This talk was delivered in October 2016 at the Social Media in Higher Education Summit (Boston). In the not too distant past, institutes of higher education relied on tried and true channels for interacting with prospective and current students, alumni and donors. But recently, due to social technologies, the tables are turned and the very groups that higher education seeks to engage with, are coming in droves digitally with questions, requests and expectations. While the audience needs remain the same, the methods for engaging have changed dramatically. As Higher Education enters this new world of 24X7 interaction, they often struggle to identify the best practices that can shepherd success. This session will share the methods for building a cohesive social strategy and measuring the impact while enabling the unique needs of various departments, programs and campaigns

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Beyond the tools:
Best practices for engaging social media to accelerate
awareness, intimacy and sustained affiliation in higher
education
Vanessa DiMauro
CEO, Leader Networks
617 484 0778
vdimauro@leadernetworks.com

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Fact Facts about Vanessa DiMauro, CEO
• Over 20 years of experience in social business leadership positions & a pioneering
researcher in the field of online communities.
• Her work has appeared in leading publications such as the New York Times, Wall
Street Journal, CNBC, Harvard Business Review and Forbes.
• Industry recognition includes Top 40 Social Media Masters Worldwide (Forbes), Most
Powerful Women in Social Media (CEOWorld), Society for New Communications
Research: Research Fellow of the Year 2014.
• Faculty at Columbia University in the Information and Knowledge Strategy (IKNS)
master’s program. Former Executive in Residence, Babson – Olin School of
Management.
2
@vdimauro

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About Leader Networks
Leader Networks is a research and consulting firm that helps companies
use digital and social technologies to gain competitive advantage.
We work alongside our clients to develop digital business strategies,
launch new digital products and business models, create and grow online
communities, and craft social selling campaigns and operations. Our
efforts pay off – by enabling organizations to better engage their
customers, drive new product and service innovations, reduce costs, and
boost shareholder value.

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And Helped Many Organizations Around The World

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The World Is Changing…. Fast!!
4 billion internet users around the world

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FACT: US Losing its Dominance in Global Higher
Education Market
• Increased number of US students studying abroad
• Growing competition for international students
A globally competitive market is emerging

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Is this a Crisis or a Brilliant Opportunity?
It all depends on your institution’s response….
@vdimauro

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Where We Are Headed In This Talk
Examine the student
journey from pre-
enrollment to
alumni
Explore each stage
of needs and how
social media can
help
Understand how to
develop a
comprehensive
strategy
Think about success
measures to track
outcomes

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Shifting Digital Expectations:
From pre-enrollment to lifetime givers
Engaging
Alumni and
Donors
Educating
Students
Attracting
Students

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The Competition is on
72% of students develop their shortlist prior to
reaching out to a school and only three schools
make a prospect’s shortlist, according to LinkedIn.
cc: Capt Kodak - https://www.flickr.com/photos/35114754@N00

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Community
Community
Community
Community
School Fair
Direct Mail
School visit
Interview
Exploration
Consideration
Decision
The Higher Education Buyer’s Journey
@vdimauro

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Common Higher Education Response
Tools over process

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Result = Engagement Confusion

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A Better Way:
Human-focused, Ongoing, Consistent Support
@vdimauro

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Invest in your branding and marketing programs
• Invest in multi-channel communication and responsive design.
Commit to personalization
• Your audiences expect it.
Use marketing automation tools
• This is how you can reach scale and efficiency.
Develop your analytics capabilities
• The data are there to do predictive analysis. Use it well.
Keys to Differentiate
@vdimauro

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Meet Emma, Our High School Junior
16
I can’t wait for
college! I wonder
where I should go?
Emma is 17 year old high school student who is a passionate
learner and thinks she wants to study science in college. She
starts visiting universities. She is excited about the schools,
eager to learn more, and immerses herself in learning about
the top candidates. Her engagement experience matters..a
lot!

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I just tweeted
the school. I
hope the
answer!
17
Emma the Prospective Student Reaches Out
She expects a dialogue.

