Social media best practices and tips for colleges using social media.

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Social Media
For Colleges
Rebecca Roebuck

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Including…
 What is social media
 Social media best practices
 Social media strategy ideas
 What are other colleges doing

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What is social media?
 People having conversations online
 Use online tools to share information
 News, pictures, videos, music, user generated content
 Tools consist of web-based and mobile networks and
communities
 People with similar interests share, create, network and interact

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Why does social media matter?
 Social media is changing the ways we discover and share
information.
 Social and interactive
 Not passive, waiting for information to come to us
 Everyone is involved in searching for, creating and sharing
information.
 We are all experts in something and it is our responsibility to
share that knowledge with the world - social media makes that
possible

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Social media best practices
 Plan
 Content calendar
 Crisis communication plan
 Listen!
 Monitor comments, mentions, discussions
 Communicate and interact
 Regular updates
 Students can speak directly to the school
 Connect
 Follow, Like
 One-to-one connection with students
 Build a presence
 Provide interesting information

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Social media strategy
 Increase Donations
 Donation tab on Facebook page
 Text donating
 Promote text donating at all events
 Campus events
 Alumni events
 Community events

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Social media strategy
 College Sports
 Live tweet from sports events
 Find and follow student athletes and coaches
 Help coaches use social media to connect with prospective athletes
 Focus on the positive
 Use social media monitoring to monitor for negative conversations

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Social media strategy
 Use photos to showcase college
 Instagram
 Photo sharing mobile app
 Pinterest
 Virtual pinboard to share and discover new things
 Create boards to feature segments of university and events

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Social media strategy
 Showcase campis buildings, landscape, seasons
 Facebook cover photos

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Social media strategy
 Blog
 Create a blog to share and illustrate the college experience
 Posts can come from students, staff, faculty
 Big name guest blog posts from notable alumni

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What are other colleges doing?
 Organize and promote all
social network pages

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What are other colleges doing?
 Custom Facebook welcome tabs including virtual tour

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What are other colleges doing?
 Use Foursquare to highlight campus community and provide
virtual tour and tips

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Connect
 Rebecca Roebuck
 @roebuckr
 RebeccaRoebuck.com