USING SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is blazing hot right now. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook or the now-fabled MyBO (My.BarackObama.com), social networking is the “it” online tool.

For those of us in higher education, the question is: to use or not to use? The answer is a definite yes but execution is more complex: how?

And it’s not easy. Social media can work for you or it can blowback on you. The interaction among students on blogs and other social networks can spread like wildfire – and at least one case has been reported where a student’s blog turned into a fiasco for one campus – resulting in a president’s resignation. The point: do it, but do it carefully.

Here are the five things you need to do to make it work:

1. Listen. Social media is a two-way street. Listen to your target audience. Social media is about participation and collaboration. Take their feedback seriously. You not only have to listen, you have to respond. Never ignore feedback from your core audience. Use social media monitoring tools. Always remember: social media revolve around listening and participation, so it’s up to you to provide value before getting anything back. Welcome participation and co-creation and above all, be transparent. Tell people why you’re doing what you’re doing and be honest about it. 

2. Combine Strategy with Detailed Execution. You’ll need a roadmap, a plan. It’s not as easy as simply signing up on Facebook and hoping that people will come just because you have an alumni page. It’s more than that. You have to identify your audience, your goals, work out a strategy, map out tactics, know the technology you’re going to use and how you’ll measure success.

3. Make It a Priority. You make it a priority by budgeting for it. Who’s going to do what, how long will it take and how much will it cost? Using the right technology costs money, but the long-term results will be rewarding if you factor in your tech costs from Day One. Also, consider hiring a social community officer for your social media effort as it scales up.

4. Know Your Competition. One of the main reasons to do this: your competition is doing it or will be doing it soon. If your competitors in the market are using a medium, you better know how to use it, too. Don’t be caught off guard. Know the tools they have and master them.

5. Know Your Metrics. You better know what success will look like. How many “friends” do you want? What level of response and comments are you looking for? How many and what kind of links do you need? What are the outcomes you want influenced by the social media participation?

For more for information about our Social Media Strategic Planning Program and our Social Media Toolkit, please call or email: info@pcs-strategies.com or 626-799-1996.

Max Benavidez
President
Public Communications Strategies