Let’s Meet on Facebook and Co.
Using social media channels
to promote our universities
and attract students and faculty visitors
Jens Andreas Faulstich M.A.
Deputy Director, Languages / International Affairs
RheinAhrCampus Remagen
HS Koblenz, University of Applied Sciences
1Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales
Internationalisation: My Responsibilities
Part of the management team
Counselling of students and faculty members concerning their
international mobility projects
Transatlantic cooperations (e.g. Summer School Program USA)
Social Media / New Media experience
Various projects to boost the visibility of our departmental Facebook
page
Regular contributions to our award-winning blog “absolutely intercultural”
Occasional contributions to International Instagram account
2Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales
RheinMoselCampus
Koblenz
WesterwaldCampus
Höhr-GrenzhausenRheinAhrCampus
Remagen
Business and Social
Sciences
Mathematics and Technology
Engineering
Institut of Fine Arts – Ceramics and
Glass (IKKG)
Architecture
Business Administration
Engineering
Social Sciences
Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales
Motivation
Languages / International Affairs
as an Example
Key Performance Indicators
Best Practices
Anomalies
Conclusion & Suggestions
Overview
27.03.2019 5
Our university has a
Facebook account –
but it‘s managed by our
Social Media Team.
Should we really
encourage the use of
social media for
international services?
We like the idea – but
we are worried about
the admin work and
privacy issues.
Motivation – some potential concerns
Why our visibility matters for incoming mobility
Northernmost and youngest university campus
in Rhineland-Palatinate
Not as attractive as Berlin, Munich, Cologne…
Service culture and word-of-mouth
recommendations very important
Why our visibility matters for outgoing mobility
Students need to have international mobility on
their agenda from an early stage
Students can benefit from exchange visitors
(language tandem, buddy support system, …)
Long-term preparation includes language
courses, certificates, TOEFL…
6Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales
Integrated communication strategy
Encourage “Internationalisation at Home”
International mobility is recommended, but
not compulsory (except for one B.A. Program)
Involve students in activities that foster
intercultural learning and exchange
Get students ready for study abroad or
internship abroad semesters
Connect them with international students
Communicate scholarship prerequisites early
Spread the word about partner universities
Invite students to our university
Get and keep them interested & connected!7Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales
Information dissemination previously through email and our websites
Smaller bits of information shared more frequently on social media like Facebook and podcasts
Additional platforms like Youtube allow us to reach our target audience in a more interactive way
Experiences from previous students (incoming/outgoing) shared through Facebook and blogs
Loss of control of information dissemination to some extent
How Social Media Changed
our Operations…
Users are exposed to a lot more information
Increased competition with other universities
Need to ensure our offers remain competitive,
and our platforms are interesting and up-to-
date
“Loss of control“ is okay, as long our
services remain excellent –
Power of word-of-mouth
Content produced by other parties about us
still are very positive (e.g. blogs, Facebook
posts)
Information Overload
What we Use
Podcast
Blogger.com
Youtube
University website
Who Manages it
Full-time Staff of the department
Part-time Student Assistant
(briefed on our code of conduct
and projected image)
Languages / International Affairs –
a practical example
Facebook is the most frequently used social media platform we manage
Blog visits and Youtube views are less frequent
Podcast attracts a lot of attention, but the audience is very heterogeneous
Insights
Post Reach: How many people saw
our page’s posting.
Engagement: How many people liked,
commented, or shared our postings
Comments: Are they positive?
Likes: How many people liked our page
Shares
Key Performance Indicators - Facebook
Analyse your target group’s social media
behavior
When they are most likely to be online?
In our case, the answer is Tues to Thu,
around 8 to 9 pm.
What type of posts get the most Likes?
In our case, they tend to be high-quality photos
of people with stories.
We try to avoid stock images and copied
content from external sources…
How much can we post before students start
“Unfollowing” us?
We aim for two posts per week…
Best practices and further strategies
27.03.2019 13
Stick to One Style of PostingImportance of corporate culture
Corporate design to identify us
Training staff and student
assistants
Adopt Social Media StyleFB stories are not like press
releases
FB stories are not like Tweets
If possible, aim for a distinct “voice”
Best practices and further strategies
Stories – Emotional cues
Some Good Posts – According to “conventional” KPIs
A post about a Webinar
hosted in cooperation with
USC (Australia) also had…
high Post Reach
and ultimately high
attendance
Successful Marketing
Sometimes, a post
can be doing well –
but the outcome is
less than desirable
Post was advertising
a new course offer in English
“Shares” were not mainly
to our target audience
Currently only 3 students
are signed up in the course
More word-of-mouth
marketing efforts needed
Don‘t be fooled!!!!
Sometimes, a post is not doing well –
but the ultimate goal is reached
Post advertising sign-ups for
Managing Cultural Diversity Seminar
had less Post Reach than other posts
The “MCD” seminar was overbooked!
And Don‘t Despair!
Do not be blinded by “Social Media Fame”
Always check back with real outcomes
to see if your goals are being met by Social Media
Fun posts to keep the following active are
important
Fun posts keep the users engaged
so that we can reap real results from „serious
posts“
Strike a Balance
27.03.2019 19
Avoid stock images wherever possible.
Cut out the parts of the photographs which are not
essential to your message.
Always ask for consent (GDPR!). Add a disclaimer
telling people how to ask for pictures to be
removed if they change their mind.
Put the relevant parts of your message in front!
Hashtags may be effective if you use them
consistently.
#ALifeInASemester
Test your posts on a laptop screen and a smart
phone screen (as they will look different there!).
At our university, smart phones are most likely to
be the device used for viewing our posts…
Get your message across!
27.03.2019 20
Three Posts – Three Functions – One Sender!
Our university has an International Instagram account but it is not managed at our campus
Instagram posts tend to be “lost” after the first few hours in the feed
Older Facebook posts can be revived with new engagement
Interaction on Instagram is more limited than on Facebook
Social Media does not replace core activities
Most of our work still involves customized email communication
Physical on-site visits have greatly facilitated partnerships
Facebook platform cannot gain followers when people don’t know you
This gap still has to be closed through other activities like campus visits to seal partnerships
Some Disclaimers
27.03.2019 22
Exchange Student BlogMany exchange
students enjoy
sharing their
experience and point
friends and relatives
to this blog
Authentic, colourful,
inspiring.
Needs to be
monitored from time
to time (some
students don‘t think
about long-term
problems when
sharing party pics…)
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27.03.2019 24
International Website
Most important information
resource for
scholars from partner
universities
colleagues from
International Offices
Responsive Design Features
Emphasis on Photos
Many experience reports and
links to social media
platforms
Part of HS Koblenz website
(may cause problems, e.g.
navigation issues and
misdirected enquiries)
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Fortnightly PODCAST
ABSOLUTELY
INTERCULTURAL
episodes on
intercultural issues
experience abroad
award-winning
EDUBLOG
TOP100 Education Blog
1377 page views since
January 2019
Cooperation with Danish
partner institution
TUNE IN on i-Tunes or
enjoy it online!
26Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales
Thanks for your attention!
Time for your questions!