International student recruitment, social business, digital economy report

Social Business A Solution for International Student Recruitment

Social Business - A Solution for International Student Recruitment www.ahaingroup.com

2

Table of Contents

Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................................................................3

Context ...........................................................................................................................................................................................4

Social Business in the Education sector ......................................................................................................................................5

Social Business Model ..................................................................................................................................................................6

Social Media ..................................................................................................................................................................................7

SBM to Attract International Students .........................................................................................................................................8

The target audience - Digital Natives ...........................................................................................................................................9

SBM in the Education Sector – the USA leads the way ...............................................................................................................10

The Oregon State University & Fairleigh Dickinson University story ..........................................................................................11

Stanford University ........................................................................................................................................................................12

University of South Florida ............................................................................................................................................................12

Centennial College, Toronto, Canada ...........................................................................................................................................13

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth ......................................................................................................................................14

Other Findings from the USA ........................................................................................................................................................16

Irish Colleges & Social Media .......................................................................................................................................................18

Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................................................................21

Appendix A .....................................................................................................................................................................................22

www.ahaingroup.com

Social Business - A Solution for International Student Recruitment

1 http://socialcommercetoday.com/social-web-social-commerce-stats-from-econsultancy/

www.ahaingroup.com

3

Executive SummaryThe growth of Social Media Business over the last five years has been unprecedented.

Today, acceptance of on-line peer-to-peer recommendations runs as high as 90%1 where people know each other, and at

over 70% where they don’t.

The Ahain Group carried out an analysis of how deployment of Social Business strategies by Higher Education institutions

is leading the way in International Student Recruitment and identified the “Best of Breed” examples. This is a research

excerpt from our comprehensive Social Business Strategy for Higher Education.

In this Paper, we suggest ways in which this phenomenon can be harnessed to help to bring many more international

students to our well-respected Higher Education system in Ireland.

This Paper -

• Outlines the potential for deployment of Social Business in support of achievement of business objectives

• Offers insight into some of the very successful Social Business deployments in Higher Education in the USA

• Provides comment on Ireland’s Higher Education sector, outlining the context within which Social Business could be

adopted to advantage by the sector.

This paper suggests ways to harness Social Media to bring many more international students to our Higher Education system in Ireland.

http://socialcommercetoday.com/social-web-social-commerce-stats-from-econsultancy/

www.ahaingroup.com


2 http://socialcommercetoday.com/social-web-social-commerce-stats-from-econsultancy/3 http://www.ucd.ie/bursar/downloads/financial_statements/UCD%202010%20financial%20statements.pdf4 Education Ireland; international students in higher education in Ireland 2009/10

www.ahaingroup.com

4

Current SituationIn common with all sectors in these recessionary times, the Third Level Education sector in Ireland is under financial pressure.

Budgets are decreasing year on year – leading to reductions in staffing and cutting of courses, compared with previous years.

Faced with 19.9% reductions in Government Grants2, new revenue sources become essential to maintain income levels.

Any further grant reductions will further exacerbate this situation.

Increases in the standard college registration fees help to offset some of the reductions but cannot address the total deficit.

A key potential source of revenue which could be targeted is the international student market, particularly those students

outside the EU who pay higher fees than EU-based students. According to Education Ireland Report 2009/103 there were

25,871 foreign students in Ireland that year and their contribution in fees and living expenses came to the following figures:

Fees €192 million

Cost of living expenses €236 million

Total €428 million

Total per student averages €16,543

It is easy to see that any increases in the numbers of these international student figures would increase the financial

benefits to the sector and to the local economies. Course reductions could be reversed, and the pupil-to-lecturer ratios

addressed and the general services sectors would see additional jobs - for every 100 increase in students in Ireland,

8 jobs are created in the wider local economy4.

This Paper sets out recommendations on how this international community of potential students could be addressed to

advantage by Irish Third Level colleges, using Social Media methodologies.

A key potential source of revenue which could be targeted is the international student market.

http://socialcommercetoday.com/social

http://www.ucd.ie/bursar/downloads/financial_statements/UCD

20statements.pdf

www.ahaingroup.com


5 http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2006/02/forrsters_socia.html

www.ahaingroup.com

5

Social Business in the Education sectorThe efficacy of the broadcast marketing model that has operated since Newspapers, Radio and TV started advertising, is rapidly diminishing.

Broadcasting a marketing message to the public is no longer an effective marketing strategy. The 15-35 age group – the

primary target market group for Higher Education, is not even watching TV - viewing programmes on the Internet, instead.

And those who do watch TV, use PVR technology such as Sky+ and TIVO to record desired programmes, to be watched at

the viewer’s convenience and allowing the viewer to fast forward past ad breaks.

The new model for marketing is one based on construction of a dynamic interactive community, on-line, using Social Media

platforms.

Social Media offers business huge opportunities to engage with potential target audiences. In 2006 Forrester5, defined

Social Media as “a social structure in which technology puts power in communities, not institutions.” ‘Social Media’ as

a term is, in itself, too limiting; it fails to acknowledge all the developments in the technologies and the dramatic rate at

which they are embraced by billions of people interacting on-line, every day.

It particularly fails to give due acknowledgement to the enormous and ever-growing volume of business transacted on-line,

utilising the social platforms.

Thus, a new model and term has emerged – the ‘Social Business Model’ or SBM.

