This document discusses the six pillars of developing an effective social media strategy: goals, voice, guidelines & policies, content, listening, and measurement. It provides examples and recommendations for each pillar. The goals of a social media program should support existing institutional goals like branding, customer service, and recruiting. Voice guidelines define the tone, intention, formality and identity used. Policies ensure consistent service and adherence to communication standards. Content involves curating and creating engaging posts. Listening on platforms like Twitter is important for opportunities. Measurement gauges progress towards goals and identifies areas for improvement.

1. Crafting A
Social Media
Strategy
Liz Gross
November 9, 2015
Penn State Social Media Summit

2. Goals
Voice
Guidelines & Policies
Content
Listening
Measurement
Six Pillars of Social Strategy

3. Goals
Voice
Guidelines & Policies
Content
Listening
Measurement
Six Pillars of Social Strategy

4. What is your social
media program trying to
accomplish?

5. Social media goals should support
already existing goals
• Furthering the brand
• Providing customer service
• Recruiting students
• Selling tickets

6. If you struggle to relate
your goal to your
institution, just keep
asking “WHY?”

7. Goals
Voice
Guidelines & Policies
Content
Listening
Measurement
Six Pillars of Social Strategy

8. Do you have written
voice guidelines?
Are they helpful?

9. Four Components of Voice
• Tone
• Intention
• Formality
• Identity

10. “Ohio State is an
institution, but should not
feel ‘institutional’ on
social media; we are
friendly, conversational
and down to earth, just
like Ohio State itself.”
Source: http://ucom.osu.edu/resources/social-media.html

11. “We maintain a
conversational and polite
tone, and only comment
on topics we can
confidently discuss with
complete accuracy.”
Source: Internal Documents

12. “Inspired
goofiness.”
Source: Social Media Breakfast Madison, March 2011

13. Goals
Voice
Guidelines & Policies
Content
Listening
Measurement
Six Pillars of Social Strategy

14. Who has a social media
policy?
Why do you have it?

15. Why have policies & guidelines
• Provide consistent service/presence
• Ensure adherence to other
communication policies that apply to
social
• Ease in staffing transitions

16. 4 Documents I Recommend
• Social media strategic overview
• Content planning and publishing
• Performing social media monitoring
• Performing social media administrator
tasks

17. Goals
Voice
Guidelines & Policies
Content
Listening
Measurement
Six Pillars of Social Strategy

18. How do you approach
content development?

19. If you struggle to relate
your goal to your
institution, just keep
asking “WHY?”
Curation
Creation

20. Why curate?
• It’s how the internet works
• Establishes you as an authority/
thought leader
• Provide the best possible content at all
times to your community

21. Curation Considerations
• Is it on message?
• Is it appropriate?
• Are there concerns with affiliation?
• Can you attribute authorship?
• Is the source credible?

22. Content Creation Considerations
• Resources
• Framework

23. Topic Examples Percent of
Content
Leadership Education Articles about how to become a better leader, campus
events that develop leadership skills
20%
Leadership Opportunities Announcements of paid and unpaid opportunities on
campus and in the community
20%
Inspiration Stories about campus and community leaders, quotes
related to leadership
20%
Engaging Future Leaders Posts that encourage discussion amongst students and staff
about topics related to leadership
20%
Campus Life Inside look into campus leadership (profiles of staff
members, photos from events and meetings, videos about
student experiences)
10%
Promotion General promotion of campus events 10%

24. Content Creation Considerations
• Resources
• Framework
• Editorial Calendar

25. Goals
Voice
Guidelines & Policies
Content
Listening
Measurement
Six Pillars of Social Strategy

26. What type of social
listening are you doing?

27. If you choose not to
actively listen, you are
guaranteed to miss
opportunities

31. You MUST listen on Twitter
• Tweetdeck
• Hootsuite
• search.twitter.com
– Use the advanced search

32. More Complex Listening
• Paid Solutions
– Brandwatch, Crimson Hexagon,
Synthesio, Sysomos, Cision
• Boolean Searches
– “Penn State” NOT football NOT athletics
NOT lions

33. Boolean Overload
(“great lakes educational loan” OR “great
lakes higher education” OR “mygreatlakes”)
OR (“great lakes” AND “borrow*” OR
“servicer” OR “student loan*” OR “defer*”
OR “forbearance” OR “repay*” or
#studentloan*”)

34. Goals
Voice
Guidelines & Policies
Content
Listening
Measurement
Six Pillars of Social Strategy

35. What do your
measurement plans look
like?

36. Does measurement
impact how you do your
work?

37. Do senior administrators
understand what you are
measuring?

38. Why Measure
• Gauge progress toward your goal
• Identify opportunities for improvement
• Make the case for needed resources

39. You will NOT get
everything you need
from in-platform
analytics

40. Add Website Analytics to Social
Media Measurement Plans
• Identify social sources of traffic
• Connect a click on social to subsequent
website activity
• Measure assisted conversions
• Add value to goal completions

41. If you struggle to
determine what to
measure, just keep
asking “HOW?”

42. Shameless Plug

43. www.higheredexperts.com/smmhe

44. Goals
Voice
Guidelines & Policies
Content
Listening
Measurement
Six Pillars of Social Strategy