170 likes | 261 Views
USING SOCIAL MEDIA to CONNECT WITH PROSPECTIVE AND ADMITTED STUDENTS. research.
E N D
USING SOCIAL MEDIA to CONNECT WITH PROSPECTIVE AND ADMITTED STUDENTS
research • Noel-Levitz, OmniUpdate, CollegeWeekLive, and NRCCUA® (National Research Center for College & University Admissions) conducted a survey of 2,000 college-bound juniors and seniors about their expectations for college Web sites, mobile usage, e-mail, and social media.
here’s what they said about social media: • Forty-six percent have visited a college’s Facebook page; 69 percent of those “liked” a college’s page. • Compared to the 2011 E-Expectations results, Facebook use remained consistent. However, YouTube use rose from 55 percent to 62 percent, while Twitter jumped from 9 percent to 27 percent. Forty-four percent of African American students said they used Twitter, considerably more than other ethnic groups, while 35 percent of upper-income students said they used Twitter at least once per week.
what students expected to find on facebook: • Information about admissions deadlines and events (36 percent) • Information about academic programs (34 percent) • Updates through the news feed (30 percent) • The name of the school to appear in their “likes” (30 percent) • Special information unavailable elsewhere (26 percent) • Interaction with page administrators (26 percent)
additional statistics • Contact from school about admission (26 percent) • Photos and videos (25 percent) • Interaction with other people who like the page (21 percent) • Posts to share (20 percent) • Specific information tailored to the user’s profile (18 percent)
top five most popular channels for social media as of august 2012 • Facebook • Twitter • Linkedin • Myspace • Google+
WHAT IS THE PREFERRED SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK FOR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES? • According to a 2010 study by cappex.com, the social media tool that college admission officers use most frequently is... Facebook!!! • The underlying reason is simple: Facebook is the primary tool admission officers explore because of its overwhelming popularity among prospective students. • Facebook fan pages are used to reach three key audiences: prospects, enrolled students, and alumni.
pac-12 schools using facebook for admissions • Oregon State University • University of Arizona-https://www.facebook.com/uaadmissions • University of Colorado-Boulder • https://www.facebook.com/MyCUBoulder • University of California-Berkeley • University of Oregon-https://www.facebook.com/uoadmissions
Other utah schools... • Brigham Young University • https://www.facebook.com/byuadmissions • Utah State University • https://www.facebook.com/USUAdmissions
current social media being used by the u: • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube • Vimeo • Flickr • Blogs (RedThread) • http://social.utah.edu
FACEBOOK IS THE BEST SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNEL FOR THE OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH.
the plan • Assign an employee within the Office of Admissions to be the Facebook page administrator. • Each Friday, plan the next week’s items that need to be posted. In addition, create a posting calendar to ensure items are posted on time and accurately. Be in touch with colleges and departments who may wish to post their information on our page. Don’t keep the Friday deadline a secret. • Post items such as deadlines, in and out-of-state recruitment events (Bringing the U to You), and appropriate campus news and events.
and more... • Start with one person to oversee the Facebook page and see how well it is responded to. If the page sees a modest increase in traffic, assign additional persons to assist with page activities. • Page maintenance shouldn’t take precedence over regular job assignments. • If the Facebook page is a success, we can look into using other social media networks such as Twitter and Google+.
helpful suggestions • Be interactive. When someone asks a question about admissions don’t keep them waiting too long for an answer. • Engage your audience. Post content that appeals to prospective and enrolled students.
Additional page content • Photos of campus events such as orientation, first day of school, Utes football games, geek week, etc. • Photos of Salt Lake City and vicinity • Student and alumni success stories
what to avoid: • Bland content • Outdated verbiage • Intermingling of other social media channels.
ONE FINAL THOUGHT: • Make it a fun and informative page for prospective and enrolled students.