This document discusses how social media engagement is key during the student recruitment process. It summarizes research on how students use social media during their college selection process to connect with other students, ask questions to administrators, and express their feelings. The research found that students primarily use social media communities to make friends before starting college. It recommends that colleges allocate resources to engage with students on social media throughout the enrollment cycle, provide private online communities early, and designate experienced staff to respond to student questions and comments. The goal is for students to develop connections with the college to increase enrollment likelihood.
Choices, Choices: How Social Media is Key During the Student Recruitment Process
1. Choices, Choices…
How Social Media Engagement is Key
During the Student Recruitment Process
Dr. Corie M. Martin
Western Kentucky University
@coriemartin
2. Table of Contents
• Why Market Research
• Understanding Audience, Habits, and College Choice
Processes
• Why Social Media
• The Research
• What Students Really Want to Know
• How to Get There
4. Market research is the process of
analyzing data to help you understand
which products and services are in
demand, and how to be competitive.
Source: sba.gov
5. Market research is the process of
analyzing data to help you understand
which products and services are in
demand, and how to be competitive.
(Enrollment Data, Demographic Data, Social Media Data)
Source: sba.gov
6. Market research is the process of
analyzing data to help you understand
which products and services are in
demand, and how to be competitive.
Source: sba.gov
(Trends: Academic, social, extracurricular, course delivery formats)
7. Market research is the process of
analyzing data to help you understand
which products and services are in
demand, and how to be competitive.
Source: sba.gov
(What are your competitors doing? How to celebrate what YOU do well.)
9. Social Media
• Has revolutionized real-time
communication
• Offers personalized, quick
access
• Reaches all demographics
• Provides accessible space
• 18-24 largest user base
• It’s cheap and easy to use
10. Why Social Media?
• Gives students a place
• Works on their time
• Familiar & easy
• Informal
• Wide reach
11. Common Uses
• News and info
• Event promotion
• Photo / video
• Direct engagement
12. HESM Admin Uses
• Customer Service
• Personal engagement with
students
• To provide a student-friendly
space
• To protect and help students
• To generate excitement
26. 3-Stages of Student College
Choice
• Phase One: Predisposition
• Phase Two: Search
• Phase Three: Choice
27. The Search Phase
The Student Has
Decided to attend
Applied / admitted
Connects to learn more
Admissions Counselors
Campus Tours
Other Students
Academics
28. Methods
• Qualitative Case Study
• Semi-Structured
Interviews
• Observations of student
engagement in open and
closed moderated social
communities
29. Participants
• Five institutions
• Five higher ed social media administrators
• All different states and U.S. regions
• Four public, one private
• Enrollment from 10,000 - 82,000
30. Student Engagement
Timeline January 2015 - August 2015
• 5 Communities (4 Schools App, one Facebook Group)
• 56 Students
• 1805 Engagement Threads
• 197 General Conversation Topics
• 141 Direct Questions Posted
• 140 Engagements with Institutional Staff
31. Student Characteristics
• Diverse
• First-time, full-time residential
(+ some transfer, adult,
veteran, commuter)
• Most admitted
(10% undecided)
32. Top conversation topics shared by dozens of
individual students through hundreds of personal
interactions with each other and with HESM
professionals
33. Top conversation topics shared by dozens of
individual students through hundreds of personal
interactions with each other and with HESM
professionals
(In their own words….)
34. Top conversation topics shared by dozens of
individual students through hundreds of personal
interactions with each other and with HESM
professionals
(Thousands of comments by hundreds of students)
35. Top conversation topics shared by dozens of
individual students through hundreds of personal
interactions with each other and with HESM
professionals
(New friends made BEFORE ever setting foot on campus)
36. Top conversation topics shared by dozens of
individual students through hundreds of personal
interactions with each other and with HESM
professionals
(Typically ONE person in admissions/marketing)
37.
38. Items of Interest
Example:
Inst I (80K+) = 553 engagements, 7 Qs, 18 staff
Inst V (20K+) = 533 engagements, 95 Qs, 86 staff
Public students = more interest in personal connections
Equal engagement among genders
HESM Admins use communities in different ways:
39. Student Findings
• Students engage in social communities
• Students respond to HESM calls-to-action
• Students ask questions
• Students express frustration, excitement, anxiety
• Primary use of social communities -
TO MAKE FRIENDS
40. Admin Findings
• Administrators are using social communities in different ways
• Administrators are directly engaging with students, but…
• Administrators are missing valuable outreach opportunities
• By opening communities too late
• By missing questions
• By being too “hands off”
• Due to limited resources
41. Recommendations
(Run, don’t walk…)
• Social media engagement during entire enrollment
cycle
• Private communities should be provided early
• Allocate resources
• Designate an experienced and available admin
42. Engaged social communities are key in helping
students establish affinities with institutions
Students are focused on making friends - not on
affordability or outcomes as news might suggest…
43.
44. Suggestions
Consider targeting academic, affordability, and outcome
messaging to PARENTS
Yield messaging to students should focus on
relationships, fitting in, social acceptance, and
community
45.
46.
47. Lessons Learned
Administrators all face similar challenges and all use
social media the same way and for the same purpose
regardless of enrollment size or U.S. region.
48. Students want a place.
They want to make friends.
They want us when they want us.