March 7, 2013

How Higher Ed Can Use Social Media to Attract More Students

Mar. 7, 2013 at 09:00 AM | By Joanna Schwarz | Comment Count

Institutions use a variety of marketing channels such as print and online advertising to attract new students, but more and more of them are ‘getting social’ to boost student engagement. Social media gives institutions a unique opportunity to provide prospective students with a real feel for the university — an insight into life on campus; the university's culture and values; and its expectations of students. Social Media and Student Recruitment

Studies concerning online technologies continue to report the growth of social media. Each released in 2012, Nielsen’s State of the Media report in the United States and Sensis Australia’s Yellow Social Media Report found that social media use is increasing year by year (in Australia, for instance, more than 60 per cent of web users use social media).

But how does all that social activity translate to increased college enrolments? The 2012 Social Admissions Report, conducted last August, offers a snapshot of more than 7000 US students’ impressions of the relationship between social media and their college research process. The report found that almost 70 per cent of students have used social media to research colleges, with close to 40 per cent using social media when deciding where to enroll. (Read 4 MORE Ways Higher Ed Can Get Social)

How can institutions use social media effectively?

Sociagility’s 2012 study, The Transatlantic University Divide, which ranked Harvard University as the most effective social media institution across the US and UK, put forward a five-step approach to improving social media use: getting the basics right, developing a clear strategy, choosing the right channels, focusing on the right things and benchmarking and measuring success.

Institutions that use this approach are able to provide a more personal level of engagement and better illustrate their unique value proposition. Below are some of the best-practice approaches that can be utilised on the following networks.

3 Ways Institutions Can ‘Get Social’

Facebook: It’s safe to say that most social media users are active on Facebook — a huge plus for institutions because it means that a large portion of their audience is at their fingertips. A great example is Donate for Real Change, a campaign run by Queensland University of Technology in late 2010, which asked students to ‘donate’ ideas in order for the university to donate to Oxfam Australia. The initiative saw the university donate $20,000 while promoting its science and technology courses. Users were asked to ‘like’ ideas posted on the Facebook page, which successfully engaged current and prospective students alike.
Twitter: Although Twitter does lack some of the interactive features of Facebook, it can be used in more creative ways. Some ideas include running virtual information sessions, perhaps assigning a hashtag for prospective students to use when asking questions, or running a competition, which can be as simple as asking users to retweet to enter.
YouTube: While YouTube is a great marketing tool for institutions, it is often under-used. There’s no harm in posting videos of campus tours or guest lectures, but it’s worth thinking beyond the basics. Student testimonials are a great idea — whether they are with fresh first-year students describing their experiences during their first week, current students talking about their course or with graduates reminiscing about their experiences and what they most enjoyed during their time on campus. YouTube is also the place to have fun. Central Institute of Technology’s It’s a Snap campaign is a great example (though perhaps not for the squeamish, so you’ve been warned!).