Higher Education Needs Social Media Optimization
July 27th, 2010Using Social Media for Higher Education Marketing
Today we are constantly told that Twitter and Facebook can be good for business. At first glance, this statement can be mind-boggling . The posts that seem to get the most attention are the ones getting pro athletes in trouble with their teams, or regurgitating celebrities’ breakfast menus for their fans . Yet it’s nonetheless true that social media postings can help your establishment’s marketing—including higher education marketing. Social media is a vital role player in today’s higher education marketing; along with tools such as engaging web design for schools, your postings can help develop and strengthen networks and relationships.
When incorporated with web design into your total online strategy, social media optimization presents legitmate opportunities and benefit for any company . Here’s a list of social media tips : hard and fast reasons to start incorporating these – and other – online social networks into your higher education marketing.
1. It’s the fastest , easiest and cheapest way to get the word out about your higher education programs and campus life. Facebook and Twitter help the people looking for you find you; they also help those people and your organization connect with contacts in related fields. For promoting events, your school’s blog, website, and social media are a innate(p) segment of your higher education marketing communication efforts. When using social media, try to redact your information in terms of newsworthiness, rather than as an advertisement . Share and educate, versus sell.
2. Ask any great sales and marketing professional and he or she will tell you success is achieved by building relationships . Social media is all about that. It’s easy to commence the proverbial ‘conversation’ with prospects and influencers through the interactive simplicity and immediacy afforded by Facebook, Twitter and other networks. You may even spawn your own networks that, with utilization of Web 2.0 technology and an up-to-date content management system, are becoming increasingly simple to start and manage .
3. Social media is a great way to test ideas and get feedback on a wide variety of topics. Ask for opinions; conduct surveys; get a discussion thread going ; ask and answer questions: all helpful ways to begin a dialog with prospects, faculty, staff and associates. You may not be an expert on a topic, but if you can answer someone’s question or point them to a resolve, you are positioning yourself respectfully as an authority. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. Some great synergy can be spawned when people help each other.
4. Don’t leave the social graces of online social networking. With the shorthand, abbreviated, 140-character pace at which much online communication moves, it’s wise not to lose track of plain ol’ common sense and business etiquette. Yes, the line separating our personal and business lives is getting grayer by the moment, but don’t get lazy and forget to follow up or extend courtesies when they need to be extended – which is more often than not.
5. Last tip: Keep it up. Like any content on the web, if it’s not fresh and consistent , i it will receive little attention .
Factor these basic strategies into your online higher education marketing efforts and, along with appealing web design, you’ll start creating greater value with a ’social media optimized’ web strategy.