The new model for marketing is one based on Social Media platforms.

http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2006/02/forrsters_socia.html

www.ahaingroup.com

Marketplace Prospects

Shareholders Customers

Communicate & Engage

Share knowledge & capture collecive intelligence

Stimulate interest &

participation

Drive business

improvements

Company Facts

Filings Discussions

Extended Enterprise Professional IR services

Enhanced networking

Social Business Model (SBM)The term SBM describes a social business strategy that includes:

• authenticity, values and transparency

• dynamic content and storytelling

• internal and external collaboration between people

• harnessing of all on-line technology, platforms

and all mobile developments

A SBM formula will look like:

People (Prospects, Employees ) Online x Intrinsic Motivation + Multi-Directional Expressive Capability

= (Advocates > Evangelists) = Engaged Social Communities > Social Business

From this, it can be seen that people - and not technology - are the core driver of any SMB strategy.

‘Business is 75% people and 25% other stuff’ said Jack Welsh, the retired chairman of GE. In today’s on-line world, the ratio

is more like 90% about people and 10% other stuff.

The desired outcome of a SBM strategy is communication of business by ‘word of mouth’ - people expressing themselves

on-line, demonstrating their Mutli-Directional Expressive Capability (MDEC) on-line, with no international boundaries.

This expressive capability is analogous to traditional conversation with a neighbour over the garden wall or in a pub or

restaurant - same concept but on-line – ‘word of mouth’ marketing has gone on-line for the ‘Y Generation’ and its younger

siblings, the ‘Digital Natives’.

A business seeking to expand, can create and grow a supportive community which becomes the MDEC vehicle creating

increased awareness of, and advocates for, the business; witness, for example, the extent to which Apple has succeeded in

creating an enormous global community of advocating evangelists for the company and its products.

The on-line community is the very essence of the Social Business Model and at the core of the on-line marketing strategy.

A good SBM strategy leverages these on-line behaviours and, by introducing dynamic relevant content, that community

becomes engaged with the business and adds content, resulting in an increase in the profile of the business.


6

www.ahaingroup.com


6 http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2006/02/forrsters_socia.html

www.ahaingroup.com

7

Social MediaThe new model for marketing is based on building a dynamic interactive community on-line using Social Media platforms.

Social Media offers business huge opportunities to engage with potential target audiences. In 2006 Forrester6, defined

Social Media as “a social structure in which technology puts power in communities, not institutions.”

‘Social Media’ as a term is in itself, far too limiting; it fails to acknowledge all the developments in the technologies and the

dramatic rate at which they are embraced by billions of people interacting on-line every day.

It particularly fails to give due acknowledgement to the enormous and ever-growing volume of business transacted on-line,

utilising the social platforms.

Thus, a new model and term has emerged – the ‘Social Business Model’ or SBM.

The term SBM describes a social business strategy that includes:

• authenticity, values and transparency

• dynamic content and storytelling

• internal and external collaboration between people

• the harnessing of all online technology, platforms and all mobile developments

The desired outcome of an SBM strategy is communication of business by ‘word of mouth’ but on-line, because on-line

has no international boundaries; people expressing themselves on-line, demonstrating their Multi-Directional Expressive

Capability (MDEC). This expressive capability is analogous to traditional conversation in a restaurant, pub or over the garden

wall with our neighbour - same concept but on-line. ‘Word of mouth’ marketing has gone on-line for the Y generation and

(in larger numbers) for the X generation. A business seeking to expand, can create and grow a supportive community which

becomes the MDEC vehicle creating increased awareness of, and advocates for, the business. Witness, for example, the

extent to which Apple has succeeded in creating an enormous global community of advocating evangelists for the company

and its products.

The on-line community is the very essence of the Social Business Model and at the core of the on-line marketing strategy.

A good SBM strategy leverages these on-line behaviours and by introducing dynamic, relevant content, that community

becomes engaged with the business and adds content, resulting in an increase in the profile of the business.

http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2006/02/forrsters_socia.html

www.ahaingroup.com


7 http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats/a#subscribers

www.ahaingroup.com

8

SBM to Attract International Students Today’s ‘Y Generation’ and its younger siblings, dubbed the ‘Digital Natives’, interact with comparatively complex Mobile and Social technology in everyday circumstances in an offhand, commonplace manner. These usage patterns are observed in the emerging middle classes worldwide.

Extensive and complex levels of technology usage are a given for this age group with their homes typically having an array

of high-end entertainment equipment. The majority of today’s young people have their own smartphone, MP3 player,

digital TV and laptop.

Broadband access at home is a fixture of teenage life.

Mobile technology is experiencing an explosive rate of growth as the world’s 6bn7 mobile phones are becoming Smart

phones - current figures available show Smart phone penetration at 1.2bn with the balance, 4.8bn, made up of ‘Dumb’

phones. In this context, the term ‘Dumb Phones’ means the phones do not have internet access. These will be replaced

over the coming 2-3 years with smart phones, which will further enhance the mobile phone user’s ability to access both

on-line and social platforms.

The extent to which elaborate, skilled and inter-related use of technology is apparent among this age group is striking.

Regular use of laptops while also watching digital TV is commonplace. When working on-line, several software

programmes can be open and active.

In addition - and despite the endless variety of the internet - daily usage seems to revolve around a core set of popular sites –

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. In particular, these sites appear to prompt greater frequency of use with on-line social

networking highly concentrated on Facebook.

These Social sites are interdependent, with a common emphasis on interactivity and sharing. Usage often involves the

creation of entertainment which is shared, in order to build and maintain small social communities.

