Brevard College Social Media Strategy

Transcription

1 Brevard College Social Media Strategy This document is a living document it evolves and changes as the technologies of social media evolve and change. Brevard College utilizes a variety of channels and platforms of social media and monitors new technologies, adopting those that fit our communications needs. Brevard College has a social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr and SnapChat. BC uses these platforms as means to spread BC news, post unique content, manage messaging, reinforce the brand and engage with our audiences. Content is chosen based on audience and relevance, using each platform s unique strengths to best present the information. OVERALL STRATEGY To coordinate and strengthen the College s social media efforts and to incorporate social media as an integral part of an overall integrated marketing communications strategy. GOALS 1. Build and sustain a shared vision across the institution 2. Strengthen BC s brand and improve BC s reputation 3. Develop the College s social media presence as an important forum for conversations (using key messages, news and information) 4. Improve enrollment, retention, donor engagement and alumni relations 5. Establish social media as a crisis communication resource AUDIENCES Prospective student Current students Alumni Donors Faculty and Staff Businesses, organizations, community members and partners PLATFORMS Facebook Instagram Twitter Flickr LinkedIn YouTube SnapChat

2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Administrators post with consistent voice, adhere to internal policy Administrators have access to create events, photo albums, modify tabs, delete Administrators are allowed to respond to criticism and violations ONLY DO NOT engage in controversial arguments Content contributors (student) post with unique voice, adhere to public policy Content contributors have access to post on the Wall (comments and photos), with administrators overseeing post GOAL DESCRIPTIONS 1. Build and sustain a shared vision across the institution o Social Media Huddle will become a part of the Integrated Marketing Communications Team (formerly Marketing Users Group) as a committee, led by the Assistant Director of Communications o Create an approval process for any new social media accounts o Conduct a review process of existing accounts to either merge and/or delete accounts o Share insights, best practices and success stories o Develop consistent hashtags to reflect vision and brand o Ensure branding standards are met across platforms and accounts 2. Strengthen BC s brand and improve BC s reputation o Reinforce the BC brand o Build relationships using social media o Increase likes, fans, followers, etc. o Share college s accomplishments, awards, etc. o Monitor using tools to measure engagement o Monitor and respond to comments, mentions, shares, etc. 3. Develop the College s social media presence as an important forum for conversations o Increase exposure using communications resources Website Print ads Press releases Event listings Television/radio media 4. Improve enrollment, retention, donor engagement and alumni relations o Retweet, share, reply and like o Share college s news and messages that relate to each audience o Share college s accomplishments across all audiences o Push web traffic to all audiences 5. Establish social media as a crisis communication resource o Include social media in the emergency and crisis communications plan o Create an action plan for responding to negative comments on social media posts o Use my.brevard.edu home page for crisis messaging

3 AUDIENCE FOCUS Brevard College: All, including Faculty, Staff, local businesses, organizations, community members and partners Academics: Prospective students, current students, local organizations and partners Admissions: Prospective students Alumni: Alumni and Donors Athletics: All, including Faculty, Staff, local businesses, organizations, community members and partners Campus Life: Current Students and Prospective students BC News: All, including Faculty, Staff, local businesses, organizations, community members and partners PLATFORMS FOCUS Facebook - to showcase Brevard College to its followers and for users to engage and talk. Post consist of news, events, links, photos and videos. Instagram Youth-friendly, main focus are photos and videos (up to 15 sec). Give the account a personality, or voice and stay engaged. Twitter for engaging with users in real time and keeping content consistent to interested audiences. Flickr To showcase events and happenings by way of photos at Brevard College. LinkedIn is ideal to engage our audience in reconnecting and networking. Ideal audience: alumni. YouTube To showcase special events at Brevard College. SnapChat Youth-friendly, main focus current students to showcase events and their day. GENERAL GUIDELINES Be positive, respectful, authentic, helpful, relevant, and fun Update often, write posts, and respond in a timely manner Engage users, converse with fans/followers, encourage contributions and offer discussions Provide content that is focused on quality over quantity Measure performance using analytics data Research trends WRITING GUIDELINES Proofread all posts Be clear on the purpose of the post Limit posts, event descriptions and other detailed copy to one paragraph (three short sentences). Link to additional copy. Use relevant titles for posts, events, links, etc. Use AP style guidelines Consider your audience before posting and the reaction they might have When responding, respond with the College s voice, not your own

4 BRAND GUIDELINES When you post to social media networks from an official Brevard College account, you are representing the Brevard College brand. When you create a new social media site, begin with BC or Brevard College Use the Brevard College logo, text logo or Athletic logo. For an academic site, you can also use the Brevard College seal. Use of the Brevard College logos are reserved ONLY for institutional use Use iconic, campus, institutional images to build your profile ALWAYS represent Brevard College BEST PRACTICE TIPS Set Goals What is the purpose? Want to increase followers? Create awareness of brand? Know your audience Age range? What do they like or dis-like? What motivates them? Research the competition What platforms are they using? What is working for them? Is it funny or serious? Is it more academic or social? Develop your message This isn t detailed content, rather it is information that your audience wants to see or read. Build a content plan More than just information, use a mix of media. From guides, infographics to images and videos to get your message across multiple platforms. Personal vs. professional Separate your personal and professional time on social media platforms. Resist inserting personal views on professional accounts (ex: politics, religion, social issues) ANALYTICAL GUIDELINES AND TOOLS There s a difference between knowing what the stats mean and knowing which stats are meaningful. ~Kevan Lee Our Goal: To drive traffic to our sites to inform our audiences about Brevard College. Set data goals that help your decision-making. Know what you re tracking and why. Consumption metrics: how many people viewed, downloaded, or listened to the content? Sharing metrics: how often is it shared with others? Tools: Google Analytics Create a custom dashboard of metrics that matter to you. True Social Metrics complete dashboard of analytics for all social sites in one. Can create metrics across the board in spreadsheet format. Buffer - you get all the major engagement stats for every update you post on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.

5 Brevard College Social Media SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS Talented staff with social media experience Coordination between departments Building strong relationships on fewer platforms vs. all platforms Social Media Huddle transitioning to Integrated Marking Communications Team WEAKNESSES Too many accounts Not enough coordination between messages Lack of authority to enforce guidelines No best practices for training No consistent monitoring of all accounts Lack of full-time social media staff OPPORTUNITIES Diverse market/audiences Build relationships with key audiences (athletes, alumni, prospective students, donors, etc.) Improve customer service Support smaller areas on campus Centralized access to all college s social media accounts Promote college THREATS Keeping up with the changing technologies Negative communication Centralized access to all college s social media accounts Staff turnover Brevard College s social media presence is growing. With the help of policies and a coordinated strategy, the College communications department, along with other departments, can sustain a strong social media identity for the College. A group of talented staff across campus who use social media will meet regularly throughout the year to discuss and assess affective ways to use social media to communicate knowledge, experiences and news that follow the needs of its users and the mission of the Brevard College.