Here are three metrics your college should be tracking through Facebook Insights:

1. People Talking About This

This is one of Facebook’s new metrics for Facebook pages. The number, which is visible to the public, is pulled from a variety of interactions that occur on Facebook in the past seven days and is refreshed daily. It’s a good indicator of how much conversation your college’s Facebook page is generating on Facebook. It’s also a good way to measure the content your page is posting and how to generate more conversations around your page on Facebook.

The interactions that make up the “People Talking About This” metric are any stories (previously referred to as posts) that users share in their timeline (formerly referred to as their wall):

• “Liking” a page

• Posting to a page’s wall

• “Liking,” commenting on, or sharing a page post, photo, photo album, or video

• Answering a Question posted by your page

• Mentioning your Facebook page in a status update

• RSVPing to an event created by your page

• Tagging your page in a photo

• Checking into your college on Facebook

In your Insights dashboard you’ll see a percentage increase or decrease next to the current number, allowing you to compare this week’s engagement against last week’s statistics. Engagement is the most critical metric you can track, since the goal is the have a thriving Facebook community to give prospects a positive experience with your college.

2. Engaged Users

On your Insights dashboard you will find Engaged Users under the Page Post information. The Engaged Users metric shows you how your audience interacts with your posts by tracking actual clicks. Facebook only tracks this information for 28 days, so remember that when you’re looking over this data.

This information can be used to create more engaging posts. An important thing to keep in mind is your target audience. What do they want to see from you? What benefit do they get by “liking” your college’s page on Facebook? If your fans aren’t interacting with your posts then you more than likely aren’t solving their problems and posting content that is specific to them.

3. External References

External Referrers tracks how many times people visited your Facebook page from an external site during a select date range. It’s important for your school to know where people are finding them online. The reason this is so important is because Facebook allows for conversations and relationship building, stuff that you can’t do on a regular website.

Are you finding these metrics helpful for your college’s Facebook page? If so, have you made any changes recently based on statistics you’ve seen?

-Lauren

Check out the tips below on how to optimize your college’s Twitter presence:

1. Consistent handle and account name

You Twitter handle, which is your username, should be the name of your college or something pretty close to it (if the name of your college has been taken). It should also match other usernames your college has across all social media platforms. Your Twitter handle and account name are attached to all of your tweets, which is why it’s crucial that they reflect your college’s website and all other social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, etc.). Remember, usernames can only be 16 characters long. In the image below you will notice that our company name, Effective Student Marketing, had to be shortened. If your college’s name is too long, it will need to be shortened as well. Our Twitter handle, @EffectiveSM, also matches our account name.

2. Interesting bio

This section should describe why people should follow your college on Twitter. Include mission type statements, but remember to keep it short and simple since you only get 160 characters.

3. Consistent profile image and background

Your profile image is connected to all tweets that come from your account, which is why it’s important to use either your school’s logo or the profile image you’re using across the board. It is important to stay consistent, especially because it adds validity to your school’s account.

Your Twitter background should be creative, but also offer information to the end user. This is a good area to list the campus locations or programs offered by your college. Don’t get too sale-sy though – people are not on Twitter to be sold to! By doing this you are giving prospects an experience and feel for your college.

4. Use relevant and search engine friendly keywords

Before I go any further I want to point out again that people are not on Twitter to be sold to! That being said, people do enjoy relevant content. Know your target audience and speak to them, making their experience with your college unique. Your keywords can be the programs you offer, but don’t just tweet about enrolling in these programs. It is essential to provide content that the user can benefit from. If you have graduate success stories or even student spotlight stories those will work great! Remember to use #hashtags, too!

Conversations on Twitter are quick and to the point, but with so many users out there it’s important your school does everything it can to be found by its target audience and heard. How is your college optimizing its Twitter presence? Comment below and let us know!

-Lauren

By opening up the dialog on your college’s Facebook page you’re showing off its unique personality for the outside world to see. Having students and graduates write blog posts about their experiences encourages engagement (having your school’s marketing department and/or marketing agency interview these students and graduates and write the posts for them is great, too).

Here’s why this is all important: Let’s say Sally is debating between school X and school Y to become a Medical Assistant. School X has an interactive Facebook page, with a lot of student and graduate engagement. School Y has a Facebook presence, but that’s about it. Sally just cannot make up her mind about which school to attend, so she decides to go to Facebook for help.

Sally goes to School X’s Facebook page first. There she sees all the photos and videos from around campus, student spotlight stories, and graduate success stories. She comes across a Medical Assistant’s student spotlight story and decides to leave a comment, asking the student about her experience in the Medical Assistant program. The student responds within minutes letting Sally know how wonderful the teachers are and how much she is learning. Other happy students also chime in and encourage Sally to enroll! Sally even gets a private message from a staff member at the school offering to assist her with anything regarding enrollment.