The majority of today’s young people have their own smartphone, MP3 player, digital TV, and laptop.

http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest

www.ahaingroup.com


9

Facebook’s pervasive popularity is driven by a range of factors which culminate in this audience being able to interact

with their peers in a controlled and expressive environment which is defiantly their own. The sense of ownership within

Facebook is such that its users are sensitive and alert to protecting its clearly defined boundaries.

Importance for students in Course selection

Social platforms can play a vitally important role in helping young people select career paths and Third Level courses when

the following are considered:

• The need to make university and career choices can be highly taxing and a source of anxiety for students when

combined with the pressures involved in completing the Secondary Level final exams. Such anxiety is compounded

by the cultural emphasis given to this decision process with parents, schools, peers and the media all regularly

asserting the importance of the choices involved.

• These decisions can be perceived as first acts in an adult sphere and the students appear to be only partially helped

in addressing these challenges by the assistance they receive in schools.

• Career guidance in schools seems to be formalised and varied, yet students can feel intimidated by the number of

choices required and the quantity of information available; and students typically believe the career choices made

at this stage can significantly impact their lives. There is little suggestion of exploring and trying things, rather the

emphasis is on selecting and committing. Yet only a very small percentage of students have a clear idea of what they

might do as a career – the remainder preferring to try to ‘keep our options open’, albeit within a specified area.

Set against this background, a good College-course website is one that delivers digestible pieces of relevant course/career

information, quickly and easily.

www.ahaingroup.com


8 http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/studiesandresearch/socialmediaadoptionsoars/

www.ahaingroup.com

10

SBM in the Education Sector – the USA leads the wayProgressive colleges in the USA, like Johns Hopkins, are reaching out to engage with their applicants on Facebook and Twitter, finding that a robust social media campaign, together with innovative features such as student-run blogs, can lure prospective students, while a stale on-line presence can turn them off.

A recent study by the Centre for Marketing Research8 at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth found that:

• 100% of universities surveyed use social media to communicate with students - this figure is up from 61% in 2007-08

• 98% of the responding colleges have a Facebook page and,

• 84% have a Twitter account

Social Media is now very important to students when analysing the merits of a college and location, allowing them to get

a sense of what life is really like on campus.

The colleges’ ‘consumer’ website - www.studentadviser.com - now provides a ranking system for U.S. colleges:

• The list is compiled based on a formula that requires a college to have at least 500 Facebook ‘likes’ and a Twitter

account, to be eligible for inclusion.

• The college rankings also take into account factors such as enrolment size, hours between tweets and responses to

posts.

While Harvard University (where Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook as a student) regularly tops the list, anyone browsing

the Top 100 list will notice that many of lesser known US colleges are ranking very well including such as:

• The Ohio State University,

• Louisiana State University

• United States Military Academy at West Point.

Yet other universities have gone far beyond just having a Facebook page:

• The chairman of the math department at Berry College made a calculus music video with his students, who sing

about derivatives in a YouTube video titled “The Derivative Rag.”

• 6th-ranked University of Kentucky created a campaign around the school’s colours of blue and white. Its site,

www.SeeBlue.com, includes videos from students and staff. It recently sent out tweets to some of its accepted

students saying, “Congrats and welcome to our Big Blue family.”

• Baylor University keeps its students updated on student affairs through its Student Activities Twitter account.

http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/studiesandresearch/socialmediaadoptionsoars

www.ahaingroup.com

www.studentadviser.com

www.SeeBlue.com


9 http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2011/09/oregon_universities_open_today.html10 http://www.facebook.com/groups/273911856030134/#!/fduglobal

www.ahaingroup.com

11

• And the admissions office of George Washington University has a Twitter account that messages applicants about

interview weekends and decision dates.

These initiatives are successful because students expect to have them available; experience shows however that a) it is not

good enough to simply be on Facebook, prospective students will make a judgment if it is not current and responsive online

and b) students expect to able to have a one-to-one connection, speak directly to the college and get interesting information

that they never knew before.

During conduct of our research for this Paper, we collected a number of Case Studies and observations on successful SBM

strategies and deployments, some of which are set out hereunder.

Oregon State University & Fairleigh Dickinson University

By updating its website and developing and implementing an on-line Social Media strategy, Oregon State University9 (OSU)

has achieved 45% growth in international student enrolments over the last four years. OSU, just like Fairleigh Dickinson

University (FDU) and many other colleges, believe in peer-to-peer marketing and use student leaders to respond to

prospective student enquiries via their social media channels.

Using effective strategies and tactics on-line, both OSU and FDU have achieved great results, some tactical highlights of

which include:

• Sharable content on their websites and Facebook pages (FDU10 opened a specific Facebook page for international

students, streamlining the enrolment process)

• OSU has 104,265 Facebook ‘likes’ because the content is timely, relevant and authentic

• OSU has International Student Orientation Leadership and Mentor programmes, all carried out by student leaders

• Both colleges promote Virtual Events, which show – not tell - all about the university and its community, a major

distinction on-line

• OSU conducts live video chats between prospective students and advisors

These are excellent examples of some tactics that a good on-line strategy can employ, easily and cost- effectively. The in-

corporation of the student body into the strategy reduces costs and also gives the students valuable experience in

leadership and on-line community management.

A particularly important signal given to prospective students is that the sense of community is strong, that the students are

cared for and cherished by the university and that it is interested in helping them to integrate quickly and with the minimum

of fuss.

