Social Media: Connecting Students & Faculty With Your School

Allison Garriga &Jeff Stanger

A Social Media Overview

Social Media Platforms Explained

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Demographics of Social Media Users

71% of online adults use Facebook28% use Pinterest28% use LinkedIn26% use Instagram23% of online adults use Twitter

Other Highlights of the Pew Research

How do we choose the right social network?

Important Questions to AskWhat kind of content do you plan to use/produce?

Do your potential fans spend time on the network?

Does the network fit your demographic?

Does your industry have a presence on the network?

Exercise #1 Based on the information you’ve learned so far, identify:

Who is your target audience?On what social channels do you think they can they be found?How will you reach them?

TIP: Don’t try to tackle all social channels at once. Come up with a plan that focuses on one or two networks while you learn more about your audience. Be awesome at one platform rather than mediocre on several platforms.

Creating the Right Content

Whatever your objective is, we all have a specific

audience to reach.

How Content Marketing WorksWe

make content

We click on content

If we like it, we

remember it

If we see more

content, we revisit

We develop trust & build a

relationship

If we need the

product, we come

back

Get Your Content RightFind successful content in your niche (Who are the influencers & what channels are they on?).Who is doing the sharing?Copy what works for them.Build relationships with those who can help.Experiment, learn, apply.

Make Your Content Compelling

1. Know Your Audience2. Find Your Voice and Tone 3. Provide Value4. Start the Conversation5. Automate and Engage

What Content Should You Be Posting?

Images are ideal• On Facebook, photos get 53% more likes, 104% more

comments & 84% more click throughs on links• On Twitter, photos get 35% more retweets

Start with the basic 5 types of updates: Links, images, quotes, reshares, text.Choose a staple type of post that will make up the majority of your posts.For every 4 “staple” posts, publish 1 different type for variety.

How Often Should You Post?

What Are the Best Posting Times?

Organize Your Content“I can create a content calendar and just write a post for Facebook and use the exact same message on my other channels.”

Wrong!

Build a Content Calendar & Develop a Posting Strategy

Each network has a different audience and therefore should have different content.

Take advantage of each social network and what they offer.

Test your content on each network. If it doesn’t work on one network, try it on another.

Exercise #2 Now that you are a content expert, take what you have learned and create a content strategy for your audience.

Questions to keep in mind:• How often will you post to each channel?• How will you find your content?• How will you measure success?

Outreach Through Social Networks

Alumni and student networks have the potential to be a huge asset to your

organization or school. They already have a

connection to your school which can result in a lifetime membership.

Creating Groups

LinkedIn Alumni Network

Use your personal “brand” to share your institutions content.• Reach out to as many alumni as you

can on LinkedIn and share your best content with them.

Identify advocates and enthusiasts• There are several active and savvy

social media enthusiasts on LinkedIn. Below the header of their profile, get an idea of how influential your alumni might be.

Create communities to help your alumni network

Tips for Engaging AlumniAsk questionsAsk for adviceShare content that helps them do their work better. Encourage them to share their successes. Via LinkedIn, identify influential alumni and build ambassador programs.

Tips for Engaging StudentsEncourage a students to do video diaries of what they are learning. Share a quote each week that reinforces the primary curriculum point(s) for the week. Share a weekly success story from an alum. At the end of each week ask for feedback: What did you learn? What was surprising? What was harder than you thought? Etc.

Rely on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter

and LinkedIn to help you communicate your message

. But, don’t rely on them solely.

Exercise #3How will you engage with your audience?

Are you going to create groups?• Which networks?

Are you going to create pages?• Which networks?

How often will you engage with the groups/pages?

Growing Your Audience

Organic Growth Tips and Tricks

Use hashtags on Twitter.Add social icons to emails Tag others in posts/tweetsHost chats on Twitter and FacebookCross promote your channels

Paid Media

Paid media can help drive community growth and engagement with a relevant and targeted audience.

Facebook Ads

Twitter Promoted Accounts

LinkedIn Ads

Email Statistics95% of consumers use email and 91% check it once a day (that’s still more than Facebook).There are 3.25 times more email accounts than social media accounts. Last year, marketers reported email delivered 40% more new customers than Facebook and Twitter. 42% of heavy social media users say that email is the best way for brands to communicate with them. Integrating email with social is the best way to maximize your brand online.

Email Campaigns

Market Across Multiple Platforms

Convert your Facebook fans into Twitter followers and LinkedIn connections into contacts on Google Plus.

Capture email addresses across all of your platforms in order to increase the permission you have with students & alumni.

Exercise #4Growing Your audience on your social networks

Will you have paid methods or primarily organic?What will your budget be?Will you use email? How often will you send them?

Q & A

ResourcesCreating a LinkedIn Group:https://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1164/~/groups---getting-started

Creating a Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/help/167970719931213

LinkedIn Groups vs. Pageshttp://marketingland.com/linkedin-pages-vs-groups-vs-answers-30011

Thank YouAllison Garriga

Allison.Garriga@SummitMarketing.com

www.Linkedin.com/allisongarriga

Jeff StangerJeff.Stanger@SummitMarketing.com

www.Linkedin.com/jeffstanger