At the EducationUSA Forum, as one of 5 different skills lab sessions, with the help of Jim Goonan from Embry-Riddle University and Sarah Heminger from Springfield College, we tackled the importance issues in marketing via social media, as well as how to manage the flow of information. Demoing three primary tools, HootSuite, Crowdbooster, and Mention, participants were exposed to useful examples of how to make the most of what they have. EducationUSA also shared results from a recent global social media survey that highlighted the importance of social media for international students looking to come to the U.S.
1. Skills Lab:
Social Media Management
&Marketing
Marty Bennett
Institute of International Education
James Goonan
Embry-Riddle University
Sarah Heminger
Springfield College
2. Wireless access for this sessions
• Hhonors meeting wireless network
– Username – cardozo627
– Password – 2013
3. Plan for today
• Share our experiences
• Get your feedback
• Demo some useful tools
• Identify some takeaways
5. Global Social Media Survey 2013
• Began late May
• Tracking students per country
• 91 nations responding so far
• Assesses how, when, and on what devices
students use social media including US college
& university sites
18. Global Social Media Survey:
What the data shows
• Social media is key to student communications
– Most have 2-3 accounts – 91% have Facebook
• Students look primarily online for US college info
– Over 70% use social media to find info about institutions
• Greater majority interact directly with institutional social media
– They want:
• to see aid available
• Ask questions/get answers
• While PCs & laptops are still dominant way students access social
media, mobile phones (increasingly smart phones) are used by nearly 50%
19. Global Social Media Survey:
Take-Aways
• Know Where Your Students “Live” Online
• Focus Your Attention Accordingly
• Provide Opportunities to Interact
• Engage in Conversations
• Start Thinking Mobile
• Time / Target Messages
20. ERAU Overview
• Target for International & Graduate
Admissions is: Those that have influence over
prospective students.
• HS Counselors, University Administrators &
Faculty, Scholarship
Administrators, EducationUSA
Advisors, Alumni, Colleagues
21. ERAU Content & Sources
• Office of Public Relations & Marketing
• ERAU Youtube Channel
• Edu News (e.g., Inside HigherEd.com,
Chronicle, International News, etc.)
• Live Events (Education Fairs, Conferences,
Meetings, Recruitment Travel), My Blog.
22. Major Posts
• LinkedIn (individuals, groups)
• Twitter
• Facebook (friends and groups)
• Blog
• EducationUSA.info
25. Content- where we get it
Springfield College
• MarCom staff members
– On campus- events, campus
pics, stories, celebrations
– Monitor news for stories
mentioning SC
– Cross-promotion of FB posts
– Main page, departmental, class-
specific. (70+ total)
– Posters on campus drive students
to pages- join/contribute
• Class pages/QQ group
– Student-driven content
• Weibo- pull from FB pages +
international student content
Study Western Mass
• Twitter lists (Hootsuite)
– Member
schools, news, tourism info
• Members
– Awards, news stories, pics, FB
posts
• SWM events
– Counselor
Tour, meetings, conferences, t
ravel
26. Marketing & Managing Content
Springfield College
• Facebook
– MarCom- FB Pages Manager
– Departments control content of
own FB pages
– Intl Center- page & group
• All main SC profiles- MarCom
– little to no cross-posting
• Desktop /Mobile-Hootsuite, FB
Pages Manager, all platforms +
QQ, Weibo, WeChat
Study Western Mass
• Hootsuite
– Twitter lists
– Cross posting
– Scheduled posting
– Manage interactions
• Facebook Pages Manager
– Promote posts, monitor
• Desktop & Mobile
27. Approvals
Springfield College- MarCom SWM- Marketing Coordinator
• Know your institutional/organizational policy (if there is one)
• With no official policy in place, we follow some basics:
– Restrictions? Get creative.
– Stick with the core goals- if it doesn’t fit, don’t post it.
• Recruitment, Branding
– Collaborate with colleagues
– Be flexible and find balance- scheduled vs. spontaneous
– What do you know about your audience?
Poll Title: What social media are you using in international student recruitment/admissions?
http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/4D2ux3Vh23Fwzoe
Poll Title: What kind of information/services do you use on your international student-focused social media?
http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/w0oAdXkmR3h1jZP
Poll Title: What time of day do you generally post to your social media channels?
http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/aIleShIpKBkh4iW