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2011/09/oregon_universities_open_today.html

http://www.facebook.com/groups/273911856030134

www.ahaingroup.com


11 Ref: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/20/tech/social-media/universities-social-media/index.html 12 http://www.slideshare.net/VisualAlliance/social-media-for-colleges-and-universities-digital-help-desk-case-study-by-visual-alliance-media

www.ahaingroup.com

12

Stanford University

Stanford University11 set up a Facebook page in 2009 and currently has 357,388 ‘likes’. The page is managed by Stanford

University Office of Public Affairs, whose mission is to enhance and protect Stanford’s reputation.

“ In order to measure the effectiveness of our social media efforts against our core objectives, we administer annual surveys

to our Twitter and Facebook followers. In these surveys, we ask the same questions that we use in our off-line reputational

research. For example, our Facebook postings have done ‘a great deal’ or a ‘fair bit’ to enhance and reaffirm beliefs that

Stanford is producing innovative research and important discoveries.”

The survey information shows that the Facebook ‘likes’ and Twitter followers include significant proportions of prospective

students, current students, and alumni; i.e. the University is reaching audiences that it cares about. Within specific

audience segments, it found that it is “moving the needle” on audience objectives:

• Over 80% of Stanford students indicated that Facebook postings have significantly “enhanced or reaffirmed a sense

that Stanford values its students and alumni”

• Social media drove 26% of remote alumni to get in touch with Stanford professors

• Stanford turned over authorship of the University’s Facebook posts to a student team in September 2010 and found

that the number of new ‘likes’ each day doubled as a result

• Similarly click-throughs on tweets also doubled as a result of the change

It introduced a series of “Open Office Hours” on Facebook, during which anyone can direct questions to, and receive video

responses from, faculty. Interviews published by “The Stanford Daily” indicate that under-graduates feel more likely to

attend in person during actual office hours after having participated in Open Office Hours.

University of South Florida

In a recent Visual Alliance12 case study of the University of South Florida they explained their USF InformaBull Facebook

page was a type of “Student Concierge” to ensure students were able to find university-related information in one central-

ised place.

Kevin Banks is the Assistant Vice President and Dean for Students at the University of South Florida; he explained “As the

Student Success Council sought to improve USF students’ experience on campus, we realized a real-time service to provide

students with fast and accurate answers to their USF questions would be very helpful. Facebook was a natural fit to making

this work – it is accessible to virtually everyone, has the features we needed, and there is no learning curve because

students already use the site extensively.”

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/20/tech/social-media/universities-social-media/index.html

http://www.slideshare.net/VisualAlliance/social

www.ahaingroup.com


13 http://www.slideshare.net/Greg_Long/international-education-strategic-planning-meeting-2011-social-and-digital-media

www.ahaingroup.com

13

The goals of the Facebook page were:-

• Eliminate the shuffling of students among departments

• Leverage existing customer service resources

• Educate students about available University resources

• Provide faster open and constructive interaction and engagement

• Analyse metrics regularly and adjust approach as appropriate

Initial outcomes showed that all stated goals were met. Over 1,700 students connected with the page in the first 30 days.

Also, in the first 30 days the page achieved over 2,300 monthly active users and 32,000 post views.

In June 2012 the University’s Facebook page has 79,449 ‘likes’ but only 3% are talking about it despite the page being

updated regularly. With just over 47,000 students, a greater level of activity would be expected.

Centennial College, Toronto

A market analysis was conducted by Centennial College13 over a sample two-month period in June/July 2011, of interna-

tional students who had not yet accepted an offer and paid tuition. It showed that 85% of what students were searching for

and talking about on-line had nothing to do with the college programmes or reputation of the school. Five key elements

dominated the decision process of international students:

• Permits – are Visa’s available?

• Fitting In – are they nice to strangers? Are there other students like me?

• Financial – Scholarships / Loans / Expenses

• Job Opportunities – most students need to work to supplement their grants

• Programs and reputation of the School

Students were using Social Media to research and plan their study abroad process before applying to, or being accepted by,

the University. They used it to research the people at the college and connect with staff and students, before making their

final decision. The key platforms they used are:-

• The College’s website

• Facebook

http://www.slideshare.net/Greg_Long/international

www.ahaingroup.com


14 http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/studiesandresearch/socialmediaadoptionsoars/

www.ahaingroup.com

14

• The College’s Week Live

• StudyinCanada.com

• Twitter

• Email

The University understood that future students’ initial main contact with the college, would be via the website. The website

was updated and improved to include current information and all Social Media links and updates. To establish the Facebook

interaction, the University created a community which grew to 1,400 fans by September 2011. It provided the content that

the international students were searching for – e.g. information on next steps in their application, decision, admission,

payment, Visas, orientation, registration and enrolment processes. In June 2012 it had 13,650 ‘likes’ on the Facebook page

and the college encourages students to get involved with blogs and to participate on the page, discussing courses and study

programs. Although the page is very busy and updated regularly, there are less than 2% of people talking about the page. In

June 2012 it had 2,714 Twitter followers. The Twitter account is far less interactive than the Facebook page, offering infor-

mation and little engagement. The University also has a YouTube page with only 359 subscribers but 413,029 video views (as

of June 2012).

University of Massachusetts (UMass), Dartmouth

According to recent studies by Nora Ganim Barnes, Ph.D. and Ava M. Lescault, MBA of University of Massachusetts Dart-

mouth14 they found that ‘Y Generation’ (aka ‘Millennials’), the generation born after 1980, have Facebook profiles and a

Twitter presence and are less likely to have land-line phones. The competition for these students is fierce and success ulti-

mately depends on engaging them through the use of social media and new communications tools. Over the past four years

the Center for Marketing Research at UMass, Dartmouth has conducted statistically-significant studies on the usage of

social media by US colleges and universities, providing a longitudinal look at the adoption of social media by these institu-

tions.. The study explored the fundamental question –

“How does a college or university recruit in this new, highly networked, constantly ‘on’ world?”

