Social media can empower students through active participation and harnessing collective intelligence if implemented correctly. The document recommends establishing SMART goals, auditing current social media presence, and developing a content strategy. It provides steps for creating a strategy, including defining goals aligned with programs, inventorying current profiles, listening to feedback, engaging audiences, and measuring metrics. Templates and a content calendar can help streamline the process. FERPA allows sharing of directory information on social media.

1. Likes, Hearts & Tweets:
Empowering students with active
participation by harnessing the
collective intelligence of social
media.
April Holder
@apeholder
TRiO ETS Advisor
Grand Valley State University

2. Active participation:
Social media encourages voluntary participation and new interactions. If
created and nourished correctly, social media can empower students.
E.g. Twitter
Pew Research Center: “Twitter News Consumers: Young, Mobile &
Educated”
Preparing students to competently navigate & positively influence our
changing world

3. Collective intelligence:
The important thing about social media is the real people who use it and
their social interactions
Social media is supposed to be a dialogue, not a monolog

4. What
is social media?

5. Social media is a
conversation supported
by online tools
- Jara, Parra & Skarmeta, “Participative marketing: Extending social media marketing
though the identification and interaction capabilities form the internet of things.”

6. What is social media?
Others:
Signal Vine
See “The Hechinger
Report: can u fix education
w/ txts?”
Vine
Platform to share short
videos

7. The Big Two
FACEBOOK TWITTER
Most common platform among teens
and parents
Two in five (39%) African-American teens
& 23% white teens use Twitter2
Post pictures & text, without limit Post pictures & text, with 140 character
limit
Schedule statues Scheduled tweets with free software3
Directly connect with students & parents Directly connect with community
members, pass on news
Hashtags Hashtags, RT, Favorites
Free page metrics (statistics) Search hashtags

8. What social media
platforms would you
consider including in your
social media strategy?

9. Why
social media?

10. Why social media?
Better connections with students
Better connections with community partners
Better connections with parents
Brand reputation
Simplify knowledge gathering
Davis, K. (22014, August 26). The Real Generation Gap: How Adults and Teens Use Social Media
Differently (Infographic). Retrieved April 7, 2015, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/228029
Bennett, S. (2014, April 2). 67% Of Americans Use Social Media (With One In Six Active On Twitter)
[STUDY]. Retrieved April 7, 2015, from http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/social-media-
america/497615?red=at

11. Why social media?
Better connections with students
Better connections with community partners
Better connections with parents
Brand reputation
Simplify knowledge gathering

12. Why social media?
Better connections with students
Better connections with community
partners
Better connections with parents
Brand reputation
Simplify knowledge gathering
Nonprofits attribute their social
media success to:
41%
Developing a
detailed social
media strategy
37%
Having executive
management
make social
media a priority
28%
Dedicating a
current or new
position
specifically to
social media
Doresy, P. (2013, March 13). Fundraisers & Giving: The Power of One. Retrieved from
http://blog.abila.com/the-power-of-one/

13. Why social media?
Better connections with students
Better connections with community partners
Better connections with parents
Brand reputation
Simplify knowledge gathering
Davis, K. (22014, August 26). The Real Generation Gap: How Adults and Teens Use Social Media
Differently (Infographic). Retrieved April 7, 2015, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/228029

14. Why social media?
Better connections with students
Better connections with community partners
Better connections with parents
Brand reputation
Simplify knowledge gathering

15. Why social media?
Better connections with students
Better connections with community partners
Better connections with parents
Brand reputation
Simplify knowledge gathering

16. Why is developing a social
media strategy necessary
to reach out to the
students you serve?

17. How?
How do I create a social media strategy?

18. Steps:
1. Establish SMART Goals
2. Audit your social presence
3. Develop a content strategy
The broad rules of social media
1. Use helpful templates to streamline process

19. Establish SMART goals
Align with program goals
PROGRAM GOALS SOCIAL GOALS
Program awareness Social reach (shares, retweets)
Thought leadership (intriguing,
innovative & inspiring)
Respect & collaboration
Recruitment Actions
Services Platform for conversation

20. Audit your social presence
Inventory all profiles representing your program.

22. How?
Rule #1: Listen
Stop thinking campaigns, start thinking conversations
Mobile platform a possibility?
Gain Feedback – Are students engaged?
Google Alerts
Ask for help if you need it

23. Further Exploration
The Hechinger Report: can u fix education w/ txts?
How To Create A Social Media Marketing Plan In 6 Steps
On a lighter note: Welcome to college… I’ll be your guide
@apeholder
@MichiganCAPP

24. How?
Rule #2: Engage
Create content that’s shareable
Update content often
Downloads
Use catchy headlines

25. How?
Rule #3: Measure
Audience, engagement, loyalty, influence, action
Metrics should always map goals. Period.

26. Develop a Content Strategy
Bridging where you are to where you want to be:
Define original content your program will create and post
e.g. program updates, events
Define type of contact you will share
e.g. scholarship opportunities, FAFSA updates,
education current events
define frequency of posts by platform
X channels/ X times of day

27. Useful Hootesuite templates to save
you hours of work:
Find them here: http://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-templates/
My recommendations:
1. Social Media Strategy Template
2. Social Media Audit Template
3. Editorial Calendar Template
4. Social Profile Image Sizes

28. How do you want to implement this
strategy?
Keep in mind,
Time
Budget
Motivation
Delegate?
TRY: Social Media Content Calendar

29. A few words about FERPA
SM are communication tools and are no different than the telephone or email
when it comes to how we apply FERPA.
FERPA allows directory information to be disclosed without permission
Name
Email
Class
Major Field of study
Honors and awards
You are expected to notify parents (if student is under 18) annually about
releasing directory information.

30. Citations
1: King, D. L. (2015). Why use social media? Library Technology Reports, 51(1), 6-9,2. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/1646465090?accountid=3947
2: Mary, M. (2013, May 21). Teens, Social Media, and Privacy. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from
http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy/
3: Try futuretweets.com. It’s free software that allows you to schedule singular or recurring tweets.
4: Thought Leaders: Insights on the future of business by Joel Kurtzman
5: Stop Using FERPA as a Social Media Banhammer November 22, 2011 - 8:28pm By Eric Stoller