Hitting the moving target of social media

@andrewcareaga • @MissouriSandT • #CASEVI • Jan. 12, 2010

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What is social media? Why does it matter?Why should you use it?Ideas on how to use itHave fun!

What’s your digital IQ?

Social media is…

◦‘a shift in how people discover, read and share news, information and content’ – Wikipedia

◦user-generated content◦‘architecture of

participation’

Social media is not…

◦another marketing channel

◦a substitute◦merely an option◦a complete waste of

time

Social media is…

social!

Social media (r)evolutionthe last 11 years

1999 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2009

‘markets are conversations’ • file sharing

• blogging • open-source collaboration • social

bookmarking • virtual worlds • social networking •

sharing music, photos, video • ‘what’s happening?’

Marketing isn’t going to go away. Nor should it. But it needs to evolve rapidly and thoroughly, for markets have become networked and now know more than business, learn faster than business, are more honest than business, and are a hell of a lot more fun than business.

The Cluetrain Manifesto

In a revolution, kings lose

their heads.

… therefore, think like a peasant.Dan Forbush, founder of Profnet, 1996

Who’s doing what online?

The Groundswell social media ladder

Source: Forrester Research; Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies (2008)

Creators (13%)

Critics (19%)

Collectors (13%)

Joiners (19%)

Spectators (33%)

Inactives (52%)

Graphic: Business Week, www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_24/b4038405.htm

Natives and immigrantsSource: Mark Prensky, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants,” On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No.

5, October 2001)

digital natives prefer digital immigrants prefer

To receive info quickly from multiple sources

Controlled release of info from limited sources

Multitasking, parallel processing Single or focused tasks

Pictures, sounds, video before text

Often prefer to receive written info

Interacting in ‘real time’ Greater need for private and personal space for introspection

Learning that is instant, relevant and fun

Info presented linearly, logically and sequentially

Hyperlinked sources, user-generated content

How teens communicate

• 95% spend time with friends face to face• 88% talk to friends on a landline• 67% talk to friends on a cell phone• 65% send email to friends• 61% use social networking sites• 60% of online teens send instant messages to

friends• 58% send text messages to friends

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project

Source: Hobsons Domestic Research Report 2009-2010, cited by Karlyn Morissette, www.doteduguru.com, Oct. 22, 2009

Campus website

Campus visit

Viewbook

High school counselors

Social networking sites

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

H.S. seniors

H.S. juniors

H.S. sophomores

Very low relativetrust ranking

‘Trust ranking’ of recruitment efforts

Diving in …

‘Like skydiving, a lot of learning comes from doing.’Brad J. Ward, co-founder, BlueFuego.com, “Skydiving Into the Social Web,” Squaredpeg.com, Jan. 6, 2010

The wisdom of crowds

The wisdom of crowds… understand the business problem you are trying to solve. Too many people focus on the latest, greatest technology when instead they should be focusing on building relationships.

Mark Greenfield, University of Buffalo (@markgr)

… people are intimidated by social media, and … they’re afraid they’ll “do it wrong.” Doing it “wrong” is not getting started at all. So many missed opportunities! The best way to get started is to do just that: start.

Liz Allen, Caltech Alumni Association(@lizallen)

The wisdom of crowdsIf you’re a central unit provide a framework to help highlight smaller units that are using social media services even if you aren’t using the services yourself. It’s important to help market the folks who are actually attempting to use social media. …

For smaller units, engage the central unit to help promote your activities at every opportunity.

David Olsen, West Virginia University(@dmolsen)

The wisdom of crowds

Try before you buy. If you’re not on Facebook or Twitter, don’t start an institutional account until after you understand the communities.

Tim Nekritz, SUNY Oswego(@TimNekritz)

Social media is not a bull horn or a bulletin board to spam with virtual flyers. Use it primarily as a listening tool, and engage when appropriate.

Rachel Reuben, SUNY New Paltz(@rachelreuben)

More crowd wisdom at http://ow.ly/R5Vt

5 keys to social media success

1. Listen2. Add value3. Respond4. Do good things5. Keep it real

Adapted from Aliza Sherman, “Revisiting 10 Golden Rules of Social Media,” Web Worker Daily, Jan. 5, 2010,http://webworkerdaily.com/2010/01/05/revisiting-10-golden-rules-of-social-media/

Create a social media listening post

• Google news/blog alerts

• Twitter search• Active

monitoring

Listen + respond + add value + do good

Twitter saves the day!