A proportional sample of schools in all 50 States are included, with public (28%) and private (72%) institutions, ranging in

size from 4,000 to over 54,000 undergraduates. Tuition (without fees) ranged from $1,700 to over $53,000. The findings pre-

sented from the 2010-2011 study are based on 456 interviews and are valid within the range of +/- 4%.

http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/studiesandresearch/socialmediaadoptionsoars

www.ahaingroup.com

StudyinCanada.com


15

• Colleges and universities are using social media, especially social networking sites, not only to recruit but to research

prospective students.

• Usage of at least one form of Social Media by College Admissions Offices

2007/2008 - 61%

2008/2009 - 85%

2009/2010 - 95%

2010/2011 - 100%

• Social Media Sites Usage

2010/2011 2009/2010

Facebook 98% 87%

Twitter 84% 59%

Blog 66% 51%

Podcasting 41% 22%

LinkedIn 16% 47%

Youtube 86% n/a

FourSquare 20% n/a

MySpace 8% 16%

The adoption of social media by colleges and universities is being driven by recognition of the increasingly important role

of social media in today’s world. Social media policies are now seen as important elements as an institution develops its

social media strategy. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blogging and podcasting are becoming the tools of choice for institu-

tions of higher education in the USA, they have all seen double-digit increases in adoption in the past year. Podcasting now

highlights faculty, students, lecture series etc. to create the experience of being on campus.

When asked how successful social media tools have been for their colleges, respondents have consistently enthused about

their experience, especially about Facebook (95% success) and YouTube (92%). For every tool studied, a high degree of

success is reported.

The institutions interviewed reported using search engines and social networking sites to recruit students. Most reported

interest in information about “the student’s activities or interests”, and in searching by geographical region, to target

students for their college.

www.ahaingroup.com


15 http://onlinephd.org/facebook-university/16 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/20/tech/social-media/universities-social-media/index.html

www.ahaingroup.com

16

Other Findings from the USA

American colleges and universities are taking the lead in using social media as part of their marketing and recruiting plans.

Some use search engines and social media sites to garner more information about perspective students. They evaluate the

effectiveness of social media tools used and then decide which new tools to add. The goal is clearly to reach and engage

those tech-savvy young people seeking to make initial decisions about a college, based on its on-line presence.

According to research done by www.onlinephd.org15 “Facebook has changed the way college students do everything – how

they make friends, date, share stories, and increasingly, get an education”

Facebook was started by college students, so it makes sense that it continues to be used by college and university students

and has become a way of life in higher education. Recent studies show that if Facebook is used correctly “you can engage

with your school, your professors, and your studies in productive ways you never thought could actually enrich your college

experience.”

According to this research, 82% of American universities use Facebook to communicate with prospective students and

Facebook is the most used social network of college faculty. In 2011 students visited Facebook 6 times a day and spent ap-

proximately 100 minutes per day on this Social Network.

OnlinePhd also suggests that some Facebook apps are beneficial to students, such as:-

• “Admissionsplash” tells students their chances of being accepted to a school with an 85% success rate so far.

• “Connect Fund” lets students know their financial aid options and enables them to discuss this with their friends.

• “Schools App” helps students find their way around the new campus, making friends and sharing interests.

• “Hoot.Me” brings the study group to the students ensuring collaboration and providing teachers with virtual office

hours.

In a recent article for CNN, Nora Barnes16, Director of the Center for Marketing Research explains “students will make a

judgement about the university if it is not current and responsive on-line”. She went on to say “Social media is past the fad

phase, the numbers speak for themselves. Many students can’t afford to visit the campus, so they are depending on the

podcasts and blogs to get answers.”

The article mentions that students have gone to colleges based, not on information in old fashioned brochure material, but

on what they have learnt on Social Media. Hearing what other students say, seeing how teachers and faculty staff interact

with students and learning more about the community spirit of the colleges is what they see as important.

http://onlinephd.org/facebook

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/20/tech/social-media/universities-social-media/index.html

www.ahaingroup.com

www.onlinephd.org

Hoot.Me


17 http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/colleges-facebook-recruit-students/story?id=13256877&page=2#.T-R9frWJeSo

www.ahaingroup.com

17

In another article on ABC NEWS, Mallory Murray17, Chief Officer of Marketing and Design at Northwest Missouri State

University, said her university’s use of Facebook has been beneficial to students and administrators alike. “Students pay

more attention to the Facebook messages we send out than our general emails,” she said. “They’re on it anyway, so it’s just

convenient for them.”

Murray said the university’s page is used to update students on all parts of the university, from housing application dead-

lines to information about course registration. “We’re getting back to the roots of what Facebook is,” she said. “It’s a line of

communication.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/colleges-facebook-recruit-students/story?id=13256877&page=2#.T-R9frWJeSo

www.ahaingroup.com

Irish Colleges & Social MediaHaving determined how colleges in the USA use SBM, we studied how Irish colleges and third level institutions fare.

