University social media presence? Yes. Effective? No.

Key points from the latest study on social media use in higher ed from the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachussets Dartmouth (results derived from 456 interviews conducted from November 2010 to May 2011 among a representative sample of 4-year institutions in the US) :

• 100% of colleges and universities now use some form of social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogging, videoblogging,  message boards, podcasts, Foursquare, MySpace, LinkedIn or YouTube)
• Facebook is the most widely used by institutions. Only 2% of sample were not present on this social network.
• YouTube follows with an adoption rate of 86%, followed closely by Twitter with 84% and blogging with 66%.

Seems promising, but it is important to realize that mere use/adoption of social media by higher educational institutions is not enough. It’s more important to examine the underlying purpose behind having a social media presence in order to effectively measure success and reevaluate strategic goals.

Here are some interesting points regarding this issue made by Karine Joly at collegewebeditor.com:

“A closer look at the results of two other recent studies, namely the 2011 E-expectations Study from Noel-Levitz and the State of Web and Social Media Analytics in Higher Education I conducted for Higher Ed Experts, raises several questions about the very rosy picture painted by the study of social media use in admissions offices.

• When only 9% of prospective students and 5% of their parents have a Twitter account according to the Noel-Levitz survey, how can 72% of the institutions see Twitter as a successful channel?
• When 66% (a 15-point increase from the previous year) of admissions offices use blogs and three-quarters of students and parents said they never or only rarely looked at college blogs, how good can be the social media strategy of the admissions office?
• If 95% of admissions offices pat themselves on the back when they are asked to evaluate the success of their efforts on Facebook yet only 49% of the institutions – according to the Higher Ed Experts study – track Facebook activity, what does FB success look like for almost half the institutions?”

Joly raises great points. I recently completed a content analysis of my grad school’s Twitter page (for my thesis) and found roughly 90% of tweets were about an event called Popcorn Friday at school. University social media presence? Yes. Effective? No.

Memorable College Applications submitted via Twitter

The University of Iowa’s Tippie School of Management’s recently launched a pilot program called the “application tweet” in an effort to use the social media tool Twitter to attract applicants. The business school asked applicants to explain, in a tweet of 140 characters or less, their qualifications for admission into the school.

The school announced the winner of the contest, John Yates, 33, from Houston, Texas. Not only was Yates’ application a tweet, but it was also a haiku, a  form of Japanese poetry that usually consists of 17 syllables arranged in a pattern of five, seven, then five syllables.

His tweet read:
“Globally minded (5)
Innovative and driven (7)
Tippie can sharpen (5)”

The school received 58 tweet applications, and eight were accepted for admission. Other memorable tweets from this initiative:

“10 yrs as top corporate atty, know my deals, have plenty of stories but tired of staring blankly @ financials. Time to upgrade @TippieMBAIowa.” (Michael Thompson of Iowa City, Iowa)

“All that Twitters is not Gold yet Everything under the Sun can be Sold. ‘Twas either This (Behold!!) or Twenty-Four Ounces from my Billfold.” (Aaron Honore of Yonkers, NY)

“Experience in 3 markets: China, Mexico and India. Passion in 2 fields: Operations and Finance. Ready for 1 MBA: Tippie. http://ow.ly/5Q4xT.” (Ryan Jennings)

In the present world of business and marketing, social media proficiency is practically mandatory, so it will be interesting to see how this initiative will influence other MBA schools. Tweet applications probably won’t become the norm, but an increase in social media courses and concentrations will likely become a standard component in MBA programs in the near future.

Social Media Marketing more common at Universities than Businesses

Photo via Flickr by EvaSan under (CC BY-NC 2.0) License

According to a study by Virgin Media Business, universities in the United Kingdom are embracing social media use and even surpassing businesses in the use of social media to connect with potential customers (students).

From eWEEK Europe UK:

“Of the top 50 universities 72 percent have official Facebook pages and 94 percent have official Twitter accounts, whereas just 35 percent of businesses are using social-media to engage with customers and recruit new staff, according to the report.”

Aside from Facebook and Twitter, the study named several other social media platforms that are becoming increasingly common as official university communication channels: YouTube, FourSquare and Flickr are gaining popularity because of lecture video possibilities, photo-sharing opportunities, and check-in capabilities. With so many 18-24-year-olds engaged on various social networks, social media continues to be a powerful, cost-effective and direct route to a university’s target market.

University Regulation of Social Media Use? University of Florida takes a Stand

The University of Florida’s Office of Human Resources recently released a document that outlines federal, state and university regulations relevant to social media use, according to a recent article in The Independent Florida Alligator.

The document, which has been in the making for over a year, defines social media as including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, Flickr, and even text messages.

Regulations include the following:

• IF the use of social media outside of work represents an individual as a member of the university community, then the guidelines must apply.
• If social media is used to share opinions and activities that are not associated with the university, the conditions must be clearly indicated.

The reason for the tightened regulations include concern over the accidental release of student and applicant records via social media, which would violate both legal and ethical standards according to Janine Sikes, director of UF public affairs. She also stated that this a reminder of best practices.

Reinforcement?

If the guidelines are violated, individuals are only subject to the repercussions that already exist under federal, state or university regulation.Will this be effective enough to encourage individuals to abide by the university’s social media policy? Should social media use be regulated in this way?

Universities are scrambling to create comprehensive social media policies- some already have extensive outlines such as the ever-evolving the Social Media Guideline Wiki at the University of Texas. However, the questions regarding proper regulation, individual rights, and best practices for university use of social media are ongoing issues for universities. It will be interesting to see how university social media policies develop and adapt over the next few years as social media increasingly becomes an integral part of daily life.

Considering a job in Social Media?

