Universities are working hard to harness the power of social media to help lure in prospective students and to build school spirit among current students. The number of schools from the survey sample who reported using social media has grown from 61% to 100% in just four years. Clearly, college admissions and public relations staff have discovered that Facebook is an efficient, cost-effective way to not only reach students, but also parents, friends, and family members who hold sway in the college decision-making process.
A recent article on Mashable.com outlines the seven top ways that schools are utilizing Facebook. The strategies range from basic alumni group pages and dedicated groups for admitted students to pages for the school mascot and downloads of wallpapers and decals. The University of Kentucky has gone as far as planting giant wooden symbols on campus that look like the Facebook place markers to encourage people to check in at various campus locations.
Many of the techniques that the schools are using are easily translatable into other business settings. Arts organizations, for example, could certainly utilize the virtual tour programming to create exciting 360˚ tours of their venues to help patrons navigate the venues upon arrival or to show the view from the stage, or other vantage points that the typical audience member never gets to see. As always, it all boils down to getting people engaged and interacting with you through social media networks.
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