Our findings are summarised in the following tables:

Universities

University Likes Followers Views Other

TCD 3,195 11,736 279,225 views 760 subscribers

iTunes

DIT 10,134 3,217 156,373 Views 175 subscribers

LinkedIn 2,484

UCD 3,543 12,152 357,555 views 317 subscribers

LinkedIn 3,889 followers

DCU 15,329 3,804 LinkedIn 2,923 followers

N.U.I Maynooth 800 715 3,173 views 7 subscribers

LinkedIn 1,105 Followers

UCC 5,539 6,175 121,871 views 193 Subscribers


University Limerick

7,076 1,128 182,353 views 253 Subscribers


NUI Galway 8,639 10,378 70,891 views 65 Subscribers



18

www.ahaingroup.com


19

Institutes of Technology

Institute of Technology Likes Followers Views Other

Athlone Institute of Technology

3,678 853 33,069 views30 subscribers

Blanchardstown I T 1,330 338 Followers 1,564 views7 subscribers

Carlow Institute of Technology


Linkedin Page481 Followers

Cork Institute of Technology

6,693 1,537 50,519 views106 subscribers

Presence on iTunes, Google Plus and

LinkedIn

Dundalk Institute of Technology

450 112 1,178 views1 subscribers

Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology


Letterkenny Institute of Technology

1,678 396

Limerick Institute of Technology


Sligo Institute of Technology

7,844 1,018

Tallaght Institute of Technology

3,341 642

Tralee Institute of Technology


Waterford Institute of Technology


LinkedIn 437 followers

www.ahaingroup.com


20

Facebook (based on number of ‘likes’)

1. DCU - 15,329

2. NUI Galway - 8,639

3. UL - 7,076

4. UCC - 5,539

5. UCD - 3,543

6. Trinity College Dublin - 3,259

7. Queens Univ. Belfast - 3,064

8. NUI Maynooth - 1,139

9. University of Ulster - 467

Twitter (based on number of follows)

1. UCD - 12,152

2. Trinity College Dublin - 11,937

3. NUI Galway - 10,378

4. University of Ulster - 6,926

5. UCC - 6,175

6. Queens Univ. Belfast - 5,021

7. DCU - 3,804

8. UL - 1,128

9. NUI Maynooth - 715

www.ahaingroup.com


21

ConclusionThe Social Business Model works - many global corporates such as Coca-Cola, IBM, Oracle and the Ford Motor Company

have already demonstrated tremendous successes achieved by deploying carefully-crafted SBM strategies.

Higher Education institutions in the USA that have embraced SBM are achieving efficiencies in all areas of day-to-day man-

agement, not just those relating to international students. It is interesting that it is the smaller colleges that are developing

some of the more creative on-line ideas to help them survive in an increasingly competitive market place.

Some Irish institutions, however, do not have any Social Media presence whatever. This is inappropriate in today’s education

environment - yet it would be equally inappropriate to subscribe to the various platforms, simply for the sake of it, today’s

students and prospective students expect more. Social Media has changed the way college students do everything – how they

make friends, date, share stories, and increasingly, get an education.

Definition and Implementation of a coherent and well-defined SBM strategy is essential if any SBM strategy is to be of use and

to be successful.

Irish third level institutions will have to adopt and deploy SBM going forward, both for day-to-day manage-ment of com-

munications and affairs and, particularly, to attract international students to Ireland. Moving away from family and country

is a huge step for these young people, but this move can be made much easier if they are comfortable in the knowledge

that their needs are going to be met. It is evident that this information is best coming from the students’ peers - students

already in Ireland and enjoying their experience - and not from the colleges themselves. This is consistent with the SBM -

people are happier dealing with people and not companies or organisations – on-line communities give them that ability,

like no other technology in the past.

The Irish Higher Education sector can be amongst the top in the world for attracting international students. The technology,

staff and student populations are already in place; the budgets required for implementation of clever and effective SBM strate-

gies are small, with excellent, identifiable and measurable returns on investment possible.

www.ahaingroup.com


22

Appendix AAnalysis of Social Media Deployment by Irish Institutions (Figures correct July 2012)

Universities

1. TCD

Trinity’s use of social media is excellent with active communities on:”

Facebook 3,195 Likes

Twitter 11,736 Followers

YouTube an excellent YouTube channel with 242 videos/279,225 views

Students are also able to download lectures and course content via iTunes and from the site. Their

blog/news section could include more content from students and is missing social share buttons.

2.UCD

www.ucd.ie - there are buttons to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube on their home page.

Facebook www.facebook.com/ucdlife 3,543 Likes

65 People talking about the page (less than 2% – seems a small number for such a large Univer-

sity). The page has regular content (daily).

They use photos and video regularly. However their content is very statement oriented rather than

conversational, so there is very little engagement on the page. There is no international feel to the

page so it is unlikely to attract foreign students.

There are other spin off accounts. Some incorrectly set up as Personal Profiles.

Twitter @ucddublin 969 Tweets 186 Following 12,152 Followers

They use this account to tweet daily - usually to broadcast info on events or news. However they

are not using Twitter to chat/engage/interact with their followers. They tend only to RT tweets from

other UCD Twitter accounts.

Video There is a lot of potential in UCD’s video website – www.ucdlife.ie.

However the site lacks a facility for visitors to leave comments and share content.

YouTube www.youtube.com/myUCD Subscribers – 315 357,555 video views since August 2008.

They upload regular content, but it tends to be quite dull. This may explain the fact that their videos

lack comments.

www.ahaingroup.com

2.UCD

www.ucd.ie

www.facebook.com/ucdlife

www.ucdlife.ie

www.youtube.com/myUCD


23

LinkedIn There is no Follow on LinkedIn button on the UCD website. The “Company Page” on LinkedIn has

3,889 followers. However the college is not engaging with those followers as they are not updating

their status. Groups - UCD Alumni has 6,607 members.

