Most higher education institutions recognize the importance of employing social media monitoring to listen to what stakeholders are saying.
That’s just one of the many insights from the latest Survey of Social Media in Advancement, sponsored by CASE, Huron Education and Stoner. Other research and case studies show that many higher education institutions effectively use social media listening to identify safety threats, boost enrollment, manage the institution’s reputation and improve student life.
Benefits of Social Media Listening
Listening to comments of current students can help schools improve their campuses and student life, including campus food services, social activities, athletic events and other services and facilities. Through social media monitoring, the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), one of Spain’s top technical universities, pays close attention to what type of information students request and what issues they raise. It provides information and resolves issues quickly.
“Ninety-three percent of our students would choose to study again at this university if given the choice of starting their degree over again,” Daniel Robles, UPV’s Digital Communication Specialist, told Hootsuite.
In most cases, a social media monitoring service can provide more comprehensive social media coverage at lower cost than a college using its own personnel. An outsourced service can also adapt readily to changing client needs and an expanding social media environment.
What the Leading Schools Do
In addition to using social media to listen to what stakeholders are saying, higher education institutions that identify themselves as successful in social media share several characteristics, according to the research. As explained by eCampus News, they:
Boost posts with advertising. Because of declining organic reach, more higher education institutions purchase advertising to boost certain posts. Institutions are selective about what they boost: 68 percent boost no more than 1 in 5 Facebook posts, which drops to 1 in 10 for Twitter. The advertising significantly increases the post’s impressions at relatively low cost.
Customize content tospecificaudiences. Institutions increasingly tend to customize content to specific audiences. Some institutions used 12 versions of a single post to reach recent students who had not opened emails.
Focus on Visually Oriented Channels. Last year’s study reported that institutions focused on more social channels than previously, while use of blogs declined noticeably. Colleges and universities also posted more often to different channels. Institutions still post to many channels this year, but use more visual-heavy components than ever. The survey reveals that 65 percent of respondents in higher education use Instagram, up from 54 percent in 2015; and 15 percent use Snapchat, up from 5 percent.
Stress engagement over fundraising. Last year, the survey noted that more colleges and universities used social media for fundraising, especially crowdfunding. This year, respondents identified connecting with new audiences as one of the most important uses of social media: 45 percent said the strategy convinces institutional leaders to invest in social media. “In general, respondents emphasize the value of connecting with new audiences over the ability to raise money using social media,” the report states.
Bottom Line: New research reveals techniques higher education intuitions employ to gain the most benefits from social media. Growing trends include boosting posts through advertising, creating customized content and listening to stakeholders through social media monitoring.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
