The success of your partnership with CampusReel is largely dependent upon getting the right students involved. In this article you'll find an overview of the steps you'll need to take in order to:
Identify students to participate
Set clear expectations for your students
Determine what will motivate them to record and upload
Decide on your priority topics
Take a look this video for an overview!
Part 1: Identify students
Most of the time you will follow one of three possible paths when identifying students:
Tap into existing groups - Ambassadors, Tour Guides, Club leaders
Campus-wide outreach - Promote to your entire student body, or via newsletters.
Enlist the help of colleagues - Program Directors, Faculty, Student Life/Activities - to nominate great students.
Part 2: Structure the project
Before you invite any students, think about how you want to structure this project for the students you've identified.
What will motivate your students?
Can you offer a gift card, cash incentive, school sweatshirt, or other tangible incentive for participating?
If students are on an existing hourly payroll, check with their supervisor(s) to see if diverting 2 hours of pay for completing the project (which will realistically take less time) is possible.
Is the motivation going to come from accountability or sense of duty to their role, or the individual who nominated them?
Is this project optional, or mandatory?
Consider making a one-time contribution a mandatory part of the students' role.
For example, all new Ambassadors are required to record themselves responding to at least 4 prompts.
Pace, output and deadlines?
Be clear: Is this a one time ask, or an ongoing commitment?
If this is an ongoing commitment, ensure students that they won't be overloaded with video work. A reasonable expectation is one video topic per month.
Offer a meaningful time-period (e.g. before winter break, by the end of the month, within 3 weeks) that adequately accommodates students' busy schedules.
Part 3: Track success
Use the "Creators" section of your admin panel to see who has signed up and submitted video content.
Cross reference these names with the list of students you initially contacted. Remember, only you will know who/how many students received the invitation to create.
Part 4: Follow up
Never underestimate the power of a friendly reminder. One email will likely not be enough to maximize student involvement. Plan on reaching out at least twice via email to get students to take their FIRST action - signing up to create content.
Use the CampusReel Creator section to communicate with students who have signed up but not yet submitted, or to ask great content creators to record more!