3. DCU

www.dcu.ie No LinkedIn or YouTube button or link on their home page. The Facebook button on the page does

not work (it directs to Facebook’s home page, not their business page).

Facebook www.facebook.com/dcu 15,329 likes (234 talking about) - Less than 2%

The page is not regularly updated and lacks a sense of dialogue. Very few comments from fans.

There is a nice “Re-invent Yourself” tab on the page.

Twitter @DublinCityUni 586 Tweets 123 – Following 3,804 – Followers

No Regular Tweets and rarely more than one in a day. Tweets are about

pushing out information rather than interesting dialogue.

YouTube www.youtube.com/dcumps

This channel is focused on the Media production courses. There does not appear to be a main

channel for DCU.

LinkedIn “Company” LinkedIn Page – 2,923 followers.

No status updates or services listed, so the page offers no value to a follower.

Groups – Dublin City University Alumni, 5,822 members.

– DCU Education, 109 members.

4. N.U.I Maynooth

No mention or portal to any social media account on their website.

Facebook www.facebook.com/GoNUIMaynooth - 800 Likes – 2 people talking

about (well under 1%)

A dormant page - no updates in over a month.

www.facebook.com/International.NUIM - 1,139 Likes – 35 people talking about (just over 3%)

Daily content. 2-3 likes on average per update. Very few comments. Again like most of the pages =

we are seeing, the page lacks conversation.

Twitter @gonuim Only 715 followers, 60 Tweets and no activity in over 2 months.

YouTube www.youtube.com/InternationalNUIM

Only 7 subscribers and 3,173 video views.

The page has no engagement and the latest video is a year old.

www.ahaingroup.com

www.dcu.ie

www.facebook.com/dcu

www.youtube.com/dcumps

www.facebook.com/GoNUIMaynooth

www.facebook.com/International.NUIM

www.youtube.com/InternationalNUIM


24

LinkedIn Company Page – 1,105 Followers. This page offers no updates or info on “Services”. So there is no

valuable content for a “Follower” to see.

Groups – NUI Maynooth Alumni – 1,144 Members.

5. UCC

www.ucc.ie Website has Social Media Buttons at the bottom right hand corner. It even has a LinkedIn button.

However that leads to the UCC Alumni Group rather than the Company page.

Facebook www.facebook.com/universitycollegecork 5,539 Likes - 116 talking about (just over 2%)

The page has an “old school” feel about it. Looks dull and may not appeal to a young student. No

daily page update and can be sporadic with postings - usually a post every couple of days. There is

no dialogue or engagement on the page. It lacks any sort of “Fun Factor”. No International feel so

unlikely to appeal to prospective foreign students.

Twitter @UCC_Ireland 363 Tweets 40 Following 6,175 Followers

The Facebook account is linked with Twitter, so tweets are in fact the Facebook status updates. So

they are not tweeting nearly enough. No conversational tweets.

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/uccireland 193 Subscribers 121,871 video views since June 2010

Regular content (weekly). However content can be quite random, irrelevant to students. Page to do

with more likes and comments.

LinkedIn Company Page – 3,419 Followers. Like the other universities there is no engagement and have not

enabled the ability to send status updates.

Group – Science Alumni Group – 3,419

6. University of Limerick

Links on the website to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Facebook www.facebook.com/universityoflimerick 7,076 Likes – 166 talking about (just under 2.5%)

Great TimeLine Cover. Post daily with an average of 2 likes per post. Again like other Universities,

updates do not encourage dialogue. An effort to appeal to International Students is made, however.

Twitter @ULPressOffice 378 Tweets 234 Following 1,128 Followers

Currently tweet 1-2 times a day. Use Twitter to broadcast rather than engage.

YouTube www.youtube.com/universityoflimerick

253 Subscriptions, 182,353 Video views since May 2009. Lots of regular content. However, not very

dynamic content. The account lacks interaction (comments and likes).

LinkedIn Company Page – 2,347 Followers. No updates or services enabled on the page.

LinkedIn Groups – 5,649 members of the UL Alumni Group.

www.ahaingroup.com

www.ucc.ie

www.facebook.com/universitycollegecork

http://www.youtube.com/uccireland

www.facebook.com/universityoflimerick

www.youtube.com/universityoflimerick


25

7. NUI Galway

The website - www.nuigalway.ie - lacks a social media presence. Only very small Social Media buttons at the bottom

left of the home page. LinkedIn button not working.

Facebook www.facebook.com/nuigalway 8,639 likes – 145 people talking about (less than 2%)

Post on their Facebook page every 2-3 days and can be sporadic. Posts lack engagement and

rarely generate comments. Average posts get 3-4 likes. That said, photos have been used to good

effect at times.

Twitter @nuigalway 1,595 Tweets Following – 14 Followers – 10,378

Tweet 2-3 times daily. Mostly information based tweets. Very little interaction which is a missed

opportunity with over 10,000 followers.

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/thinkingaboutnuig

65 Subscribers 70,891 views since May 2010.

The channel does not supply regular content. 2 videos in the last month and prior to that no video

uploaded in the last 10 months. The videos have lacked comments. However the video on student

life two years ago generated some engagement and got over 27,000 views.

LinkedIn Company Page – 2,553 Followers. No services or updates added.