To be fair, Sally then visits School Y’s Facebook page. She scrolls through the content and can’t really find anything worth commenting on, so she leaves a general wall post asking Medical Assistant students about their experiences. Sally waits… and waits… and never actually receives an answer.

Which school do you think Sally enrolled in? Yes, that’s right – School X! School X posted content that portrayed its personality. This content was real and engaged everyone on the page. Like I stated above, it’s not enough to have pretty brochures and a glamorous website. You must be attempting to interact with students, graduates, and prospects with every Facebook post, Tweet, YouTube video, and blog post. Engagement is what sells your school to prospective students.

Does your school have unique ways for engaging students, graduates, and prospects? Let us know!

-Lauren

- It’s important to differentiate your brand or school. Successful brands find the genius in their negatives.
- Write the most interesting thing in the employment section of your Google+ profile. This is what people first see and judge you on.
- The future of websites is personalized search engines. The content will be completely targeted and segmented based on the individual
- The sales process has shifted. Consumers have more knowledge and do a lot of research before purchasing or deciding where to attend school.

Stay tuned for more… We still have a lot to write about!

-Lauren

What are QR Codes?

QR codes are two-dimensional bar codes which present a series of squares within squares. QR codes allow for more information to be captured and conveyed by users by scanning them with cameras or applications on just about every smartphone manufactured today.

Why Your School Needs to Care About QR Codes

Smartphones have rapidly been replacing traditional cell phones, meaning the internet is becoming a larger part of our lives than ever before. For those 30 years old or younger, it already has. When was the last time you were with a Millennial that didn’t have their smartphone in hand and their eyes glued to it? Researchers at the Nielson Company report that by the end of 2011, 50 percent of mobile phones bought will be smartphones. Your school’s marketing department needs to take notice, because once again, communication methods are shifting!

Using QR Codes to Build Relationships with Your College Community

QR codes are a great way to build relationships with your students, graduates, and prospects. They’re also another way to promote and continue building your school’s online community. Here are a few ways your school can incorporate QR codes into already existing marketing efforts:

• Include QR codes on direct mail pieces, leading prospects to a form or your school’s website

• Engagement campaigns, such as contests, trivia questions, and scavenger hunts

• Virtual open houses

• Promote on campus events such as open houses, job fairs, class starts, etc.

• Stay in touch with your alumni by directing them to a form or upcoming events

• Promote your college’s Facebook page(s), Twitter account(s), YouTube channel, and LinkedIn group/subgroups

• On class/program syllabuses  (credit goes to our Twitter friend, @KeethInk)

Is your school using QR codes? If so, how? Do you find that your audience is using them? Let us know!

-Lauren

1. Create a “Welcome Back” event page
Do you hold some kind of “welcome back” event for your students? It could be as simple as a “First Day of Class” event reminder. Create a Facebook event and encourage students to RSVP via social media. It’s a great way to jumpstart the year and spark some engagement.

2. Share photos from the first day of class
Head into each classroom and snap some photos of your campus on the first day of classes this fall. Your students will love to see their photos on Facebook later and your prospects will see what to expect at school.

3. Post encouraging status updates and open-ended questions
Starting school can feel like a daunting task for many students. Post encouraging messages and share important information that they may need through social media updates. Open-ended questions like “How is the first week of class going for everyone?” or “What was your favorite part of school this week?” will get your fans talking.

4. Get returning students and graduates to engage.
Your returning students and recent graduates may feel left out of all the “back to school” buzz. Get them to engage by posting questions and updates that ask for them to share their experiences and advice with new students. It can help them form new friendships and build a stronger community.

5. Tell new students about your social media sites
As a new batch of students begins classes this fall, be sure to remind them about your school’s social media sites. They may not realize that you have a Facebook page or Twitter account. Add an announcement to the agenda on the first day of class to help spread the word on campus.

- Cassie

Your marketing department today should be thinking of different ways it can build assets. Important assets to build upon are a blog for your school, social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, opt-in email lists, and search engine optimization (SEO). Social media is one piece of the big picture and to be successful in the end, all of the pieces need to come together.

The Bigger Picture

The number of “likes” on your Facebook page is beginning to replace links that help your school show up in search engine results. Yes, that means exactly what you’re thinking… the number of “likes” on your page does matter! Don’t run out the door and go crazy on brainstorming ideas on driving your number of page “likes” up just yet though. Always remember, it’s about quality, not quantity. In order to get quality page “likes,” please take another glance at the picture above. Students, graduates, faculty, and staff may be searching for your school somewhere online, but if you aren’t producing optimized content then what do you think the odds are that your school is going to show up? That is unless a user is finding your school directly (typing in your school’s URL), but you can’t always depend on that.

