5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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5  Ways  To  Improve  Student  Engagement  on  Social  Media  

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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1)  Why  Social  is  So  Essen2al    2)  United  We  Stand  –  and  Consistent  We  Brand!  3)  Use  a  Social  Management  Tool  4)  Prompt  &  Proac2ve  Responses    5)  Leverage  Posi2ve  Feedback    6)  Acknowledge  Nega2vity    

Overview

Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media    

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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§  What happens on your school’s social platforms is just as important as what unfolds on campus

§  99 percent of universities now use some form of social media

§  upwards of 94 percent of students are using those channels to evaluate prospective schools

1. Why Social is So Essential

Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media      

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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Higher Ed Social Media: Trending Ever-Upward

Source:  UMass/Darmouth  Research  Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media      

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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 §  In most colleges, more than one person responds to SM

messages: Ø  Admissions Ø  Recruitment Ø  Student ambassadors Ø  Faculty members §  With so many voices in the chorus, your school brand may

well get lost in the discord §  It’s important to present a united front and decide how your

team will respond to messages: tone, timeliness, depth, etc.

2. United We Stand – and Consistent We Brand!

Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media      

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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 §  With multiple social media responders, inconsistency leads

to moody messages §  It’s no good providing generous feedback one day, and a scant one-liner the next §  Or a quirky, sarcastic tone on some posts, while others remain staunchly academic §  Erratic messaging creates a confusing character snap-shot of your school §  Prospects are left confused – and are quick to move on to schools with consistent branding

Avoid “Moody” Messaging

Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media      

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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 §  To avoid moody messaging, duplicate responses, and

inconsistent information, colleges should implement a social media management system, such as:

Ø  Hootsuite Ø  Sendible Ø  Hubspot Ø  SproutSocial §  From a single dashboard, your team can: Ø  Schedule posts, monitor activity, track mentions Ø  Be alerted when urgent response in needed Ø  Track what team members are doing/saying

3. Use a Social Media Management Tool

Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media      

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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Example Social Media Management Dashboard

Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media      

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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 §  Answering questions promptly on SM shows that your

college is:

Ø  An active community member Ø  Attentive to student needs Ø  A reliable and useful informational source §  Plus, an unanswered concern represents a lost opportunity

to generate new leads

§  When answering questions, go above and beyond by anticipating needs and providing extra support

4. Prompt & Proactive Responses

Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media      

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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Proactive Social Media Response: Sheridan College

Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media      

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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 §  Thank-you’s and career updates deserve thoughtful

feedback on social media

§  Prompt responses support lead generation by highlighting your school’s:

Ø  Job placement rates Ø  Caring & supportive culture Ø  Commitment to graduate success §  Plus, these types of acknowledgments often spark “likes”

and continued conversation – boosting the value of your SM community

5. Leverage Positive Feedback

Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media      

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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Ex: AAPS Leverages Alumni Success on Social Media

Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media      

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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 §  In their desire to boost lead generation, schools often seek

to remove negative messages from their SM platforms

§  But prospective students actually prefer seeing authentic exchanges online – rather than contrived, ‘squeaky clean’ images

§  Don’t ignore the naysayer: Provide apologies when needed, and resolve conflicts when possible

§  Going the extra mile to support a disgruntled student can actually improve your brand, proving your school can handle criticism with grace and respond to genuine grievances with care

6. Acknowledge Negativity

Source:  Higher  Educa2on  Marke2ng  –    Responding  To  Students  On  Social  Media      

5 Ways To Improve Student Engagement on Social Media

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