prospective students, parents, and other key stakeholders, enabling you to craft stories that resonate with them.

3. Develop a consistent narrative: Ensure your brand stories align with your educational branding strategy, reinforcing your institution's unique positioning and value proposition across all touchpoints.

4. Leverage diverse storytelling formats: Explore a variety of storytelling formats, such as video, podcasts, social media content, and interactive experiences, to reach and engage your audience effectively.

5. Empower storytellers: Encourage and enable your faculty, staff, students, and alums to share their personal stories and experiences, further amplifying the authenticity and impact of your educational brand narratives.

6. Continuously evaluate and refine: Monitor the performance and impact of your storytelling efforts, and be ready to adapt and refine your approach based on feedback and evolving audience preferences.

Tips for creating compelling educational brand stories

Crafting compelling educational brand stories requires a strategic and thoughtful approach. Here are some tips to help you create captivating narratives:

1. Identify authentic narratives: Look for genuine stories and experiences that truly capture the essence of your educational institution, its values, and the transformative impact it has on students.

2. Personalize storytelling: Highlight the individual journeys and perspectives of your students, faculty, and alums to humanize your brand and create a more personal connection with your audience.

3. Leverage multimedia formats: Use a variety of multimedia elements, such as videos, podcasts, and interactive content, to bring your stories to life and enhance their overall impact.

4. Prioritize emotional resonance: Craft stories that evoke emotions such as inspiration, joy, or a sense of triumph to create a more profound and long-lasting impression on your audience.

5. Maintain consistency and coherence: Ensure your brand stories align with your educational branding strategy, reinforcing your institution's unique positioning and value proposition.

6. Encourage audience participation:
Invite your students, alums, and the broader community to share their own stories. This will foster a sense of belonging and amplify the reach and impact of your educational brand narratives.

Examples of educational storytelling in action

  • Sharing student success stories on social media can foster a sense of belonging and showcase the impact of your educational institution. At EHL, the fact that a hospitality degree can lead to many exciting career paths and the opportunity to study on two campuses are unique selling points for the undergraduate degree, so the school features stories of students starting their careers and students changing campus on the school’s blog.
  • Hosting events to connect prospective students with current students, alums, and industry partners. This mix of current and former students can amplify the reach of your brand narratives (as both groups will likely share their stories), and you can showcase the success stories of graduates and how that relates to current students. Online events where current students answer questions and share their experiences are also an excellent way to share these stories.
  • Creating promotional videos or testimonials that highlight the experiences of students, faculty, and alumni will further amplify the impact of your educational brand narratives. For this to be successful, you must keep in mind the channels (blog, social media, traditional media, etc.) where you want to share them and adapt the content, length, and tone of the video for the target audience.

Measuring the impact of storytelling on educational branding

Evaluating the impact of your educational brand's storytelling efforts is essential for understanding the effectiveness of your strategy and identifying areas for improvement.

Here are some key metrics to consider:

7. Engagement metrics: Track metrics such as website traffic, video views, social media engagement, and email open rates to gauge the level of audience interest and interaction with your brand stories.

8. Conversion metrics: Monitor the impact of your storytelling on key conversion points, such as student applications, enrollment rates, and alum donations, to assess the tangible impact on your institution's objectives.

9. Brand awareness and sentiment: Conduct surveys, focus groups, or social media sentiment analysis to measure the awareness, perception, and overall sentiment toward your educational brand as a result of your storytelling efforts.

10. Retention and loyalty: Analyze student retention and alums engagement rates, as well as the levels of brand loyalty and advocacy, to understand the long-term impact of your storytelling on your institution's reputation and community engagement.

11. Qualitative feedback: Gather and analyze qualitative feedback from your target audience, including students, parents, and industry stakeholders, to gain deeper insights into the emotional resonance and perceived value of your educational brand stories.

By continuously monitoring and evaluating the impact of your storytelling initiatives, you can refine your educational branding strategy, optimize your content, and ensure that your narratives continue to captivate and engage your audience.

Conclusion: Embrace the power of storytelling in educational branding

In the ever-changing world of education, telling engaging stories has become increasingly important for schools and colleges to set themselves apart and connect with students, parents, and the community. When you create interesting stories that people can relate to, it can help you attract and retain students and faculty members, build strong loyalty to your brand, and make your school or college a leader in its field.

As you embark on your journey to master the art of storytelling for your educational brand, consider partnering with our team of experienced professionals at EHL Education Consulting. We provide comprehensive consultancy services for educational institutions and subject expertise for a wide range of topics. Contact us today to learn how we can help you unleash the full potential of your educational brand.

EHL Hospitality Business School
Communications Department
+41 21 785 1354
EHL

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