CONNECT WITH ALUMNI
ON FACEBOOK
T
What one social media question
would you like answered today?
Let us know here:
http://bit.ly/schoolsOut
7/10/2012 1

YOUR HOST FOR TODAY
Frank Barry
Internet Strategy,Blackbaud
@franswaa
#BBSOCIAL
7/10/2012 2

SATE OF THE INDUSTRY:
NONPROFIT SOCIAL MEDIA
7/10/2012 3

FACEBOOK UP 30%
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT TODAY
TWITTER UP 81%
www.NonprofitSocialNetworkSurvey.com
9 OUT OF 10 NONPROFITS ARE ON FACEBOOK
Get the INFOGRAPHIC also … http://bit.ly/npsocial
7/10/2012 4

STAFFING? STAFFING ON THE RISE
75% of nonprofit organizations have ¼ or less of an FTE.
75% OF NONPROFITS ALLOCATE ½ FTE
7/10/2012 5

FUNDING GROWS BUT
43% OF NONPROFITS ALLOCATE $0 TO SOCIAL
7/10/2012 6

TOP 3 FACTORS FOR SUCCESS
Strategy. Priority. Staffing.
Strategy Prioritization Staffing
7/10/2012 7

USING FACEBOOK TO
CONNECT WITH ALUMNI
7/10/2012 8

GET “LIKES” FROM
STUDENTS& FAMILIES
Before you can engage alumni on
Facebook you’ve got to build a
relationship with them. The best time
to do this is while they are a student.
7/10/2012 9

INCENTIVES
1. Free exclusive video that can only be viewed if you like us.
• Teachers doing something silly/funny/fun.
• Past students sharing their stories.
• Virtual campus tour.
2. Run a competition. Everyone likes a competition.
• If you like the page you’ll be entered to win _____ !!!
3. Provide enticing high resolution photos.
• Class photos.
• Teacher photos (meet the faculty).
4. Offer “Special” including discounts to Facebook fans.
• Get 10% off your books.
• Get early registration for a semester.
Advertise what your doing from the first time you interact with
a prospective student all the way through their graduation.
7/10/2012 10

BUILD YOUR EdgeRank
Make sure your Facebook fans see you post
and engage with you on a regular basis. If
you don’t, the chances of you effectively
reaching them once they’ve graduated is far
less.
7/10/2012 11

A FEW FACTS ABOUTEDGERANK
• Most posts reach roughly 17% of your fans.
• Post typically lives for about 3 hours..
7/10/2012 12

BUILDING EDGERANK RELIES ON 3 THINGS
• Increasing Affinity - Actions such as
Commenting, Liking, Sharing, Clicking, and Viewing will increase a
fan’s Affinity with your school. Focusing on increasing the number of
interactions fans have with you.
• Building Weight – Comments have a higher value than a Like. Likes
have a higher value than a view. Focus on getting fans to take higher
value actions.
– Content type: Videos > Photos > Status Updates >Links
– Engagement type: Shares > Comments > Likes >Clicks > Views
• Optimize for Time Decay – The older the post the less valuable it is.
Keep your schools page fresh with interesting new content, but don’t
over do it.
http://edgerankchecker.com | http://pagelever.com
7/10/2012 13

WHEN SHOULD I POST?
Fan engagement is 8% greater on Wednesday’s
Research by: http://www.buddymedia.com/
7/10/2012 14

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I POST?
Posting 1-2 times per day produces 40% higher engagement.
Research by: http://www.buddymedia.com/
7/10/2012 15

HOW LONG SHOULD MY POSTS BE?
Posts with80 characters or less receive 66% higher engagement.
Research by: http://www.buddymedia.com/
7/10/2012 16

WHAT TYPES OF POSTS PERFORM BEST?[VIDS]
7/10/2012 17

WHAT TYPES OF POSTS PERFORM BEST? [PICS]
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WHAT TYPES OF POSTS PERFORM BEST? [QUESTIONS]
• Fill in the blank (I graduated from ___ in ___)
• Yes or no (Have you ever taken English with Mrs. Smith: Yes or No)
• True of false (True of False: I secretly
love Chemistry)
• Questions about where alumni have
gone?
- Where are you working now?
- What College are you attending?
7/10/2012 19

WHAT TYPES OF POSTS PERFORM BEST? [ASKS]
• Like this if you…
• Comment if you…
• Give us your suggestion/opinion on…
• Tell us how much you loved the…
Pro Tip: Use the status tagging feature as much as possible.
7/10/2012 20

WHAT TYPES OF POSTS PERFORM BEST?[MISSION]
7/10/2012 21

WHAT TYPES OF POSTS PERFORM BEST?[TIMELY]
7/10/2012 22

CREATE VIRAL
STATUS UPDATES
Everyone wants to “go viral”, but
it’s a very difficult thing to do.
7/10/2012 23

CLASS PHOTOS / TAGGING
Pro Tip: Tag every person in the photo.
7/10/2012 24

MEMES
A meme is an idea or behavior that spreads through a culture by
imitation. Internet memes follow this principle, humorous images are
copied and re-captioned, concisely describing or satirizing the activity of
an individual or group.
http://mashable.com/2012/02/17/college-memes-humor/
7/10/2012 25

MEMES
http://mashable.com/2012/02/17/college-memes-humor/
7/10/2012 26

MEMES
http://mashable.com/2012/02/17/college-memes-humor/
7/10/2012 27

FOCUS ON USER
GENERATED CONTENT
Facebook is a great way for students and
alumni to stay connected. Do everything
you can to foster those connections on your
fan page.
7/10/2012 28

GET YOUR STUDENTS, ALUMI AND FAMILIES SHARING
• Pictures (the key is to have them tag friends/family):
- Of them selves in their school apparel.
- With classmates.
- Interesting/unique/famous spots on campus (with them in it).
- Working on projects.
- On class trips.
• Videos:
- From graduation.
- Sharing what they loved about going to school at your institution.
• Polls:
- Ask poll questions using the poll features.
- Gather the results and share with the group.
Pro Tip: Make sure to respond, engage, and treat those
interactions as if someone approaching you on campus.
7/10/2012 29

LEVERAGE EVENTS
Class reunions, local meetups, networking events
and more are all opportunities for you to engage
your students, families and alumni.
7/10/2012 30

REUNIONS, LOCAL MEETUPS, NETWORKING, ETC…
• Engage current
fans (students/alum)
• Spread through the
network
• Provide updates
• Share photo’s,
videos, stories, etc
** all this activity
shows up in fans
timelines improving
edgerank.
7/10/2012 31

10 BEST PRACTICE TIPS FOR FACEBOOK PUBLISHING
1. Keep Your Posts Short
2. Post Photos, Videos and Quotes
3. Post Consistently
4. Ask for your Fans Opinions
5. Ask Questions (true/false, fill in the blank, yes/no,
6. Try Posting “Fill in the Blank” Posts
7. Give Fans Access to Exclusive Information
8. Reward your Fans with Deals and Perks
9. Be Timely
10.Localize your Posts if they are Relevant to a Specific
Audience
7/10/2012 32

WE’VE GOT MORE SOCIAL GOODNESS FOR YOU!
7/10/2012 33

Thank you!
Let’s keep the conversation going…
frank.barry@blackbaud.com
twitter.com/franswaa
Social Influencers Whitepaper Social Network Benchmark
bit.ly/npoSocialArchetype Report bit.ly/npsocial
7/10/2012 34

Questions?
NetWitsThinkTank.com | Blackbaud.com/k12
7/10/2012 35