A four-step approach

1. Develop a plan Integrate it Know what’s

already working

2. Beware the bandwagon

3. Understand your audience(s)

4. Feed the beast

Integration: what’s already working?

Campus visits/summer camps– More than 70% apply– About 61% enroll– 26% of 2009 freshmen

attended at least one summer program

Tele-counseling– Increases attendance at high

school visits, receptions, etc.

Consistent, frequentcommunicationRelationship building

Spacebook: Sandra Magnus’ blog from the International Space Stationhttp://spacebook.mst.edu

Integration: what’s already working?

• Missouri S&T magazine– 84% read every

issue– 50% “very

satisfied”; 35% “satisfied”

• Strong campus traditions

• Consistent, frequent communication

• Relationships

The best ever blog: http://bestever.mst.eduSt. Pat’s Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/stpatsbestever

140 years of campus history in under 4 minutes (www.youtube.com/MissouriSandT)

A four-step approach

1. Develop a plan Objectives Measures (metrics) Management Resources Content (type and

source) Promotion

Objectives Measures

Extend university reach and influence online by connecting and building relationships with key audiences (prospective students, current students, alumni, influentials)

•number and types of followers•social media referrals to web content (campaign-based and not)•feedback from friends, followers, etc.

Provide additional channels for audiences to communicate and interact with the university

•volume and quality of feedback •Comments•“likes”•DMs, RTs, @s

Objectives Measures

Provide additional channels for audiences to receive official university information

•number and types of followers

Monitor online reputation of the university in the social media sphere

•number of interactions•qualitative analysis of comments

Management and resources

1. Who is the social media “owner” on your campus?

2. How do you allocate time and staffing?

Social media content

1. Type Official? User-generated? Tone? Frequency? Interactive! Responsive!

2. Source Feeds? Personal? Combination?

Don’t make it tougher than it has to be

Promoting your social media presenceUniversity website andsub-sitesAlumni publicationsRecruitment materialsOld media (newsreleases, advertising)Business cardsEmail signaturesFollow and be followedKeep at itInternally:

NewslettersPresentationsStaff meetings

A four-step approach

1. Develop a plan Integrate it Know what’s

already working

2. Beware the bandwagon

3. Understand your audience(s)

4. Feed the beast

Missouri S&T’s limited presence

• Facebook – www.facebook.com/MissouriSandT• Joe Miner on Facebook – www.facebook.com/JoeMiner • Twitter – www.twitter.com/MissouriSandT• YouTube – www.youtube.com/MissouriSandT• Flickr – www.flickr.com/MissouriSandT• St. Pat’s on Flickr – www.flickr.com/stpatsbestever • Delicious – www.delicious.com/MissouriSandT

No MySpace.No LinkedIn.Other departments also have a presence. More on that later.

3. Understand your audience

In their own words (tweets)

As a current student I find that the value of the twitter feed is the instant access to information for safety and fun facts......but also being able to interact and spread that information without worrying about email lists, spam, etc.

Umm I think Twitter is byfar the fastest way to receieve information, ie-> The Death of Michael Jackson I found out by Twitter before any email or Newscast had been made, so for Missouri s&t I think if they want to inform people quickly they can easily

In their own words (tweets)“The most value of the twitter acct is i can get updates about my future college and the FB site is that i can get even more info about S&T”

“I mostly use social networking for keeping in touch with my friends, so being able to interact with Missouri S&T on Twittermade it seem more personal, like I wasn't just a face in the crowd. Using Twitter to contact my future college was also very convenient, as I'm constantly engaged in it thanks to my iPhone and other technologies.”

4. FEED ME, SEYMOUR!

‘Something as simple as a status update that ties to an emotional time in new, current, and former students’ lives seems to resonate.’

Rachel Reuben, director of web communication, SUNY New Paltzdoteduguru.com blogger

Parting thoughts

Jack Dorsey, St. Louis native, Missouri S&T alum and Twitter co-founder

Jack Dorsey has more followers on Twitter (1,570,000) than The New York Times has subscribers (1,039,031)

Series1

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

1039031

1570000 Jack Dorsey fol-lowers

New York Times subscribers

In conclusion…

Don’t be afraid to fail

12/21/2012

Its easy to get stuck in the past when you are trying to make a good thing last

-Neil Young

Courtesy of Mark Greenfield (@markgr)

Thank you!

Andrew CareagaDirector of CommunicationsMissouri University of Science and Technologyacareaga@mst.edu

@andrewcareaga orwww.twitter.com/andrewcareaga

Higher Ed Marketing blog:http://highered.prblogs.org

Find this presentation at http://slideshare.net/andrewcareaga