Join our webcast as content marketing experts from LinkedIn and Hootsuite walk you through best practices for universities to attract, engage, and convert more of these savvy prospects with a solid content marketing strategy on LinkedIn.
In this webinar, you'll learn how to:
-Build a solid content marketing strategy, starting with the end results in mind
-Manage and produce a healthy mix of relevant content with limited resources
-Help thought leaders in your university leverage LinkedIn to expand their influence
-Publish your content effectively on LinkedIn
5. Marketers must influence prospects early in the
decision journey
5Source: Connecting with Today’s Prospective Student, LinkedIn – 8/2015
develop their short list before
reaching out to a
school representative
72%
make the prospects’
short list
ONLY 3
SCHOOLS
end up enrolling
at a school from their
short list
93%
#LinkedInEDU
6. 6Source: Connecting with Today’s Prospective Student, LinkedIn – 8/2015
of students use social
media when deciding
where to enroll
75%
An effective content marketing
strategy is key
Professional networks
are 3x more influential
than personal social
networks
3x
#LinkedInEDU
7. 7
Data is collected throughout the educational journey
MARKETING ENGAGEMENTDEVELOPMENTADMISSIONS
EDUCATION /
FACULTY
IP / THOUGHT
LEADERSHIP
CAREER
SERVICES
PROSPECTS / APPLICANTS
QUALIFIED
INQUIRIES
APPLICATIONS TEACHING /
TRANSCRIPTS
PUBLICATIONS /
RESEARCH
PLACED
HIRES
FUNDS
RAISED
ALUMNI
PARTICIPATION
STUDENTS ALUMNI
22. #LinkedInEDU
“Advocate content and interactions
are more valuable; buyers see them
as authentic validation, not paid
promotion.”
- Forrester, September 2015
23. Amplifying Reach
Owned Channels
Employee Advocates
Facebook
Fans
Twitter Followers Linkedin
Followers
Employees
200 Average
Facebook Friends
61 Average Twitter
Followers
240 Average
Linkedin Connections
24.5K 12K 10K
2,500
Content
Team
=
= 46.5K
TOTAL REACH
1.25M
TOTAL REACH
X
+ +
28. Awareness
Public awareness of the
University’s work, programs and
research
Connect with new and broader
audiences
Attract new students and top talent
32. Student Life
Georgia State saw a 216%
increase in campaign
engagement and a 9.4%
increase in homecoming
football game attendance from
2014 to 2015 through utilizing
#GSUnited to share user
generated content amplified
through departments and
student influencers
38. Student Life
Campaign involved:
● student challenge with
100 students raising
funds for their own
program
● video sharing contest
● Events to promote hourly
challenges
45. 45
Develop audience personas
#LinkedInEDU
INTERVIEW
your current customers
and enrollment advisors
ANALYZE
your student databases
OBSERVE
what is being discussed
on social media
47. 47
Why you need to document your strategy
58%
of the most effective B2C marketers
have a documented strategy
Source: 2016 B2C Content Marketing Report, Content Marketing Institute
48. 48
Start with what you want to achieve
Raise brand
awareness
Drive higher
quality leads
Establish your
school as a thought
leader
Foster community
among students
and alumni
#LinkedInEDU
49. 49
Determine how you will measure success
Higher quality leads
METRICS
Cost per lead
Cost per enrollment
Time to close
Thought leadership
METRICS
Engagement
Downloads
Earned media value
Speaker requests
#LinkedInEDU
50. 50
Define your strategy and tactics
Source: 2016 B2C Content Marketing Report, Content Marketing Institute
56. #4 Build a healthy mix of relevant, helpful content
#LinkedInEDU
56
57. 57
Decide what content to produce
Top types of information sought by intenders in each stage of the higher education decision-making process:
AWARENESS DISCOVERY SELECTION
Career Advice
Information on courses and degree programs
Expert commentary
and reviews
Staff and lecturer profiles
Alumni profiles/achievements
Institution rankings
Education and industry news
Source: Connecting with Today’s Prospective Student, LinkedIn 8/2015
Base: MBA and Masters Intenders (n=502)
#LinkedInEDU
58. 58
Higher Ed: Through the funnel
Plan content that educates and inspires
along with content that collects leadsUpper Funnel
Brand Messaging
Thought Leadership
Registration, Download
Information, Meet with an
Enrollment Counselor
Rankings, News,
Career Advice,
Courses/Degrees
Program Value,
Student Testimonials,
Blog Content
Faculty Profiles, Webinars,
On-Campus Events,
Alumni Testimonials
Bottom Funnel
Lead Focused
Direct Messaging #LinkedInEDU
64. 64
#6 Stay on track with an editorial calendar
#LinkedInEDU
65. 65
• Plan your content resources
• Provide visibility for internal teams
• Prevent a lapse in conversation with your audience
• Measure trends in engagement and performance
Why build a content calendar?
