3. Take a look at St. Clair Colleges website. In relation to visuals, what would you propose to St. Clair College to improve/enhance this new website to effectively market to potential incoming local domestic students. Please provide three (3) recommendations and justify your answer with detailed reasoning. (9 Marks)
1st Recommendation –Video as Landing Page
My first recommendation would be to use a video as the landing page of the website. The video should be broken down into several parts. As we know, attention spans are short, meaning the video on the landing page should be engaging and interesting enough and not too long or complicated. Otherwise, domestic students will simply not care for it, and it will defeat the purpose of using it in the first place. The video would consist of quick and effective clips highlighting different aspects of what St. Clair College offers to domestic students. It would include students traveling to get to St. Clair’s main campus through recognizable parts of the Windsor area.
Furthermore, it would include students interacting with one another showcasing connectivity and community through various campuses such as the downtown and Chatham campus. It would also include clips of hands-on activities offered from some of the programs, such as labs, collaborations, and real-life projects. It would highlight recognizable awards and events that students can take part in, highlighting what makes St. Clair different from other colleges and universities. In addition to this, it would include clips of students involved in active clubs, sports, and volunteering opportunities to show authenticity and value in our institution. It would conclude with a zoom out of St. Clair’s campus with a text overlay of “Rise Above the Ordinary”.
This works for a number of different reasons. As discussed in class, a landing page is one of the most critical components of any website. From St. Clair’s advertising efforts, people are constantly redirected to St. Clair Colleges’ main website. By using a video as a landing page, St. Clair can increase their conversion by a whopping “86%” (W9-C-Importance of Visuals (W25).pdf, Slide 3). What this means for local domestic students is that they immediately get a strong and impactful first impression by a video that encourages them to explore more as opposed to a photo of the main campus building (what is currently being used). Moreover, “90%” of information transmitted to the brain is visual (W9-C-Importance of Visuals (W25).pdf, Slide 8). By using a strong visual of a video right away on the landing page, domestic students immediately understand exactly how St. Clair can help them and their future. Instantly, they are engaged with a video that has emotional connection and makes domestic students feel heard, seen, and valued. They will be able to picture themselves in the same light as in the video. Not only so, but it actually motivates them to keep reading through the rest of the website. Domestic students can immediately comprehend what they can expect, encouraging them to move through the next steps of the sales funnel (the website).
2nd Recommendation – Infographics
My second recommendation would be to utilize more infographics throughout the entire website. Whether this be on the home page, the programs pace, or the student info page, the use of infographics helps break down complex ideas into digestible chunks of information that is more interesting and easier to comprehend. Some of the infographics can include information on the following subjects:
- Infographics on information on what makes St. Clair College different. Meaning, why domestic students should pick St. Clair College over other institutions. It would include quick and visually appealing information on the number of programs offered, a quick gauge of the average tuition, and more.
- Infographics on the number of clubs and activities offered as well as parking, transportation, sports, and so forth. This helps people immediately visualize the number of different things St. Clair offers to domestic students. They can quickly understand how St. Clair College is both exciting and accessible. It could also include some infographics on step-by-step guides on how to apply, what to expect, career pathways, and so on.
This is a great recommendation because it helps domestic students understand how St. Clair College is accessible, valuable, and impactful. They do not have to read large texts of information in order to understand this. Furthermore, they simply don’t have the time to look for all of this information. The website currently does not include infographics that break complex information into small chunks of visually engaging information. By utilizing infographics throughout the website, domestic students are far more likely to remember the information in their long-term memory as opposed to walls of text that they won’t remember after 3 days. They are much more likely to come back and investigate the college and its offerings further.
At the moment, the website is not visually engaging enough, rather, it relies on using the same images as the hero and doesn’t break down large chunks of information into easily digestible chunks. It looks repetitive and doesn’t offer domestic students the ability to quickly process and understand information. This discourages them through the sales funnel and decreases interest in enrolling into St. Clair College. By utilizing infographics, domestic students can not only engage in the information because it is laid out in a visually appealing way, but it communicates critical information more effectively. It makes the information more persuasive and easier to act on. This helps students visualize themselves at St. Clair College much more efficiently than it currently does.
3rd Recommendation – Emotional Storytelling
As it currently stands, St. Clair College utilizes pictures that are boring, look like stock images, and all together feel inauthentic. A lot of the pictures look as though students are posing in an unnatural way and lacks genuine emotions and implications. This is something that will not resonate with domestic students because it does not make them feel anything. They do not reflect the real experiences and community that they will be an apart of when enrolled at St. Clair College. Instead of this, St. Clair can utilize real images of students throughout their website. Whether this be in sports, clubs, real activities, or events, it will help showcase real and active students in day-to-day moments.
As mentioned earlier on, incorporating real and genuine pictures of students and teachers at the facility will help domestics students look at the college more favorably, as more approachable, and as a place that they will more likely enroll in. Using images of students laughing together in different areas of the campus, engaged in program activities, engaged in sports especially on the massive football field we currently have and more, directly communicates what it truly feels like to attend St. Clair College. It conveys real emotions that domestic students will feel inspired and motivated by. They will find far more value in pictures that include these emotional factors instead of generic photos that look like stock images. Furthermore, it is a great way to tell an immersive and impactful story. A story that domestic students can relate to and feel immersed in.
This is something that the text-based information on the website currently does not do. This will help the college appear more trustworthy, relatable, and professional. Domestic students want to see people like themselves reflected on the website. They want to relate, feel seen, and valued. They will take great pride on the website and the college if it utilizes emotional and storytelling visuals. They cannot do this with photos where people are forcefully posing and generic. Visuals must be a focal point of what St. Clair wishes to communicate to their users. By utilizing the recommended visuals, St. Clair will beat out other competitors by thoroughly capturing the realness of the campus life and its offerings. Moreover, it enables them to deeply connect with domestic students who are looking to enroll. It will help students with their decision-making process and altogether encourage them through the sales funnel.
Leave a Reply