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How Did You Engage With Emma?
In a recent study of Higher Education Institutions
• 83% of home pages and 42% of program home pages lacked ‘Request
Information’ access.
• 42% did not have a ‘Thank you’ page.
• 17% failed to follow up with the inquiry and 33% made only 1 attempt in 2 weeks
• 67% used only 1 communication channel in their recruitment process, and
• 58% failed to mention the program of interest submitted on the web form.
Source: http://www.marketing-connection.com/new-study-identifies-opportunities-improve-student-recruitment/

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Ways to Engage with Pre-enrollment Students
Upon first contact, Emma is entered into the Marketing Automation
System. Develop a workflow that prescribes engagement touchpoints
during her decision process.
Consider the following:
• Does she continue to show interest over time?
• Does engage offline – does she do a campus visit?
• What content might she need at various points in her consideration journey?
• What can you send or say to Emma over the course of the year?

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But Wait! I Am A Small Department….
The answer:
Marketing Automation +
Human-Run Personalization

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Simple Lessons From Best Practices
• Take a lesson from the best social
customer care companies in the world –
when customers speak, they answer and
engage as humans!
• Have a centralized social media
department that can interact with
consistency and align with the brand and
reputation of the school.
Consistency means
Same voice/tone
Standardized experience
Even response rates
@vdimauro

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Example 1: Cisco
Notice…
A single source of social accounts
Consistent and clear information
Active and current streams

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Example 2:
Boston College
Notice:
Professional branding
Directory to teach best
engagement approaches
Blended images – people,
campus & logo

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The Human Factor – The Little Things Matter
Imagine….
… A school you aspire to, acknowledges a prospective student.
… A professor you admire, talks back to you.
… A university leader celebrates staff achievements.
… You are thanked for your recent donation, online.
@vdimauro

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Staff Wisely For Brand And Reputation
Social Media is a valid, skilled
PROFESSION!
Students should not be in charge
of higher ed accounts.
• Risk & Liability
• Lack of understanding of
strategic vision
• Uneven results
@vdimauro

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Leadership Matters: Go-to’s for Press & Parents
Developing social competencies for
President / Chancellor
Establish programs to help your star
professors get online, and start sharing!
• YouTube videos of your top professors in action
• Partner with free online learning systems
• Enable AMA with experts
• Encourage professors to create slide share
accounts with key lectures

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Do your homework well!
A research opportunity to understand core values and
refine marketing /engagement messages…
When was the last time your department or
institute surveyed current students and faculty
about their perceptions of the school?
The outcome: Priceless data to inform
marketing strategy and programs.

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Alumni Are Social Too!

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The Power of An Engaged Alumni Community

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Social Business Benchmark
30
Stage 1:
Familiar
Stage 2:
Present
Stage 3:
Enabled
Stage 4:
Integrated
Strategic
Intentions
No strategic goals Reach and awareness
Social goals support
business goals
Social transforms the value
chain
Operations Detached projects
Marketing participates &
monitors social channel
Social business COE
Executive support
Social media pervades all lines
of business
Staffing
No dedicated staff
Informal part of staff role
Built into many job
descriptions
Integrated into key roles &
executive sponsorship
Policy No social media policy Guidance is offered Policy in place Policy, education & training
Organizational
readiness
Org. tolerates
experiments
Results are shared and
reviewed at a leadership
level
Impact, outcomes, ROI are
tracked
Cultural transparency,
responsive organization
Tool Use
Mainly “unofficial”
social media accounts
Tool adoption grows &
proliferates
Departmental use of tools
(e.g. sales uses LinkedIn)
Tool standards established
Source: Leader Networks: The Social Business Benchmark Study 2014
@vdimauro

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What Do I Do Next?
• Know where you are organizationally
• Crawl, walk, run
• Plan wisely and execute precisely
• Always keep the human at the center
@vdimauro

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Social Business Research, Strategy & Operations
Vanessa DiMauro
CEO
92 Richmond Road
Belmont, MA 02478
617.484.0778
vdimauro@leadernetworks.com
www.leadernetworks.com
©2016 Leader Networks. All rights reserved.
THANK YOU! 
QUESTIONS?