PlantingYour College on Facebook

Setting up a Facebook page for your

community college1 – setting measurable goals1.5-1.75 – who’s got your back?2 – making friends/likes3 – keep it real

Be strategic – think it through before taking the plunge

Know what you want out of Facebook before starting

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Before you get started – should you?Social media is not always the answer.• What are my goals? How will I measure?• Who will maintain? How often?• Who is my audience?• What will my content be?• Would these be served better using traditional communication

vehicles?

Do your research.• What are other colleges doing?• How much success are they having (numbers, interactions)?• How often are they updating?

If you’ve already jumped in, move towards your measurable strategic goals

What is the one thing about your college you want people to take away from your Facebook page? How will your Facebook page help reinforce your brand?

People are more likely to support you if you have a plan with measurable outcomes

Do you have buy-in/support from administration, student services, library?

1.5-1.75

A few tips & tricks of the trade

Making people like you

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• Email all your students, invite them to join

• Use print pieces (business cards, posters) to spread the word– You HAVE to get a

customized URL• Widget on your website pages

– Above the fold is better• Provide value

– Give people content they can’t get elsewhere

– Make feel connected, part of a community

– Balance college info with fun stuff

• Keep it current– Check every few hours if

possible; understand people’s expectations

• Deal with the negative honestly & promptly– Apologize when necessary,

direct people to solutions• Listen!

– Think of Facebook as an ongoing focus group

Don’t overdo it – Facebook is only one way to tell your story. And stay out of campus politics. Let the library have their page and move on.

Maintain your perspective

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Your garden may be wild . . . but it will be colorful!

Some nitty gritty detailsSetting up a Page• Set-up a personal Facebook account. This is called a profile, which is different from a page. Review Facebook’s rules for Page

development. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php#/terms_pages.php) • Create a Page. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php)• Category: Education• Choose a name for your page. • How will people search for you?

Adding administrators• From your page, choose “Edit Page.” Click on the link on the “Admins” box that says “Add.” You can choose from the list of

your friends or enter e-mail addresses.

Adding Content• Content should be updated at least once a day. Even if you just comment on a post or answer a question, updates show fans

that the page is active and that they should continue to check back. Tip: Brainstorm a list of possible content updates that would be relevant to your followers.

• Update your status. Engage followers by asking questions and soliciting input.• Add multimedia content. Photos and videos are a great way to showcase your program. And they don’t have to be perfect;

some of the most commented and tagged photos are of crowds or other large groups of people. You can upload one photo to your wall or create an album.

• Publish events. You can create a calendar of upcoming events.

What if someone puts up something negative or inappropriate?• Remember that this conversation will take place, whether you are listening or not. Social media allows us to take part in the

conversation – and sometimes shape it – but never control it. Never take down a comment just because you don’t like what they are saying. This is your opportunity to find out what people are saying and respond to it. It’s a very eye-opening experience.

Remember to always keep your head above water. Ask for help if you need it.