From admissions to alumni, your university’s entire network is somewhere on social media. Check out these great ways to engage students every step of the way, wherever they are.
Build Excitement For Future Freshmen
Many colleges send out admit packets to high school seniors who have accepted admission, and showcasing everything from a sign to a box of swag is part of the social media conversation. Texas State University features the #TXSTnext hashtag on their Instagram highlights and encourages incoming students to show off their new spirit gear.
Let’s Hear From the Student Section
The student is the center of everything universities do, and prospective students and parents want to see what student life is like. Include students in the social media conversation with hashtags (especially on Instagram and TikTok), amplify the best student-created content, and even recruit students to do a “social media takeover” for a day to showcase what they love most about your school. Boston University has a great guide for successful student takeovers.
Have A Deep Bench
Having a single person in charge of creating social media content can keep things consistent, but it also limits the well of creativity you have at your disposal. Giving several trusted people access to publish to your social media accounts helps to reflect the diverse voices that are part of your university. Using a tool like SND to manage your social media accounts means that you always know who’s publishing, and never have to share a password.
Class Is In Session
Your educators can help create bite-sized content to share on social media in the form of a short-form video, infographic or meme about a subject they’re passionate about. Dr. Raymond Hall from Fresno State University, better known as @physicsfun on Instagram, channels mini physics lessons into visually captivating videos.
Assistant professor Anthony Chibba at McMaster University connects with his chemistry students via Instagram. He’s even got two accounts: @mcmaster_genchem for first-year students, and @mcmaster_orgochem for students in his Organic Chemistry class. His accounts are a great mix of memes, interesting facts about chemistry and history, and reminders for his classes about exams and other need-to-know info.
Keep Alumni Connected
School spirit doesn’t stop at graduation, of course – so make alumni part of the conversation. Whether they’ve just crossed the stage or have been cheering you on for decades, your alumni are on every social media platform. Use a consistent hashtag everywhere so alumni know where to find each other.
You might consider asking recent graduates to share content on Instagram for current and prospective students to find, and encouraging your alumni in the workforce to engage on LinkedIn to foster connections. Even something as simple as an Alumni Roll Call on Facebook can help keep your former students engaged in what’s happening at the university. (It worked on me – TLU ’02!)
SND has many ways to bolster your school’s social media strategy, from publishing and engagement to reporting and security. Get in touch with our team to learn more!
