social media in higher education

Social media: Start the

conversation

Sarah EvansDirector of Communications

Twitter: PRsarahevansSkype: Prsarahelizabeth

AIM: PrsarahelizabethLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/prsarahevans

How did you hear about

Gov. Blagojevich?

How did I hear about it?#

1#2

#3

#4

#5

ALL before 7:00 a.m.

How did my president hear about it?

At ECC we use*• +

• +• +Another way to converse

with our stakeholders

*We are still in a “beginner” stage with social media and have selected these media to focus on at this time.

Social media enhances communication and serves

as ANOTHER way to engage.

@ECCdistrict509

Elgin Spartans

ECC Alumni Network

ECC Visual & Performing Arts

QUICK TIP: Check the availability of your name at

www.usernamecheck.com

RESULT!

RESULT!

RESULT!

Reach out to networks in creative ways

Took photo with mobile phone and tagged Elgin Spartans.

RESULT!

RESULT!

RESULT!

Status update!

Who is doing it well?

Who is doing it well?

Who is doing it well?

So, what’s the ROI?

“The problem with trying to determine ROI for

social media is you are trying to put numeric

quantities around human interactions and

conversations, which are not quantifiable.”

– Jason Falls, director of social media for Doe-Anderson

You CAN, however, think about

NEW metrics!

What are your CONVERSATION goals?

• Money-making vs. Perception-building

• Think ROA – Return on Attention• What are your objectives?– Build relationships?– Build awareness?– Both?

Evaluating results

• A few measurement ideas– Incoming traffic from links– Number of people subscribed to RSS feeds– Number of people in social media groups– Track backs or link backs– Conversation tracking tools like Summize or Monitorr– Comments on blog posts– Increased attendance at events– Increased enrollment

What do these conversations do, besides build the relationship?

• Build product/institution awareness• Create interest• Provide information• Stimulate demand• Reinforce the brand

QUICK TIP: Watch “Social Media in Plain English” for a

quick intro.

Start your conversation!

Getting started tips:

1. Check for username availability2. Register on 1-3 sites3. Search for those you would like

in your conversation4. Reach out to them5. Engage (daily)