Behind the scenes

We recently uploaded our 100th video to our YouTube channel, a testimonial featuring a student from Brazil. The driving force behind our videos is our Marketing Manager, Akiko. In this week’s post, Akiko took time out from her busy schedule to talk to us about her video project.

 Q. What do you do here at the school as a Marketing manager? 

I’m responsible for offline marketing for the school such as designing brochures, advertising, press releases etc. but I’m also in charge of our online marketing including our website and social media. Online marketing has begun to play an increasingly important role in the EFL industry in recent years as well as other industries. It is challenging to keep myself up-to-date with such fast changing technology, but I really enjoy learning about and experimenting with new cool digital stuff every day!

As part of my digital marketing project, I make videos – this involves interviewing clients, filming them, editing the videos and finally posting them online. I started this about a year ago and have now produced over 100 videos. I knew next to nothing about video shooting and editing when I first started, so this means a lot to me. In the last two years, the school’s YouTube page has received 20,000 new visitors so we have decided to take this opportunity to celebrate our progress.

Q, Why do you think the videos are important?

Video is such a powerful tool. Sometimes, it is easier to show what we have here in London using visual tools rather than trying to describe it with text.

Over the past few years, we’ve been working hard to create a wide range of video content including client testimonials, sample lessons and an introduction to our two centres and the local area. We hope that these videos have helped someone who is planning to study with us to get to know us a little better and understand what we do.

We are lucky to have our school in such beautiful buildings and areas. I love where I work and London and would like to transfer this wow factor through video.

Q. What do you enjoy most when you are working on videos testimonials?

I particularly enjoyed interviewing our clients in both our Holland Park Gardens and Westcroft square centres. All of them had their own stories to tell and I was fascinated to learn more about them. I never asked them to say anything particular for us, we just had a casual chat whilst I filmed them, but they nearly always surprised me by telling me such unexpected things! Sometimes, I visit former clients who are elsewhere in London. It makes me happy to see them again and know they are doing great after leaving the school. In the future, I’d love to visit former students in their countries to interview them and see how they use the English they’ve learned at the school in their lives!

Q. Do you have any message for our readers? 

I really do hope my work, and particularly my videos, help someone who is thinking of studying in the UK understand what life at the school is like and what to expect when they’re at The London School of English.

There are many language schools in London and it is not easy for international students to know which school is the right one for them. I was one of those international students many years ago, so I understand how difficult it is and how important it is to be able to understand the culture of the school. My experience in the UK has been life changing. I couldn’t imagine my life without speaking English – so it’s a real pleasure for me to work here and help people making the right decision.

Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing some of our client’s stories on our social media channels. You can follow the links to our sites below, or check out some of Akiko’s videos for yourself now on our YouTube channel.

Glossary 

upload (v) – to transfer data onto another computer or website 

driving force (idiom) – the energy, power or reason that makes something happen

in charge of (vb phr) – to have responsibility for sth 

next to nothing (idiom) – a very small amount

testimonials (n) – an opinion of an experience

wow factor (n) – a quality or feature that is extremely impressive

a casual chat (adj+n) – an informal discussion

check (sth) out (phr v) – to get more information about something