This document provides tips for creating effective Facebook pages for universities and other organizations. It recommends defining goals for the page, choosing a page type, regularly adding engaging content like videos and events, experimenting to learn what content resonates best with your audience, and continuously monitoring insights, links, traffic, and conversations to improve performance over time. The key messages are that social media is now a mainstream way to communicate, content is king, and an organization's Facebook presence should complement its overall communications strategy.

1. Facebook pages that work
Liz McCarthy
Bodleian Libraries
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2. Liz McCarthy
@mccarthy_liz
@bodleianlibs
www.facebook.com/bodleianlibraries
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3. So, what’s it all about?
2004 - Launched @ Harvard, then to universities in the us
2006 - extended to General Public - including brands
2012 - 1 billion users
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4. Join the Crowd
University of Oxford | University College | Trinity
College | English Faculty Library | OUP | Said
Business School Admissions | Music Faculty Events |
Botanic Gardens and Harcourt Arboretum | PPE |
Bodleian Libraries | Ashmolean | Faculty of Law |
oxford alumni | Oxford English Dictionary | Oxford
University Student Union | Centre for Hindu sTudies
Most importantly…
Students | potential students | researchers
press | funders | alumni 4

5. SOCIAL MEDIA ISN’T CUTTING EDGE
ANYMORE
IT’S JUST PART OF HOW WE
COMMUNICATE
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6. YOU ALREADY HAVE AN ONLINE
BRAND
OWN IT
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7. So, you think you want to use
Facebook?
Don’t panic
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8. FIRST THINK ABOUT WHY
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9. Define and articulate your goals
Interact with online audience
Boost awareness
Drive traffic
Learn about your community
Share information
??
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10. HOW DOES IT FIT WITH OTHER
COMMUNICATIONS?
Email
Printed material
Face-to-Face
Broadcast
Websites
??
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11. SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
VS
COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
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12. THE HOW
Create a page
Add info and photos
Make your timeline interesting
Add great content
Monitor
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13. THE HOW
Create a page
Add info and photos
Make your timeline interesting
Add great content
Monitor
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14. Choose your type
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15. THE HOW
• Create a page
• Add info and photos
• Make your timeline interesting
• Add great content
• Monitor
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16. MAKE IT DO SOME WORK
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17. THE HOW
Create a page
Add info and photos
Make your timeline interesting
Add great content
Monitor
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18. MILESTONES
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19. THE HOW
Create a page
Add info and photos
Make your timeline interesting
Add great content
Monitor
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20. CONTENT IS KING
WATCH YOUR AUDIENCE
WHAT DO THEY POST?
WHAT DO THEY RESPOND TO?
WHEN ARE THEY ONLINE?
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21. DON’T ASSUME
FACEBOOK ISN’T TWITTER
IT’S NOT YOUR WEBSITE
ADJUST YOUR CONTENT
EXPERIMENT AND TEST
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22. QUESTIONS TO ASK
DOES IT FIT WITH YOUR GOALS?
IS IT UP TO DATE?
DOES IT OFFER VALUE TO YOUR AUDIENCE?
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23. EDGERANK
AFFINITY - RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN USER AND
STORY (ONE WAY)
WEIGHT - BASED ON KINDS OF REACTIONS (PHOTOS,
VIDEOS, LINKS RANK HIGHEST)
RECENCY - NEWER > OLDER
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24. VIDEOS
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25. PRESENTATIONS & RESEARCH
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26. EVENTS
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27. CAMPAIGNS
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28. OTHER IDEAS?
CROWDSOURCE ASK
PHOTOS QUESTIONS
ANSWER
QUESTIONS
GIVE YOUR AUDIENCE CONTESTS, QUIZZES,
THE ‘INSIDE STORY’ AND GAMES
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29. SET SOME GROUND RULES
DO YOU HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY?
• ALLOW AND ENCOURAGE DEBATE
• DON’T CENSOR COMMENTS – UNLESS
OFFENSIVE/SPAM
• BE TRANSPARENT
• RESPECT THE LAW
• REMEMBER YOU’RE REPRESENTING YOUR
ORGANISATION
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30. THE HOW
CREATE A PAGE
ADD INFO AND PHOTOS
MAKE YOUR TIMELINE INTERESTING
ADD GREAT CONTENT
MONITOR
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31. MONITOR: INSIGHTS
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32. MONITOR MORE: LINKS
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33. KEEP MONITORING: WEBSITE
TRAFFIC
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34. MONITOR EVEN MORE:
CONVERSATIONS
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35. AND FINALLY…
IT’S A CONVERSATION, AND IT’S
CONSTANTLY CHANGING
REMEMBER IT’S ONLY ONE PART OF HOW
YOU COMMUNICATE
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