According to the CDC, higher ed students in the US* are facing a mental health crisis:
➡️ 4 in 10 students have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness
➡️ 2 in 10 seriously consider attempting suicide
➡️ Nearly 1 in 10 attempt suicide.
These are staggering numbers which are undoubtedly are caused by several factors including, but not limited to, increased debates over political issues, the lack of affordability of higher education, the increase of cyberbullying, and much more.
So what can you, as higher ed marketers and communicators do to resonate with students who are increasingly struggling with mental health issues?
Our answer; long-form content. Statistics show that long-form content is gaining more popularity amongst prospective students and student-aged demographics, and many higher ed institutes have yet to leverage this insight under the dated assumption that teenagers can only digest snackable content. Now, don’t get us wrong, snackable content still has it’s value, but long-form is often forgotten in marketing spaces. Statistics show that 1 in 5 teens use YouTube and TikTok “almost constantly”, with the latter (TikTok) for short-form content, and the former (YouTube) for long-form content.
And when it comes to dealing with a complex and broad subject like mental health, long-form content provides a lot more opportunity. Imagine a podcast or documentary-style videos that dive deep into the nuances of mental health as a higher ed student – this sort of content is both compelling and sorely lacking in the industry. Topics around cyberbullying and politics could be several episodes of a podcast or a multiple long-form videos in and of itself.
So if you’re a higher ed marketer or communicator that is struggling to deeply resonate with your audience, it’s maybe time to look into creating content that goes more in-depth and nuanced than your typical easy-to-digest work.
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