3. Question 3 

3. Question 3 

Visit the St. Clair College website. Analyze it strictly from a visual marketing strategy perspective targeting: 

Local domestic high school students. 

You are to provide three strategic visual enhancement recommendations. For each recommendation: Visit the St. Clair College website. Analyze it strictly from a visual marketing strategy perspective targeting: 

Local domestic high school students. 

You are to provide three strategic visual enhancement recommendations. For each recommendation: 

a) Clearly identify the issue or missed opportunity (3 x 2 = 6 Marks)

1. Lack of engaging and emotionally student focused visuals:

When viewing the homepage and Student Hub, one of the major issues that stood out to me was the lack of visually engaging and appealing images that do not display much of the student life, career events, and popular programs. These visuals could’ve all been put in the hero image section using high-quality lifestyle photos or short muted video clips that communicates the student life, instead of a text section which most users wouldn’t see without staying more than 30 sections on the homepage. Most of the images or visuals were generic and static with a lot of focus on informational text. From a marketing perspective, this is an opportunity missed and could’ve been used to emotionally connect to the local high school students. The visuals don’t effectively communicate the student life and the energy of the campus for students wanting to have a college experience. The site is focused on being more institutional than being aspirational which reduces the ability to attract students looking for a relatable college.

2. Poor visual hierarchy and lacks engaging structure

Some of the content and visuals on the homepage blended into one another making it confusing to know which section it belongs to which. Cutoff lines that indicate where different parts of the page like events calendar and career event, their lines were so close to one another that it could cause students to click the wrong link. This makes it hard for high school students because they now have to use their brain to follow the content on the page. From a digital marketing perspective this leaves a weak first impression because the page doesn’t quickly communicate any key information. St. Clair missed an opportunity to add an image slider element and to highlight what it’s like going to the school and what makes them different. 

3. Weak use of brand color

Lastly I reviewed the Early Childhood Education program and saw that the images in the news section were a bit off which made the visual content really weak. The color tones were dull and had a dusty shade of yellow on the news section image on the page which I believed was meant to incorporate St. Clair yellow brand color. It doesn’t add any visual appeal that will make students want to stay on the page for long. For a program that is focused on kids and children education, St. Clair missed an opportunity by not adding visuals that were clear without having to interact with it.  

b) Propose a specific visual improvement (3 x 2 = 6 Marks)

1. A dynamic hero section with student focused visuals

The homepage and program pages should include a full hero section displaying high quality images or muted video loops showing the student life on campus, the classrooms, and job opportunities graduating students got. Since the pages are text heavy, adding images leaves a good first impression. This specific visual component would immediately capture the attention of the high school students and inform them what they need to know without having to read about it. 

2. Improve color scheme 

Program pages like Early Childhood Education, I think need to add more vibrant and engaging images that showcase the different experiences students have in their placements. These pictures will not have any filter on it that does not match their natural lighting just for the sake of adding a brand element. The images will be clear to showcase high quality visuals of the classroom environment, clubs, etc. This will remove any unintended color visuals from the content, making it more easier to see instead of getting scanned over. 

3. Add a visual to improve navigation

Since the content on the homepage somewhat blends into one another, there could be an engaging featured section that  highlights the most popular programs with minimal text. This would make it clear when a section ends and when it begins without getting users confused. 

c) Explain why it would improve recruitment effectiveness (3 x 2 = 6 Marks)

1. A dynamic hero section with student focused visuals 

Adding a strong hero slider image that is student and program focused would improve the effectiveness of recruitment immediately with visuals showing the student, work experiences and opportunities which will leave an impression and emotional connection with the students. With a clear section, adding this feature allows them to imagine themselves in these programs or experiences. It makes the college look more relatable and appealing, this can encourage them to want to explore the website with a bit of excitement instead of boredom.

2. Improve color scheme

With St. Clair College brand color being a bit restricting and not one that can invoke a feeling when you see their colors. However, changing the color and visual elements on the pages like adding important information with an image next to it like a graduates picture that says the percentage of people that have graduated the program. This builds reassurance and would improve the recruitment because the students would feel like they made the right choice. 

3. Adding a visual navigation

Adding things like an image slider on the homepage or program page, can improve the recruitment effectiveness by guiding users to important information on the page. Like the homepage having the programs in the hero section which people can click on so adding a slider means students can easily click on a CTA button if they see an information that interests them. The visual element acts as a guide and it lessens confusion when navigating the web content. It’ll be easier for students to quickly find information that excites them. This helps increase engagement and the overall decision process.

d) Connect it to student psychology and digital behaviour (3 x 2 = 6 Marks)

1. Dynamic hero section with student focused visuals

From a student psychology perspective, high schools are more likely to engage with content they can envision themselves in and feels relatable. Seeing visuals of what the campus and program offers shifts their perception and creates a desire that if they join their program of choice, they too would experience what they see on the website. 

2. Improve color scheme

Since web visuals are the norm in today’s digital world, many people are used to seeing visually appealing and interactive content. So from a student psychology standpoint, students are naturally drawn to visually appealing or stimulating content. When the colors and visuals are aligned, it makes the content easier to process and engage with because it holds their attention. 

3. Visual navigation

From a digital behaviour perspective, students like the majority of internet users, they prefer having simple experiences when choosing to engage with a content. It makes them feel in control but also guided instead of being unclear where to locate information. A visual navigation that has the right white space reduces any cognitive effort making the navigation clear to explore information quickly.