Successful Social Media On A Shoestring

The University of North Carolina GreensboroUniversity Relations

L. Danielle Baldwin, Web ManagerLanita Withers Goins, Staff Writer

Debbie Schallock, Director of Marketing

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What to Expect Today● Introduction & Explanation

● Social Media Concepts & Definitions

● Social Media In Higher Education Is Different

● Social Media & Administrative Buy-In

● Platforms & How To Get Started

● Free/Inexpensive Tools To Help You Get Started

● Social Media Is a Group Effort: Responsibilities & Tasks

● Take-aways, Resources & Links

● Conclusion & Questions

Social Media Concepts and Definitions

What is Social Media?The term "social media" refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks

Social Networking vs. Social Media Platforms● Social networking is the act of using various social media related

platforms● Social Media platforms are the tools, online applications and mobile

applications that are used in the act of social networking

Social Media In Higher Education Is Different

Higher Education has:

● A built-in audience: Students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, prospectives, community, friends

● Ideally, a 'known' brand

● You have an organic audience.

Administrative Buy-inNumbers don't lie. Show administrators the market reach of social media. Compare:

● # of followers vs. local newspaper circulation● # of followers vs. peer/sister/other local institutions

In addition:● 50% of social media users say they check social media

platforms first thing in the morning● 2012 Pew study found social networking sites

competing with news for attention of people >25

Administrative Buy-inSocial Media by the numbers:

● Students spent an average of 47 minutes a day on Facebook.

● More than 50% of college students go on a social networking site several times a day

● 94% of first-year college students use social media sites

● 91% of college professors engage in social media as a part of their jobs

● 73% of college students are active on social media and have a social media profile

Administrative Buy-in

Social Media by the numbers:

● 57% of social network users are 18-29 years old● 45% of college students use a social media site/platform to

communicate at least once a day● 82% of college students reported logging into Facebook several

times a day● 66% of students think that using social networking websites help

them communicate with people face-to-face better

Administrative Buy-in

Analytics and reporting can tell you:

● The geographic location of your followers● How they're accessing your content (what type of

mobile device, web browsers, cell phones, tablets, etc.)● How long they stay on your pages and what pages

they look at the most● How popular a specific link is on any given day● How users/viewers search for your information, (search

terms used, how often, etc.)

Administrative Buy-inWhy are these kinds of analytics important? If you know visitors access your social media sites on mobile devices, you know to:

● Keep messages short● Send them to sites that are mobile friendly● Not link to photos that will take forever to download● Use a URL shortener to help with character usage and

for tracking visits● Use the reporting tools to prove ROI for your social

media efforts

Social Media and Administrative Buy-in

Social media is powerful because it offers your institution a tangible way to reach your constituents where they are.

All that for the low, low price of --

FREE

Getting startedSocial media continues to grow, develop and innovate. There are dozens of platforms from which you can choose.

As you're getting started, consider:● Where is your audience i.e. which platform?● What are your campus' strategic goals?● Who, if anyone, should review and approve your social media

platforms, (i.e. run it up the flagpole)?● Do you have to take into consideration federal laws such regarding

FERPA, Accessibility, etc.?● Decide how much time and manpower you have to put behind your

social media efforts and stick to it over the long haul.

Getting startedAdditional items to consider:

● Brush up on your "netiquette," (internet + etiquette) before writing your first tweet, facebook post or creating your first pinboard

● Feed it. Monitor it. Nurture it. If you can't commit the time and resources to it, step back and reconsider alternatives/options

● Recruit, Reuse, Remember● Think about and prepare (as much as you can) for a social media

crisis...IT WILL HAPPEN (sooner or later).

The Value of Strong Content● Seasonal● Calendar of events ● Tonality of voice● Learn what works● Value of live tweeting● Have a soundboard to bounce ideas

Social Media PlatformsAt UNCG -- and today -- we'll feature the Big 4:

Facebook ABC, 123Know the difference between:A) Admin profile vs a business pageB) Cover photo vs avatarC) Posts, shares, comments

Always keep in mind:1) Engagement 2) Content 3) Measure

YouTube ABC, 123Know the difference between:A) Playlists vs channelsB) Bio, avatar, background imageC) Naming, tags, description, category

Always keep in mind:1) The value of SEO2) Length of video3) Analytics4) Share other channels

Twitter ABC, 123Know the difference between:A) Hashtags (#) and Twitter IDs (@)B) Reply, ReTweet, Direct Message

Always keep in mind:1) Appropriate abbreviations2) Key times to Tweet3) URL shorteners4) Create lists to organize followers5) Search power - to find people to follow and trending topics

Pinterest ABC, 123Know the difference between:A) Not as hands on as Twitter or Facebook but important tooB) A board, a pin, a like and a repin

Always keep in mind:1) What images you can and cannotpost on your boards (rights to images)2) Think outside the box. Don't only post images of your campus/faculty/students. 3) Location, location,location: Pinterest is a great way to introduce people to your geographic location. People love pictures.

Connect:UNCG's Social Media Hub

What is a social media hub?A) The central location for all of your official university social media efforts.B) Should have a directory of social media accounts for all official groups, orgs, student groups, sports, etc.C) Should have feeds/streams from main university's social media accounts

Reminders:1) Not a "catch all" for any and everything related to social media2) Keep it organized and clean, user friendly so that its useful for all

ConnectUNCG's Social Media Hub

What is the value of having a social media hub?● Value added for end user● Strength in numbers● Builds social community on campus; fosters desire to "belong"● Growth of Connect - #dsba

Free/Inexpensive Tools To Get You Started

Hootsuite WebApphttp://hootsuite.com

Tweetdeckhttp://tweetdeck.com

Free/Inexpensive Tools To Get You Started

Google Analytics: Reporting, Tracking and Analytics

● Take the time to set up the social media portion of Google Analytics at the same time you sign up and set up your sites in GA

● A lot of social media platforms have somewhat useful reporting and internal analytics

● Compare internal platform analytics to Google Analytics for best overall big picture

Free/Inexpensive Tools To Get You Started

Reporting, Tracking, Analytics

● Collect data, create automated reports to generate at set intervals throughout the month/year for the best and most consistent reporting and data analysis

● Don't be afraid to tweak analytics parameters until you feel your results are matching the day to day on your SM platforms accurately (but don't fudge numbers or generate them artificially - its too easy to prove you wrong to be worth it)

Social Media Is Shared● Share the load, even if it's only two of you

● Let things develop organically; conversate

● Have a dialogue with your campus community and meet regularly to

share the good, the bad and the ugly

● Don't forget about using campus resources to help with prizes,

giveaways and promos

● Report numbers to administrators and your boss on a regular basis;

routinely provide updates and highlights

● Managing+sharing+updates=all equally valuable and important to

enhance successful outcomes

That's it!and

Thank You

Comments? Questions?