BLOGS, WIKIS, PODCASTS, videocasts, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and more have made their way into the world of higher education. Whether you work in admissions, communications, marketing, PR, student services, advancement, alumni relations, web services, or information technology, it’s impossible to ignore these dynamic new technologies.
In today's crowded social
web, it's all about engagement
and speed.
Yet it’s easy to get blindsided and miss that it’s really not about the technology but the community. While we can’t predict today what the next Facebook or YouTube will be, we can get ready for the online communities of tomorrow. It might take a village to raise a child, but what does it take to jumpstart and nurture a thriving online community? A bit of luck, a lot of work, and this seven-step plan I developed for the closing keynote speech I gave in July at the eduWEB conference in Atlantic City, N.J.
1. Don’t think you know what your institution can do for your community members. Ask them what they want.
It’s very easy to think that we know exactly what our target audiences want based on our professional expertise, personal experience, or simple hunches. However, this is not always the case. That’s why it’s very important to poll the members of your targeted community, whether they are high school seniors, current students, graduates, young alums, or donors. Find out about their needs, their expectations, and their preferences straight from the source before starting any social initiative.
Favor an online survey over focus groups, since your resulting initiatives will be implemented on the web. Ask what you can do for your constituents, in order to make sure you fulfill a need and don’t add to the communication overload.
2. Ask yourself, what do we expect from this relationship?
What is the core mission of web, marketing, communication, and PR professionals working in higher education? When you start to think about it, the answer is really simple: You are all in the relationship- building business. Every day, you are trying to do your best to build long-lasting relationships with the constituents of your institution. Consequently, you should identify and define your goals for your interactions with the community.
At this early stage, spend some time spelling out quantifiable goals: more inquiries, more applications, better yield, better buzz, more donations, etc. A few weeks, at the most, should be enough to come up with these goals that will help you measure the success of your social initiatives. Don’t let this step last months. The web is a very dynamic and reactive space, so early movers always get an advantage.
3. Be unique (and irresistible) by providing exclusive content to your community.
Let’s be realistic. Your constituents live busy lives—offline and online. With so many online social spaces at their fingertips, they need for your institution to offer something really special to get and keep their attention. Providing the opportunity to network with peers and friends won’t cut it, especially if you choose to set up your own private platform.
Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, the three major players in online social networking, are already providing this kind of service to millions of users. Don’t waste your time (and your institution’s money) trying to compete with the big guys on their turf. Instead, differentiate your online community initiatives by providing exclusive content designed to fill the needs of your target audiences. If you can offer exclusive access to information and resources your community members won’t find (at least not easily) at the social networking malls of the web, you will increase your chances to have them visit your own little social workshop.
What kind of exclusive content should you offer? For prospective or admitted students, you could provide access to exclusive resources about residence halls, courses, and events, or even straight answers to their most pressing questions right from representatives of your institution. For alumni, in particular for younger graduates, the exclusive content that will differentiate your online space could take the form of job postings or links to topical news and information.