73. Delight them with an experience that will convert
73
Make sure landing pages are optimized
1. Feature more on your
page than just a lead form
2. Have a prominent call to
action
3. Keep forms short
4. Always be mobile
optimized
#LinkedInEDU
76. 76
5 benefits for universities with social leaders
Efficiently connect with the people that matter
Show that your institution is innovative
Offer an authentic, human face to your institution
Be a voice of your industry and build thought leadership
Build relationships with key stakeholders
1
2
3
4
5
80. 80
Invest in great images
Use colorful charts and illustrations
#LinkedInEDU
81. Link share post
Introduction Text
Best practice of 150 characters max to avoid
truncation on all devices.
Landing Page URL
Will be counted toward the text limitation.
If longer than 23 characters, link is shortened with LinkedIn
shortener
Title
Best Practice of 70 characters
max to avoid cut off
Description Text
Best Practice of 100 characters max to
avoid cut off. Does not appear on mobile.
Thumbnail Image
Automatically pulled from landing page.
Can be manually uploaded. Use 1.91:1
ratio (1200x627px) image
Mobile Version
Intro
Image
Title
#LinkedInEDU
81
82. Embedded image post
Introduction Text
Best practice of 150 characters max to avoid
truncation on all devices.
Landing Page URL
MUST be included in the introduction text and counts toward
that text limitation. If longer than 23 characters, link is
shortened with LinkedIn shortener
Image
Manually upload - 1.91:1 ratio (1200x627px) image
is recommended
Mobile Version
Intro
Image
URL
#LinkedInEDU
82
83. Video post
• YouTube, Vimeo, and SlideShare play on site in player
• No length requirements
• 60 Sec video or less recommended for performance
• Another landing page link may be included in the intro text
• Video is auto expanded in the feed
Introduction Text
Best practice of 150 characters max
to avoid truncation on all devices.
Title
Best Practice of 70 characters
max to avoid cut off
Description Text
Best Practice of 100 characters max to
avoid cut off. Does not appear on mobile.
#LinkedInEDU
83
84. 84
#10 Prove the value of your efforts and scale what works
#LinkedInEDU
85. Key metrics for content marketing
#LinkedInEDU
85
Engagement Metrics
• Shares
• Likes
• Comments
• Click-throughs
Performance Metrics
• Lead conversion
• Cost per lead
• Application conversion
410
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
CLIENT
CMSScore
Best in class
influence
Weaker content
influence
105 of
Peers:
WHO: Audience = Decision Makers
Harvard
Duke
Cornell University
Stanford
Columbia
Oxford
Cambridge
Northwestern
UCLA
LinkedIn Content Marketing Score
86. Measuring Sponsored Content success
Measuring back-end conversions helps you interpret the value of your campaign
Track clicks in your analytics system through a unique URL
EXAMPLE URL builder instructions:
1.Use Google’s URL builder to generate unique URLs for each individual
Sponsored Update
2.These unique URLs can be tracked using Google Analytics
3.Enter ‘LinkedIn’ as the Campaign Source
4.Enter ‘Sponsored Updates’ as the Campaign Medium
5.Enter the name of your Sponsored Updates campaign as the Campaign
Name
6.Decide on one identifying term for each variation of Sponsored Updates
and enter this as the Campaign Content*
Note: The identifying terms for Campaign Content should be consistent across all
Campaigns
86
87. 87
Build a solid foundation – audience research, documented strategy, content council1
Create a healthy mix of relevant content, including a “Big Rock”2
Use an editorial calendar3
Leverage LinkedIn to distribute with accuracy and establish thought leadership4
Follow design best practices to maximize your content5
5 key things to remember