This document discusses building a university brand ambassador program through social media influencers. It provides examples of social media programs at other universities and outlines the benefits of using social executives and influencer marketing. The document then details Georgia State University's brand ambassador program called "The State Way", which identifies influencers on campus, provides them exclusive app access to university content, and has resulted in over 500 social media posts reaching over 4 million people.

1. July 24, 2018
Help Me, Help You - Building a
University Brand Ambassador Program

2. Introductions
Rob Fougner
Field Account Executive
Hootsuite
@RobFougner
Terry Coniglio
Director of Content Strategy
Georgia State University
@TMConiglio

3. There is not just a shift in technology
but also a fundamental cultural shift

5. Social Executives

6. “Embracing social media isn’t just a bit of fun, it’s a
vital way to communicate, keep your ear to the ground
and improve your business.”
- Sir Richard Branson

7. Join the conversation using #HootFinServ
Michael Crow
President
Arizona State University
Twitter

8. Join the conversation using #HootFinServ
Santa J Ono
President
University of British Columbia
Twitter

9. Join the conversation using #HootFinServ
Neville G. Pinto
President
University of Cincinnati
Twitter

10. Benefits of
Social Executives
● Shows innovation
● Humanizes your University and gives it
personality
● Provides an alternative platform to
communicate with employees and
students
● Shows University values and helps attract
top talent
● Builds better relationships with media
● Provides filter-free insight directly from
students and target audience

11. Challenges
● Not enough time
● Uncomfortable with transparency
● Greater risk
● Resistance to change
● Mistakes are magnified
● Unfamiliar with how to use social
media

12. ● Define goals
● Identify influencers
● Audit existing presence
● Access social & technology
skillset
● Build strategy
● Execute
● Analyze
Getting Started

13. Brand
Ambassadors
#TheStateWay

14. The State Way
We’re changing….
The face of higher ed.
The student experience.
The city of Atlanta.

15. Our Proof Points
4th
Most Innovative
University
(U.S. News and World
Report, 2017)
252%
Increase in
Research Funding
Over the Last Six
Years
#8
Best
Undergraduate
Teaching in the U.S.
(Tied with Stanford)
(U.S. News and World
Report, 2017)
#1
In Georgia
Degrees Conferred
to Minorities
#14
Most Diverse
University in the U.S.
(U.S. News and World
Report, 2015)
Largest in Georgia
More than 50,000
Students
$2.45 Billion
Annual Economic
Impact in Georgia
(University System of
Georgia)
22 Percentage
Points
Increase in graduation
rate over 10 years

16. Atlanta Research The Classroom Student
Success
Pillars of The State Way

17. Atlanta
We’re a driver
of growth and
development
in Atlanta and
across the
state.

18. Research
Our faculty
scholars are
changing the
ways people
see the world.

19. In the Classroom
We’re using
adaptive
learning software
to track how
students are
doing in real
time.

20. Student Success
We’ve proven
students from all
backgrounds
can succeed at
the same levels.

21. Bill Gates,
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
“Other colleges and
universities have a lot to
learn from Georgia State
University…[but] if the data
and examples don’t
convince visitors that what
GSU is doing is special,
meeting its students will.
Sitting down with a group of
undergraduates and recent
graduates was the most
inspiring part of my visit.”

22. National Story

23. Local Story

24. Two Initiatives

25. Executing #TheStateWay
We’re doing it
#TheStateWay

26. Restructured our team
Story Idea
Editorial
Visual
Distribution
Story Posted Analytics

27. Home page content shift
We needed to…
• Put our audience needs first
• Use the content efficiently
• Make data driven decisions

28. New Homepage Content
• Identity Messages
• User needs
• Admissions
Current content focuses on:

29. Telling Our Story
http://thestateway.gsu.edu
http://success.gsu.edu
http://news.gsu.edu

30. External Awareness Campaign
BillboardsDigital Ads
Delivered 50 million impressions among prospective students and parents, and
members of the business community.

31. Social media can’t
only be 100% of
one person’s job.
Organic Reach Decreasing
https://bonseyjaden.com/
It has to be 1% of
everyone’s job.

32. What is Influencer Marketing?

33. • 70% of millennial consumers
are influenced by the
recommendations of their
peers in buying decisions.
• 30% of consumers are more
likely to buy a product
recommended by a non-
celebrity blogger.
• Men are 2X more likely than
women to be influenced by
blog reviews while shopping
in stores.
Stats Around Influencer Marketing
Source: Collective Bias - Nationwide Survey Reveal Millennials Prefer
“Peer” Endorsement to those of Celebrities

34. People trust
their own
networks
over brands
TrustTrust
Using our community
Builds the
university’s
and your
professional
reputation
Reputation
We want to
provide
content to
those who
will find
value in it
Quality

35. Example
This conference resulted in:
• Increased traffic to the
page by over 500%.
• Average time on page
doubled.
• Increased unique user
views on page by 69%.

36. We are making it easy to share
• Exclusive app for
Georgia State
Influencers
• Direct access to content
that matters each
audience
• Easy format to share on
personal social media
accounts

37. Content Strategy in AmplifyContentSources
• News Hub
• Media
• Users
Targeting
• Topic
• Role
Influencers
• Senior
Leadership
• Faculty
• Staff
• Alumni
• High School
Guidance
Counselors
• Students

38. Content Example

39. Launch Timeline
MarchBeta JuneSenior
Leadership AugustCampus-
Wide JanuaryParty

40. Results
• Over 500 posts
• Over 4,000 shares and 4.2 million connections
• Top five driver of traffic to our news
• Increased average time on page by 16 seconds

41. “This tool makes it easy to share Georgia State content on my
LinkedIn page and connect with followers. As an influencer, I
am reaching thousands more people to help tell the
university’s story.”
Mark Becker, Georgia State University President
Examples From Senior Leaders

42. Questions?