How to Use Social How to Use Social Networking Sites to Networking Sites to

Communicate to FamiliesCommunicate to FamiliesChris Christensen – Johnson County CC

Robb Cummings – Sallie Mae

AgendaAgenda

Communication landscape today

Common social media sites

Things to consider

Group discussion and questions

Source: Beloit College’s 2011 Mindset ListSource: Beloit College’s 2011 Mindset Listwww.beloit.edu/mindset

The freshman class of 2015 was born in 1993.

There has always been an Internet ramp onto the information highway.

PCs and Apples of the early 90’s had hard drives smaller than today’s flash drives.

For many students, email is passé and because of cell phones, wrist watches are no longer necessary.

Shifts in CommunicationShifts in Communication

Communication is no longer a one-way street.

People now spend more time on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter than on personal/work email.

Generational◦Millennials are the heaviest users◦Baby Boomers are the fastest growing users

Overall CampusOverall Campus Communication Strategy Communication Strategy

Overall Campus Overall Campus Communication StrategyCommunication Strategy

Cross-campus collaboration

Know your audience & objectives

Focus on ongoing activity within the campus community rather than on specific campaigns

Measure your success…and adjust when necessary

What’s in it for the FAO?What’s in it for the FAO?

Connect with students/families where they are

Larger reach with fewer staff resources

Competitive advantages

Rapid dissemination of message

Plan Your StrategyPlan Your Strategy

What do we want to achieve?

Who do we want to reach?

What social media channels are the right ones for our institution? What will work best for our office?

Where to Start?!Where to Start?!

Even MORE Options…Even MORE Options…

Common Social Media ChannelsCommon Social Media Channels

FacebookFacebook

750 million+ active users

900 million+ objects (pages, groups, events, etc.)

20 million + applications installed daily

Millions of websites have integrated with Facebook

What Can You Do On Facebook?What Can You Do On Facebook?

Provide real-time status updates

Promote events & important deadlines

Monitor and answer questions

Link to school website (or other sites)

Facebook Page for JCCCFacebook Page for JCCC

http://www.facebook.com/pages/php

TwitterTwitter

The SMS (Short Message Service) of the Internet

200 million+ users

80% of users access via mobile devices

“Tweets” – 140 character messages

Over 200 million tweets per day and 1.6 billion search queries per day

FHSU Twitter SiteFHSU Twitter Site

YouTube/PodcastsYouTube/Podcasts

Video sharing service

Demographic is 18-54 years old

13 million hours of video uploaded in 2010 and 35 hours of video uploaded every minute!

700 billion playbacks in 2010

Kansas State YouTube VideoKansas State YouTube Video

FlickrFlickr

Online photo/video management and sharing application

Over 5 billion images hosted as of September 2010

BloggerBlogger

HootsuiteHootsuite

www.hootsuite.com

Social media dashboard that allows the user to monitor and/or post to several sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, MySpace, WordPress, etc.)

Schedule postings in advance

HootsuiteHootsuite

Tips To RememberTips To Remember

Make it interactive

Use relevant keywords in “About Us” section

Offer FAQs

Promote sites via email

Tips To RememberTips To Remember

Link to other social media sites

Keep it current!

Remember it is public information

Monitor your sites for feedback/comments

Things to Consider…Things to Consider…

Who updates your site? How often?

Policy for addressing complaints and/or negative comments posted online?

What is your institution’s existing policy on the use of social media sites?

Social media sites are evolving constantly. Know when it is time to make changes.

Manage Your MediaManage Your Media

Tools for social media management

◦Google Alerts http://www.google.com/alerts

◦Social Mention http://www.socialmention.com

Google AlertsGoogle Alerts

Social MentionSocial Mention

Open DiscussionOpen Discussion

Which social media sites are your institutions using?

What issues/challenges have you experienced?

Any unanticipated benefits?

Advice from your experience?