social media plan: university of south florida zimmerman ...€¦ · social media overview the...
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Social Media Plan: University Of South Florida
Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications
Nov. 25, 2015 By: Katy Corbo, Meghan Garvey, Caroline Schneider, Emily Triplett, and Amy Van Sant
Nov. 19, 2015 Mr. Samuel Bradley Interim Director USF Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications Dear Dr. Bradley, Attached please find the proposal entitled “Social Media Plan: University of South Florida Zimmerman School for Advertising and Mass Communications.” This proposal explains in detail the work to be completed through Facebook and Instagram by us as University of South Florida students in the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications during the spring semester in 2016, for the project requested by your school. We would much appreciate if you read our proposal carefully, complete the section below and fax it back to the CIS Dept Attn.: Ms. Corbo, Ms. Garvey, Ms. Schneider, Ms. Triplett, or Ms. Van Sant at 8139746840, or to the Project Manager, Dr. Deborah Bowen. Should you have any questions or comments about this proposal, do not hesitate to contact us at 8139743520 or Dr. Deborah Bowen, our project instructor, at 8139742591 respectively. Sincerely, Katy Corbo Meghan Garvey Caroline Schneider
Katy Corbo Meghan Garvey Caroline Schneider 9739457547 3055551212 9196195140
Emily Triplett Amy Van Sant
Emily Triplett Amy Van Sant 8503740042 7702967485
I have read the enclosed proposal and have the following comments: We accept the proposal. We decline the proposal. We accept the proposal with the changes/comments shown below (feel free to include any comments in separate page as necessary). _________________________________ ________________________ Company Rep Name/Title Signature / Date
Social Media Overview
The Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications currently uses Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus for its social media platforms.
Facebook is by far the most utilized social media platform. The Z School does an amazing job keeping the content up to date and interested for current students. The posts are detailed and show up often. The Z School averages posting every two to three days. Some content is organic while the rest is information for students or about students’ success. Students’ published work is usually featured on the Facebook page, whether it be from The Oracle or elsewhere, if a staff or faculty member is notified. Their Facebook platform is a great example of how to use Facebook to present information to a specific audience. The Z School’s Facebook page has many strengths. The main weakness of the Z School is little to no engagement exists on the page. Content is not directed towards creating a buzz and encouraging students to start a conversation. Although the contact is really nice, the Z School should be using the Facebook page to provide students an example of how to get people to start talking. Another minor weakness is unlike the main USF page and a few other colleges, the Z School doesn’t acknowledge every national holiday. Although minor, consistency should be seen throughout USF, including wishing students a safe holiday weekend.
Over the past month, the Z School’s presence on Twitter has greatly increased. Prior to the start of the school year, a tweet or two would be sent out roughly once a month, maybe two. Not posting frequently does not show the target audience that the Z School is active on a platform and ready to interact. Twitter is a great platform to ask questions about apply to USF, communicating with professors or even finding alumni from the program. This month, November 2015, the Z School has changed its posting habits. Now the Z school’s Twitter account congratulates students on jobs, internships, scholarships and more when a faculty or staff member is informed of the success. On top of reaching out to students to offer a congratulations, the Z School also retweets students’ activities, such as when USF students attended the PRSSA National Conference. The Twitter platform is becoming more active and showing more strengths than weaknesses.
The Z School has a Google Plus account that has not been updated since 2012. The lack of updates on the page is one major weakness. Another is having the Google Plus icon on the Z School’s home page. The Mass Communications program should not be advertising a social media platform that is not being updated. On the other hand, the Z School did attempt to engage students in one post with a poll. Interacting with the target audience is important, but does not overlook the lack of updates.
Managing the Facebook Account We have chosen Facebook as the main social media platform. Facebook reaches thousands, if not millions of followers every day. It’s the social media giant and is widely used by the public. It also allows direct feedback from your audience and is one of the most engaging social media sites. Here are a few tips about posting on Facebook.
