Navigating social media marketing can be complex, but for managing a university account, focusing on a few key strategies can make a significant difference. Implement these tips to enhance engagement with your target audience and make the most of your social media presence.
Here are eight effective social media strategies for universities.
1. Highlight Your School
Social media is a platform where people showcase the highlights of their lives, and your university should leverage this too.
From showcasing groundbreaking research in your biochemistry department to capturing stunning photos of sunrise over your football stadium, use your posts to highlight the most impressive and visually appealing aspects of your institution.
2. Stream Events Live
When exciting events are happening on your campus, take advantage of social media to showcase them in real-time. Live streaming allows you to share the event directly with your audience, whether you choose to broadcast the entire event or just highlight key moments.
You can opt for a casual approach with a smartphone or go for a more polished look with professional equipment. Either way, streaming events like swim team competitions or marching band performances can entice prospective students to attend future events or even consider enrolling at your university.
3. Maintain Separate Accounts
For larger universities, managing a single social media account for everything can lead to confusion and clutter. Since different departments and organizations within your university have distinct interests and updates, it’s often more effective to create separate accounts for each.
For instance, Auburn University maintains a main Twitter account for general updates but also runs individual accounts for various departments and groups, such as Parking Services and the marching band. This approach helps keep content relevant and organized, catering to the specific interests of different audiences.
Having separate accounts allows users to quickly access the information they need. For example, if someone is looking for parking information, they can head directly to the Parking Services account rather than sifting through posts on the marching band’s page. This organization ensures that users find relevant updates more efficiently.
4. Ensure Brand Consistency
Leveraging social media effectively means presenting a unified brand image. While the content for your basketball and fine arts pages may differ, the overall voice and messaging should remain consistent with your university’s identity.
If multiple team members are responsible for managing the same account, they should all adhere to a unified tone and style. Developing a style guide can help maintain this consistency by specifying rules for language use, emojis, and formatting. This approach ensures that every social media post aligns with your university’s branding, creating a cohesive and recognizable presence across all platforms.
5. Leverage User-Generated Content
Your social media strategy doesn’t need to rely solely on content created by your institution. Encourage students, alumni, and followers to generate their own content that highlights your university by utilizing hashtags and other engagement tools.
For instance, if you’re promoting a football game, invite attendees to share their experiences on social media and tag your athletics department. You might even feature their posts on your university’s official channels or the event’s videoboard, creating a sense of community and increasing visibility.
6. Tailor Content to Platform Strengths
Utilizing various social media platforms is beneficial for universities, but it’s crucial to adapt your content to fit each platform’s unique strengths and audience. Each platform serves different purposes and caters to distinct user preferences.
For instance, while a detailed update might work well as a single post on Facebook, you could break it into shorter messages or share a link to the full content on Twitter. Developing a tailored approach for each platform will ensure that your content resonates effectively with your audience and maximizes engagement.
7. Foster Engagement with Your Audience
Building a sense of connection is key for universities, as prospective students seek a community, and alumni want to stay connected with their alma mater. To create and nurture this connection, actively engage with your audience on social media.
Respond to comments on your posts, acknowledge and interact with user-generated content, and address any questions or feedback promptly. By fostering genuine engagement, you can enhance relationships and strengthen the sense of community around your university.
8. Share Alerts
In addition to maintaining separate accounts for various aspects of university life, consider having a dedicated account for safety alerts. This account can be crucial for quickly informing students about emergencies on campus.
Since many students are active on social media, posting urgent updates there is an effective way to reach them swiftly. For example, Baylor University has a specialized Twitter account called “Baylor Alert” that provides timely notifications about potential dangers and campus safety issues.
It’s also wise to regularly test these accounts to ensure they are functioning properly.