This process is even more important when dealing with prospects/leads. If your school is producing content rich blog posts about programs offered, posting this content to Facebook and other appropriate platforms, then this certainly boosts your school’s chances of being found in an online search. In fact, companies that blog receive 55% more website visitors than companies that don’t blog.* If that didn’t catch your attention, then maybe this will: Companies that blog have 79% more Twitter followers than companies that don’t blog.*

-Lauren

*Source: Mike Volpe, VP of Marketing at Hubspot

It’s great if your school has a Facebook page, but what about Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn? How often are you updating each of these sites? If your school’s social media presence is beyond the beginner level – that’s great! But now you’re probably figuring out that you need some help managing all of these multiple channels.

Can you imagine what would happen if you gave everyone in your department administration rights, without giving them some sort of direction first? Scary thought, isn’t it?

With several voices speaking on your school’s behalf, it’s a good idea to have a policy in place to guide them. This will help create a consistent message for your school, protect your online reputation, and avoid potential problems down the road.

Here are some tips to simplify the process of managing your school’s social sites:

1.) Take an inventory of all of your school’s social sites. It’s up to you to know where your school stands online.

2.) Next, you’ll want to decide who else on your team should have administrator status. These people will be the ones posting content to the sites. Remember that each individual voice is representing your school and your brand, so choose wisely.

3.) Create guidelines for the types of content that should be posted to each social site. There are various social sites, each with its own unique features, so you’ll need to decided what to post and where. Videos, photos, events, and other content should all be posted to their respective place.

4.) With so many hands in the figurative social media cookie jar, you’re going to need to simplify the process. That’s why it’s a good idea to map out an approval process. Appoint one person to decide what makes the cut and what doesn’t.

5.) Finally, you need to continually monitor all of these social media platforms several times a day. Questions and comments should be responded to promptly, courteously, and with additional information if warranted.

Even with a social media policy in place, you may find the task of managing your social sites to be overwhelming. The marketing department at your school may not have the resources to do the job full-time, even with policy and procedures in place. And not managing these sites on a daily basis can damage your school’s online reputation and ultimately affect your school’s lead flow.

An agency can help you manage all of this daily activity and come up with a more focused strategy for your social media efforts. Effective Student Marketing specializes in monitoring, measuring, and promoting your school’s social media sites, in order to create an active and engaged online community for your school.

-Jennifer

Worldwide email accounts…

1989 | 1.8 million

1996 | 100 million

2010 | 3 billion

From 2009 to 2010, email use by…

• Seniors increased by 28%

• Teens decreased by 59%

Some interesting facts…

• The average businessperson sends 33 emails each day.

• 89% of emails are spam, the majority of which are pharmaceutical promotions.

• In 1985, 90% of all emails were business related. Today, just 8% are business related.

In 2010, there were…

• 107 trillion emails deployed

• 170 billion pieces of mail sent

• 36 billion photos shared on Facebook

• 25 billion tweets posted to Twitter

Users on…

Facebook:

2004 | 1 million

2010 | 600 million

AOL:

2004 | 23 million

2010 | 4 million

Takeaway…

Social media is not a fad. A platform that is popular today might not be tomorrow, but only because a bigger and better site came along! The way we communicate is changing on a daily basis, and these statistics prove just that!

Source: Fast Company

-Lauren

Nearly a third people who conduct online research will outright eliminate a prospect based upon what they find online; selecting a school is no different than conducting consumer research on a new car.  Many prospective students approach their school selection in the same manner as any other big ticket purchase – by hitting the web.

College review sites are plentiful on the web and more and more are popping up all of the time. Sites such as CollegeProwler.com, StudentReviews.com and GuidetoCareerEducation.com as well as Yahoo Local and Yelp can help sway a prospective student one way or another.  One disgruntled former student or employee looking to tarnish a school’s reputation with a scathing online review can cost a school dearly if it goes unchecked.  However, if these types of reviews are properly managed the damages can be avoided.

In a recent blog, Mike Moran discussed his daughter’s college selection process, which was heavily influenced by online resources such as message forums and review sites.  Her research, of course, included negative information, such as numerous accounts of her top choice being a party school, something she was not looking for; yet, she ultimately decided to attend the school. Why? Because those negative comments were countered by numerous positive reviews.

Moran’s daughter’s school of choice was highly aware of the negative information available in cyberspace and became proactive.  The school began encouraging students to share their positive experiences.  They invited students to write whatever they deemed appropriate and offered no censorship whatsoever to the review submission process.  This offered prospective students an honest, transparent and ultimately positive view of the school.

The school Moran’s daughter ultimately selected did not lose her enrollment because they were mindful of their online reputation, but is your school as conscientious? What does your online reputation look like? Repairing a long battered online reputation can be a difficult and daunting task, so continuously monitoring your reputation and being active in social media and the web is important to the future of your school.

-Marcy