What is your institution’s strategy for connecting with prospective students online? Does it involve your student ambassadors? (Hint: It should!) Take your Bloggers beyond blogging!
In this presentation, given at the eduGuru Online Summit in March 2011, you learn how to expand, integrate and manage your institution’s student bloggers' presence across multiple social networking platforms, including twitter, formspring, facebook, ning, youtube, and more!
Beyond Blogging: Create an Integrated Online Student Ambassador Program
1. Beyond Blogging:
Create an Integrated Online Student Ambassador Program
Mallory Wood
Saint Michael’s College
March 22, 2011 .eduGuru Online Summit
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4. What will you learn about today?
How to...
✤ Create/Expand
✤ Integrate
✤ Manage
an online student ambassador program.
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5. What is an online ambassador?
✤ More than just a blogger
✤ Passionate about connecting with future students on behalf of SMC
✤ Involved and connected on campus
✤ Excited about new technology, social media, etc
✤ Leader and forward-thinking “in real life”
Integrate branded program across multiple platforms
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8. Age of Discovery
2001-2006
✤ 2 - 4 Student Bloggers
✤ Paid per semester
✤ Contract
✤ Posts required bi-weekly
✤ Used typepad.com with a standard SMC Blogger template
✤ Used professional photos for website
✤ Mix of recruiting students and applications
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10. Age of Enlightenment
2006-2009
✤ 6 - 12 Student Bloggers, 1 Faculty
✤ Paid per post
✤ No contract
✤ Posts encouraged weekly
✤ Used blogger.com, threw out standard template
✤ Creation of Blogger badge
✤ Live Q&A online chats
✤ Used professional photo for website 10
12. Age of Growth
2009-Present
✤ 43 Blogs
✤ Paid per “post”
✤ Reinstated contract
✤ Required: blog, Twitter, Formspring, live chats, FaceBook, Ning
✤ Encouraged: Flickr, YouTube, VYou, Location-based services
✤ Use blogger.com and blogger badge
✤ Let students choose a photo to use for website
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14. Step 1
Create an ambassador program
or
Expand existing blogger program
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15. Goals before tools
✤ Pay attention to admission
seasons
✤ Use analytics tools
✤ Remember your audience
✤ Keep institutional marketing
messages in mind
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17. Content, content, content
"Authenticity, good writing, relevant
content, stories that are in alignment
with SMC's brand identity"
@JohnTLawlor
"Speak in your own voice about
"be authentic... don't put on a
your own experiences & be
professional personality. just
careful what you share about
be yourselves"
@KarlynM your friends, esp if you name
them."
@mStonerblog
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18. Content, content, content
"Remember you're having a
"Build long standing convo with real people, and
relationships with the there are hopes, dreams,
prospects. " fears, frustrations on the
@NickDenardis other side. Be human."
@Robin2Go
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19. Take advantage of what you’ve got
✤ Tour guides
✤ Student gov’t leaders
✤ Honors students
✤ Athletes
✤ Club/organization leaders
✤ Transfer/International students
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29. Twitter
What role does it play?
✤ Micro-blog
✤ Quick daily update
✤ Topics differ from blog posts
✤ Builds community among
ambassadors
✤ Educational
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30. Twitter
Facts: Approach to success:
✤ 87% of americans are aware ✤ Feed tweets in blogs
of twitter
✤ Twitter speech bubbles
✤ 7% of americans use twitter average 50 clicks/month
✤ 18% of twitter users are
under 17
✤ 97% of twitter users have
less than 100 followers
http://www.edisonresearch.com/twitter_usage_2010.php 30
http://www.website-monitoring.com
33. Ask me anything!
✤ 57% of Formspring users are 13-24
✤ Over 575 questions answered (by students)
✤ Ability to be anonymous
✤ Connect with favorite ambassador
✤ Answers are genuine and authentic
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http://about.formspring.me/PR/Formspring-Facts.pdf
38. Selecting ambassadors
✤ Attend information session (30 min.)
✤ 1 month application process
- create a blog, post 1x/wk minimum
- first post = “About me”
- create a twitter account
- first tweet = “Why I want to be an ambassador”
✤ Selection of Paid ambassadors
✤ Attend fall training, sign contract
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39. Contract
3 reasons you should use a contract:
Blog 1x/wk
✤ Responsibilities Tweet 1x/day
Photos/Video bi-weekly
Q&A
Paid
✤ Benefits Leadership training
Recommendation letter
Networking opportunities
Resume building
✤ Protection Set standards
Authentic vs. Inappropriate
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41. ROI
Projected yearly cost
25% of applicants connect
of program = $4185.14
Monthly average cost
66% of enrolled students connect
per ambassador = $40
Yearly average cost
Anecdotes are priceless
per ambassador = $318
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