4. Measurable
goals set the
foundation for a
strong social
media strategy.
Image Source:
http://2wheelsdown.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/my-first-brick/
5. Goal-Setting
• What do you hope to accomplish?
• What audience to you hope to reach?
• What kind of community do you want to
build?
• What results can you hope to achieve?
• Can these results be quantified?
• How will you know when you’ve been
successful?
6. “ We want UM-Flint’s social networks
to be online communities, where not
only the content—but the experience
itself—reinforces our brand. At the
University of Michigan-Flint,
everyone matters.
7. UM-Flint’s Goals
1. Grow the university’s online communities
within in-use and new social networks.
2. Increase engagement and participation
within these communities.
9. Choosing Channels
• Which social networks will best help you
reach your goals?
• Which is preferred or most-used among your
target audience?
• Which networks will best allow you to
connect with your potential community?
10. Concentrate your
efforts first where
your audience
already lives—
make the
relationship
barrier-free.
Image Source:
http://www.njpsfence.com/
11. Concentrate on
what you can
do well.
Image Source:
http://www.matsugov.us/planning/index.php
12. “ Because the university is already
engaged on Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, Flickr, and Foursquare, we
are not in a position to choose
channels from scratch. Instead, our
choices concern the channels on
which to focus our energy.
13. Find Your Data
• Published research
• Your own research
• Your own experience
• Your established communities
• Your colleagues
15. Content
• How will you communicate?
• What matters to your audience?
• What content is the most engaging?
• How can you best be part of your
community?
• What messaging will help you reach your
goals?
16. “ People like to know what’s
happening on campus, they want to
be able to provide feedback to the
university, and they like to see
themselves and their peers featured
in photos and videos.
17. Find Your Data
• Published research
• Your own research
• Your own experience
• Your established communities
• Your colleagues
18. Find Your Content
• Editorial meetings
• Contacts across your campus
• Content calendar
• Student newspaper
• Other social channels
20. Evaluation
• What metrics will measure your success?
• Is your content reaching your audience?
• Is your messaging effective?
• Is your community engaged?
• Have your goals been reached?
21. “ Our goal is to identify trends for what
works (or doesn’t) over time.
Comparative reports will be compiled
on a quarterly basis.
22. Some Examples
Facebook
• Percentage of growth per quarter in: total likes,
people talking about this, and total reach
• Most and least successful content per quarter using
post-level data categorized by content type
Twitter
• Percentage of growth per quarter in: total followers,
interactions (mentions and retweets)
• Most consumed content per quarter using click-
through and share rates
26. Adaptation
• What is most successful?
• Are you making progress toward your goal?
• Is your goal still relevant to your community?
• Is your community still the same?
• Where can/should you adjust your methods?
27. Your Communities
• Communities build themselves.
• Communities change over time.
• Demographics may change.
• Behavior may change.
29. Resources
• Noel-Levitz Higher Education
• Meet Content Web Professionals
• EDUniverse • uwebd
• FollowEDU • .eduGuru
• BlogHighEd • “The community <3”
• Higher Ed Live
• Link: The Journal of
About MeHow I ended up in my positionHow I landed on this topic I will not be giving you a one-size-fits-all social media strategy. There is no such thing.What I hope to give you today are the tools to build your own strategy based on data and measurable goals.As an example:University of Michigan-Flint.
These quotes are taken from blog posts.
Other ExamplesIncrease attendance at college visit events.Grow alumni ambassador program.
80% of prospective students have a Facebook account (Noel Levitz 2011 E-expectations Report - www.noellevitz.com)9% of prospective students and 5% of parents have Twitter accounts(Noel Levitz 2011 E-expectations Report - www.noellevitz.com)Hypotheticals:Increase attendance at college visit eventsFacebook ad campaign?Twitter? Probably not.Grow alumni ambassador programFacebook page?Facebook group?LinkedIn?
Back to our hypotheticals:Increase attendance at college visit eventsCapture the experience – photos, videosStorify past successesGrow alumni ambassador programShare volunteer opportunitiesCapture the experience – photos, videosInclude them in university community with upatesAlumni profilesMemories