According to a recent article on Boston.com by Dave Carpenter of the Associated Press, social media is one of the fastest growing job sectors:

“Social media strategist: The field is starting to take off. Recent college graduates have the edge as employers seek members of the younger generation to help target that demographic.

Outsiders may titter at “Twitter consultant,’’ but it’s a valued role for people who are knowledgeable about social media, adept at evaluating options and able to map out a customized social media plan for a company. The pay isn’t bad either. While many of the jobs available to college students or new grads are internships, the average salary for social media jobs is $55,000, according to Simply Hired, a search engine company that compiles jobs databases.”

Sounds great, right? To get a job doing what you do while avoiding work? Not quite.

Don’t think that the work of a social media strategist is nothing but Facebook status updates and Tweeting. I’ve been lucky enough to work under a professional digital marketing strategist, and I’ve learned that there’s a lot of work involved.

It takes more than just knowledge; social media strategy requires a keen mind, the ability to analyze and effectively evaluate the needs of a client, and an eagerness to keep up with ever-evolving trends of social media marketing. Not only do you have to know Facebook and Twitter, but you also need to be aware of how other aspects of digital marketing such as website development, web design, content creation, SEO, PPC, syndication, consistent online branding, and much more, work holistically to produce the most effective outcome for a client.

Furthermore, you also have to know how to work within a given budget and be able to clearly explain what you’re doing and why to people with varying degrees of social media knowledge.

Social media strategy as a career is not for the faint of heart, but if it’s one you’re considering, make sure you’re willing to invest in a lifetime of learning.

Tips for University use of Social Media

Social Media and University Internal Communications

The Guardian recently published a thought-provoking article on the best practices for university use of social media in internal communications. Tracy Playle, a communications consultant and director of Pickle Jar Communications who previously did work producing and updating content for a university intranet, shared her advice:

“In workshops and at conference presentations I stress over and over the importance of putting the why before the how, and not the other way around.”

This same idea can be applied to the university use of social media to communicate with students.

Tips for University use of Social Media

• OBJECTIVE. Have a clear objective that drives, justifies, and explains the existence of your presence on a social network. Is there a better way to communicate? Who are you trying to reach? Why will they tune in? Are you just doing this because it’s what other universities are doing?
• CULTURE. Research how  various members in your university culture already understand and use social media. How often do they interact online? What is their behavior? Do they comment on other pages or remain inactive? Share links and videos? Create their own content? Use this as a starting point to determine what you should be doing.

How to Build a Brand and Develop your Presence Online

Your Presence Online

By now, we all (hopefully) know not to publish embarrassing photos of ourselves online, but how do you go about planting the positive information of yourself, the stuff that you DO want people to know, out there?

Most people don’t have the time nor the interest to spend hours online setting up profiles, joining social networks, developing and maintaining a website, blogging, Tweeting, etc. just to establish an online presence.

So, here are a few basic steps you can take to quickly develop a positive presence online with minimal investment and low upkeep.

Build a Brand First

Before you go out publishing info about yourself online, decide on the specifics of what you want that information to be.

1.) Define what you do by thinking narrow and deep instead of broad and all-encompassing. It’s the difference between:

• I am a pianist OR
• I am a piano accompanist for three upper-level, audition-only university choirs at Jane Doe University and the accompanist for the adult choir at John Doe Church.

2.) Decide on what sets you apart from the crowd. What makes you and your work unique? Think about things including but not limited to places you’ve lived or visited, your cultural background, your education, and specific events that illustrate your value.

• I am good with people OR
• I hold a master’s degree in piano performance and have traveled to

3.) Choose an image that puts a face to your name and, if possible, to your work.

• Not-so-good: Picture of you at a Christmas party
• Pretty Good: Head shot
• Better: Professional head shot
• Best: A professional image that portrays you and your “brand” or work. Something that showcases what you do. Example- If you are a pianist, a photo of you at the piano (make sure your face is visible).

Now that you’ve decided on what you want the Internet to know, start planting that information online with the following steps.

Start Small

1.) Join ONE social network that ranks high in Google searches.

•  I suggest a professional/business social network like Linked In, Viadeo, or Xing- your profile on one of these networks will come up either first or very high in Google when someone searches for your name.
• I recommend Linked In and other business networks as opposed to Facebook because it’s easier to avoid mixing your personal family/friends with your professional online brand on a business social network than it is on a generic social network like Facebook.

2.) Join a second network where people in your industry tend to be. This will require a little research, but it will ensure that your online brand is seen by those most relevant and interested in your cause.

3.) Avoid Twitter. Twitter ranks high in Google searches if you have one, but answer these questions first to see if it’s the right thing for you:

• Do you have time to learn all the ins and outs of Twitter (using hashtags, RTs, DM etiquette, @mentions, etc.)?
• Do you have time to check on it hourly and update at least a few times daily?
• Can you produce several 140-character messages of useful information in a day?
• Are you willing to download a social media dashboard like Tweetdeck to manage your account?

If you answered “no” to any of those (or you didn’t know what the heck I was talking about), then just don’t bother with Twitter. It’s not useful to your brand unless you’re willing to do all of the above things.

4.) Don’t join every social network out there.

• It’s too much to keep track of.
• Making a profile and then abandoning it doesn’t paint you in the best light.
• Concentrating on learning and mastering the rules of communication on just one or two social networks will allow you to maximize its usefulness and build a recognizable brand.

Using Social Media Properly

1.) Fill out your profile completely and make sure to add a photo.

2.) Be social. Invite/connect with others AND look at their work/leave comments on their pages. Reciprocity is big in social media.

3.) But keep it genuine. Don’t go on random people’s pages leaving the same comment everywhere just because you want a lot of connections. If you want to build a brand and a positive presence online: start small, keep it real, and interact with those who care about and can genuinely use the knowledge or service you have to offer.