This document discusses how college presidents are using social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and Instagram to promote their institutions. It provides examples of how presidents at various colleges engage with students, alumni, and other constituencies on social media to share news, events, and issues in higher education. The document emphasizes that an active social media presence helps presidents build their personal brands and connect with broader audiences in order to promote their institutions. It also stresses the importance of authenticity and consistency across social media platforms to effectively engage communities.
3. Presidents and social media
•“From private liberal arts campuses such as
Amherst College to sprawling public institutions
like Kansas State University, a limited but
growing number of presidents are using social
media to offer their take on the day's events, to
promote campus successes and to cite people
from their own faculty experts to the Dalai
Lama.”
4. •“With so much of society's conversation
occurring through social media, it's not
surprising those campus leaders have joined
in… If they're using it in the right manner,
one could argue that it is increasing that
institution's social currency among its
constituents, including existing and potential
students.”
•George Potts, vice president for social media with
Brunner, a Pittsburgh advertising agency
5.
6. Santa’s Advice
•What I'm trying to do is build community. Connecting and
communicating is really essential to building the brand.”
•“Social media really doesn't take that much time. I tend to
use it mostly in the evenings before bedtime and in
between meetings.”
•“I generate 99 percent of my tweets, but I get some help
on a small percentage related to university events and
initiatives.”
7. •“Authenticity is the soul of the thing. As a college’s
chief cheerleader, it makes good sense for a
president to trumpet institutional successes or shine
a light on deserving people and programs.”
•Twitter also enables me to connect with several
hundred prospective students each year.
•For those of us in the connectivity business, Twitter
can indeed be a powerful tool for broadening our
reach and deepening our base. What do you have to
lose?
11. SHIFT by Peter Arnell
•Branding is a way of establishing who we are. It allows us
to be part of something larger than ourselves.
•“My philosophy is to make the product so robust in
appearance, attitude, personality, and spirit that the
competition can’t copy it.” -- Arnell
•Examples: Oprah, Martha Stewart, Lady Gaga, Will.i.am.,
Kim Kardashian
12.
13. Kardashian Strategies
•Have a Unique Selling Proposition
•Leverage your network
•Define your brand
•Embrace your fans
•Partner with successful people
18. 2005: How I Use
•Share campus events, news
•Inform about important higher education issues
•Think about it as your opportunity to be a reporter
•Target Audiences
•Alumni
•Parents
•Foundations
23. 2007: How I Use
•Share pictures from campus events, news
•Share media coverage about the college
•Share higher education news stories
•Share interesting pop culture stories
•Target Audiences
•Students & Potential students
•Higher Ed influences
•Alumni
•Parents
26. 2008: How I Use
•Share campus news
•Promote campus events
•Inform about important higher education issues
•Networking
•Target Audiences
•Campus community
•Higher education influencers
•Potential funders
•Broader community
27.
28. •“By building an active and influential
presence on Twitter, you can build a
significant community of personal and
professional contacts.”
•“It turns out that tweets have a much
greater reach through traditional media
distribution such as print publications,
radio, and TV.”
31. Ways to build profile
•Choose the right handle
•Your name
•Your personal brand name
•Your institution’s name– mixed feelings
•Profile Image- use a headshot
•Create compelling bio
•Link back to your blog/ landing page
32.
33. Build Unified Social Media Platform
•@HipHopPrez
•Twitter
•Instagram
•Medium Blog
•Periscope
•Snapchat
•Walter M Kimbrough
•Facebook
•LinkedIn
67. Other Platforms
•LinkedIn- great place to share stories
•Periscope- live video option (although Facebook
& Instagram are major players)
•Snapchat- haven’t found a use for me…
69. Lots of opportunities
•Interviews- Radio (include web-based), TV,
Newspaper, Web publications
•Google Hang Outs
•Editorials
•Twitter Chats
70. Have to make it easy for media
•Develop expertise on a subject matter
•Start by writing articles (editorials, scholarly, etc.)
•Be active on social media-use to publicize the work
•The Media will find you- but you must respond in
Internet Time
72. Homework!
1. Audit your social media accounts- handles, bios,
profile pictures, etc.
2. Explore one new angle for social media use
3. Commit to writing at least one editorial in the
next 6 months
