If you give a school a Snapchat…
In order to increase student discussion and brand recognition, universities across the nation are broadening their horizons by incorporating social media marketing into their communication plans.
However, these universities are learning that their need for strong social media marketing goes beyond the classic Facebook and Twitter account activity. In order to have a strong social media presence, university communicators must tap into new social media sites to increase intercommunication with students.
Recently, colleges have begun using Snapchat, allowing university communicators to reach their students in a quick and entertaining fashion. According to Mashable, “more than three-quarters of college students — 77%, in fact — use Snapchat at least once per day.” Therefore, a key way to reach their target audience is utilizing Snapchat stories and filters.
A prime example of a university communicating with their students over Snapchat is the University of Florida’s President W. Kent Fuchs Snapchat Takeover. During his takeover, President Fuchs takes his followers through daily presidential responsibilities, interacts with students and attends campus events.
Why is UF’s Snapchat Takeover important?
There are two main takeaways from the UF Snapchat Takeover.
First, not only is this a creative way to communicate with students, the president’s usage of Snapchat shows that he values communication with his students and key stakeholders.
PR is most efficient when it works hand-in-hand with an executive team and that is seen here. President Fuchs not only shows his ability to adapt to constantly changing trends such as Snapchat, he makes it clear that the students at the University of Florida are important to him.
Second, when communicating with key audiences over social media, university communicators have to keep the information up-to-date and fluid.
While pre-scheduling programs such as Hootsuite are very helpful and should be utilized in managing tweets and Facebook posts, people should not depend on them solely to communicate. PR professionals should get out of the office, utilize Snapchat or Facebook Live and provide their audience with live, authentic material.
Tips for universities using social media
Tip 1 – The more the merrier: College campuses should not limit themselves to one social media outlet. According to Forbes’s The Top 10 Benefits of Social Media Marketing, “Every opportunity you have to syndicate your content and increase your visibility is valuable. Your social media networks are just new channels for your brand’s voice and content.” Individual colleges, schools and even on-campus organizations should utilize social media marketing.
Tip 2 – Stay on brand: Be sure that all content put on social media and sent out with the university’s name is on brand. Create a styleguide for campus communicators that outlines brand graphics and written material shared on social media. For an example, check out Auburn University’s Styleguide.
Tip 3 – It’s all about the students: Sharing personal stories of students and their success is vital for any university social media handle. This not only attracts future students, it increases intercommunication with students because they can connect personally with the stories.
More Information
For more information on Social Media Marketing, visit Forbes Top 10 Benefits of Social Media Marketing.