Engaging Audiences With Social MediaCindy Royal, Ph.D
Professor and Founding Director
Media Innovation Lab
Texas State University
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
cindyroyal.com
@cindyroyal
slideshare.net/cindyroyal
Innovation in Journalism and
Communication
• Digital Media Innovation Major
• Media Innovation Lab
• New Course Formats
• Integration with Professionals
• Experience Learning Projects
Establish Goals and Objectives
Identify Audience
Embrace Engagement Potential
Identify Social Media Staff and
Processes
Website
A website still provides a home for your digital presence
Facebook • Facebook is broadly used by a wide range of people. Use pages and groups to share messaging with constituents. Promote and boost posts and use analytics.
• Twitter is widely
used by news
organizations and
technology
professionals. It is a
good way to get
information out
quickly, without an
algorithm that
chooses to show it.
• Unlike Facebook,
you don’t have to be
a Twitter user to see
a tweet.
Photos
and Visuals
• Instagram – showcase images; visual communication is key.
• Snapchat – experiment with stories; humor is key. But information is removed from stories in 24 hours, so you have to have a strategy for archiving.
Video • YouTube offers broad potential for hosting videos and providing a community of users.
Go Mobile
• Encourage social media usage on-the-go
• Facebook Live lets you stream from anywhere.
Emerging Trends
• Chat bots and artificial intelligence provide creative ways to inform and engage
Emerging Trends
• Data Visualization
Analytics
Use Google Analytics or those associated with your social platform to get information about users, locations, link referrals, etc.
Analytics
Most social platforms provide analytics for free
Other University Applications
• Showcase campus
• Highlight student
accomplishments
• Spotlight on
research
• Alumni profiles
• Sports and other
events
• Seek community
input
• Quizzes, polls,
surveys
Leveraging Social
• Review best practices
• Provide strategic direction and general
guidelines
• Model usage for students and other
constituents
• Promote your position as thought leader on
educational issues
• Spread goodwill about your institution’s
brand
• Stay up-to-date conceptually, as well as
technically
• Encourage experimentation
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