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Hannon Hill User Conference

Beyond Facebook

James Horigan, Digital Wave

A frank conversation about the rapidly changing social media landscape and where the opportunities for success are.

INTRODUCTIONS

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Introductions

James Horigan– Co-founder, Digital Wave, incorporated 1993

• www.digitalwave.com• www.facebook.com/digitalwaveweb

– Executive VP/Business Development, Antech Systems• www.antechsystems.com

– Developmental Strategist, CustomViewbook.com• www.customviewbook.com• www.facebook.com/digitalwaveweb

A SOCIAL MEDIA DISCUSSION

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Are conventional computers becoming obsolete?

“I read all of my e-mail messages on my phone first. If I need to follow-up or send a detailed response, I’ll open it up and respond to it on my computer when I get home.”

http://www.cappex.com/media/digitalMobile2012.pdf

Teenage Student, 2012

“According to Nielsen, 58 percent of American teens between 13 and 17 now have a smartphone -- that's a big jump from 36 percent a year earlier…”

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/10/nielsen-more-than-half-of-us-teens-now-own-smartphones/

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Which social network should you watch?

–Facebook: Launched Feb. 2004

• 955 million users (Jul. 2012)

–YouTube: Launched Feb. 2005

• 490 million users (Feb. 2012)

–Twitter: Launched Mar. 2006

• 500 million users (Apr. 2012)

– Instagram: Launched Oct. 2010

• 30 million users (Apr. 2012)

As reported by each company

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Do students like to be contacted through social media?

“Colleges say, ‘Like us on Facebook’ — but that’s my personal time, I’d rather not. I’d like to find a time in my day where I don’t think about the college process.”

http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/technology-in-admiss/

High school senior, NACAC panel member, 2011

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How broadly should you reach out?

”’You have to be nimble and not get emotionally

invested in one approach,’ … Send the same message to multiple sites, and students are likely to feel besieged. Rely on e-mail, though, and important messages may go unread.”

http://chronicle.com/article/Digitally-Savvy-Students-Play/134224/?cid=wb&utm_source=wb&utm_medium=en

Rebecca E. Ramsport, social media specialist, Chronicle of

Higher Learning Sept. 10, 2012

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How do you track your social media presence?

Of MBA programs from top business schools…

– All 70 promoted themselves on Facebook– 96% promoted themselves on Twitter– 87% promoted themselves on LinkedIn

–65% DON’T track which platform produces applications

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/articles/2012/07/25/study-mba-programs-dont-connect-social-media-dots

University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth, Jul 25, 2012

How can colleges use Instagram to

connect with students?

“[Instagram] is not a great

platform if you’re trying to

drive traffic to another place. The only engagement you can get is a ‘like’ or comment.”

http://link.highedweb.org/2012/06/all-caps-instagram/

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Bruce Floyd, social media specialist, University of Florida

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Are there any indicators a student will succeed after college?

“[Apple] figured out early that educational discounts are a way to get early adopters, tech-savvy users, to use their products.

These are future business leaders who are more likely to become loyal customers.”

http://www.fastcompany.com/1842475/how-woo-students-and-influence-early-adopters

Atle Skallberg, CEO of StudentUniverse.com, Jul. 12,

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What is the best way to first contact prospective students?

Cappex.com, 2012

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Where is Facebook used the most?

Facebook.com, 2010

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What are the top 5 social media colleges?

1. Johns Hopkins University

FB Likes: 16,976

2. Harvard University

FB Likes: 1,281,596

3. University of Notre Dame

FB Likes: 52,569

4. Ohio State University

FB Likes: 407,848

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

FB Likes: 33,321

Student Advisor (Feb. 2, 2012)

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Is a good website enough to attract students?

“The lack of engagement for the students can make

them feel like the school doesn’t care. Even a good web page is useless if there aren’t features that include one-on-one connection.”

http://mashable.com/2012/02/03/higher-education-social-media/

OnlineUniversities.com, Feb. 3, 2012

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Thank you for attending.

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Group on LinkedIn: tinyurl.com/BeyondFacebookHH

Follow James: @jameshdw

Follow Digital Wave: @DigitalWaveTechFacebook.com/

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