Groups – NUI Galway Law Alumni – 569 Members

NUI Galway Business Society – 391 Members

www.ahaingroup.com

www.nuigalway.ie

www.facebook.com/nuigalway

http://www.youtube.com/thinkingaboutnuig


26

University Leader Boards (Study – May 18th 2012)

Facebook (based on number of ‘likes’)

DCU – 15,329

DIT – 10,134

NUI Galway – 8,639

UL – 7,076

UCC – 5,539

UCD – 3,543

Trinity College – 3,259

Queens, Belfast – 3,064

NUI Maynooth – 1,139

University Ulster – 467

Twitter (based on number of follows)

UCD – 12, 152

Trinity College – 11,937

NUI Galway – 10,378

University Ulster – 6,926

UCC – 6,175

Queens – 5,021

DCU – 3,804

DIT – 3,217

UL – 1,128

NUI Maynooth – 715

www.ahaingroup.com


27

Tables of Social Media Statistics of Third Level Education Sectors in Ireland [Figures correct July 2012]

University / College / Institute

Likes Followers Views Other

DCU 15,623 4,108 9,841 / 44 3,033

TCD 13,861 12,799 279,224 / 760 4,591

DIT 10,134 3,217 156,373 / 175 2,484

NUI Galway 8,768 11,109 77,413 / 74 2,665

Institute of Technology, Sligo

7,923 1,113 0 521

University Limerick 7,346 1,286 190,914 / 259 2,510

Waterford Inst. of Technology

6,998 642 11,099 / 38 518

Cork Institute of Technology

6,873 1,646 56,416 / 109 3,568

Institute of Technology Carlow

6,158 1,065 13,872 / 46 522

Royal College of Surgeons

6,006 0 0 0

UCC 5,954 6,614 130,422 / 207 3,583

Dublin Business School

5,689 582 12,028 / 13 347

Shannon College of Hotel Management

4,073 24 0 22

National College of Ireland

3,919 2,392 191,459 / 109 789

UCD 3,627 12,890 406,134 / 334 4,078

Institute of Technology

Tallaght (Dublin)3,555 710 344 13

www.ahaingroup.com


28



Mary Immaculate College, Limerick

2,938 135 8,404 / 4 133

Athlone Institute of Technology

2,165 922 33,069 / 30 650

Limerick College of Further Ed

2,035 124 5,990 / 30 18

Letterkenny Institute of Technology

1,801 439 543 257

Griffith College Dublin

1,757 1,235 16,650 / 234 615

Hibernia College 1,629 132 14,718 / 7 151

Cavan Institute 1,557 398 0 0

Cork College of Commerce

1,556 46 5,471 / 3 0

Royal Irish Academy of Music

1,251 58 8,754 / 34 0

IBAT 1,070 202 14,529 / 22 67

National College of Art and Design

953 2,584 12,053 / 33 0

Blanchardstown IT 823 366 1,564 / 7 246

NUI Maynooth 818 794 3,613 / 8 1,151

Institute of Technology Tralee

777 492 1,637 / 7 239

Burren College of Art 683 189 1,809 / 8 0

Limerick Institute of Technology

641 204 1,078 / 8 2,510

www.ahaingroup.com


29



Dundalk Institute of Technology

558 135 699 / 1 574

Dunboyne College of Further Ed

490 54 0 0

LIT Tipperary 480 953 0 37

Liberties College 471 4 0 18

Newpark School of Music

468 0 1,749 / 6 0

Froebel College of Education

368 0 0 8

College of Further Education, Dundrum

346 0 0 0

Development Studies Centre,

Kimmage340 0 1,182 / 4 13

Galway – Mayo Insti-tute of

Technology336 0 3,033 / 10 882

St Angela’s College of Education, Sligo

285 112 0 0

Dun Laoghaire Inst of Art Design & Technology

278 0 0 372

Mater Dei Institute of Education

259 77 1,161 / 3 0

All Hallows College 248 69 2,012 / 2 31

Griffith College Cork 219 0 16,549 / 23 0

www.ahaingroup.com


30



Bray Instit. Of Further Education

195 10 1,009 0

N.U.I Maynooth 818 794 3,613 1,151

Irish Management Institute

182 175 1,516 / 8 438

St Nicholas Montessori

164 0 0 8

Monaghan Inst. Of Further Education

135 0 266 / 1 0

North Connaught College

89 0 0 0

SQT Training 63 138 0 0

Drogheda Institute of Further Ed

49 0 353 0

American College Dublin

38 104 1,944 / 1 0

Institute of Public Administration

35 0 0 0

Marino College of Further Education

31 0 0 0

Rathmines College of Further Ed

26 0 0 0

Moate Business College

23 23 0 0

Marino Institute of Education

10 30 463 34

National Institute of Bio-Processing Research Training

0 0 0 37

www.ahaingroup.com




Digital Skills Academy

0 0 0 0

St Patricks College of Education

0 0 0 0

The Church of Ireland College of Education

0 0 0 0

Central College Limerick

0 235 0 0

Adamstown Vocation College

0 0 0 0

Plunket College & Accounting Technicians

0 0 0 0

Griffith College Limerick

0 0 0 31

Pontifical College Maynooth

0 0 0 32

www.ahaingroup.com


Contact UsIf you would like to talk further about this report or if you would like The Ahain Group to help you along this path please feel free to contact us.

Email: [email protected]

Address: Unit B1 | Fota Point Enterprise Park| Carrigtwohill | Cork

www.ahaingroup.com