1. Post frequently. In order to keep your page interesting, it is necessary to post every day. The ideal number is 3 times per day, every day between 10:08 a.m and 3:04 p.m. Going above 3 posts per day may annoy your audience, but not posting enough will lose their interest. Keep it steady and post often to gain followers, impressions and engagement . 1
2. Ask questions. In order to engage the viewer and see higher response rates, it is important to ask questions or post polls. Invite your viewers to the post and show interest. If they do respond, continue the conversation. Replying to comments will personify the brand . 2
3. Use photos. Many people are visually satisfied. Adding a photo to your post increases the amount of likes and shares. It also quickly lets the viewer know the general message of the post and implants the organization in their mind . 3
4. Keep it simple. Don’t overflow a single post with a lot of information. People are unlikely to read a long post. Although they can be longer than Twitter posts, Facebook posts should get the point across as quickly and efficiently as possible. As a general rule of thumb, never go over 250 characters; but keeping them between 60 and 100 is ideal. (3)
5. Engage the viewers emotions. Whether positive, meaningful or humorous it is important to maintain a single emotion in a post. This type of emotional appeal can be greatly used with holidays or anniversaries of events. For example, a personal story about a student that has a connection to 9/11 will get a lot more shares than a simple, ‘Never Forget’ post. Your posts should intentionally sway and persuade your audience3.
6. Be natural. While writing posts, be yourself and use friendly, vibrant adjectives. You want to make your audience feel like you are talking to them as person, not a corporation. Facebook is not a place to be dry and overly formal. That being said, it is important to never misspell words or use improper grammar. (3)
7. Post a link. A lot of times a catchy headline and video will do the trick. The headline in a post with a link is an important part. You want to make sure to lure the viewer in so they click the link. The site or video they are sent to should be somehow affiliated with the organization or company, but keep it interesting. You should use the full link when posting on Facebook. They can get as much as 3 times more engagement than shortened URLS. (2)
1 blog.bufferapp.com/socialmediafrequencyguide 2 forbes.com/sites/thesba/2014/05/05/5contenttipsforyourfacebookbusinesspage/ 3 wersm.com/10tipstowriteengagingfacebookposts/
Facebook Plan The content that is being posted on Facebook should reflect the brand of the Z School as well as the interest of Z School students. Examples of this content are included below. Mass communications club events This category would be used to inform the audience about different Mass Communications clubs on campus and what they are doing to further students education. This category could also be used to promote events or content created by Mass Communications clubs or organizations. Example: “Last weekend, 25 PRSSA students traveled to Atlanta for the PRSSA annual conference. These students had the opportunity to attend workshops and hear from successful public relations practitioners, as well as network with other students and professionals in their field.” Include the following photos: group photo at the conference, photo of a student interacting with a PR professional and photo of a keynote speaker Z School events and news This category would be used to promote important news happening within the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications. This includes events that the school puts on, spotlighting faculty members and highlighting any changes or updates to the school. Example: Don’t forget, tonight at 8:00 PM in CIS 1047, guest speaker Ellen Degeneres will speak about branding herself and her show to become one of the most popular. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity. Include the following photos: Ellen Degeneres during her talk show, flyer for the event Published content written by mass communications students This category would be used to share published content written by mass communications students for the Oracle, the Digital BullPen, the Odyssey or any other published news or blog site. Example: Jane Doe, a Z School journalism student, has been published in The Oracle. Check out her latest piece at http://www.usforacle.com/news/view/11111/USFNews. Congratulations, Jane, and good work! Include the following photos: Jane Doe, if able to obtain
Student successes and highlights This category would be used to focus on the students in the Z School. When students get awards or internships, when they go on trips, such as with PRSSA, or when they have successes after graduation, the Z School can post updates congratulating them and informing the audience of their successes and what they are doing. Example: Lily Beahn created her own business after suffering from a serious accident last year. The Mending Bead is Beahn’s jewelry business, catering to customers looking for beautiful natural healing stones. Customs orders have been growing. Congratulations for your business’ success and overcoming your difficult situation. Include the following photos: Lily, if able to obtain and her jewelry creations Job opportunities This category would be used to post information about job opportunities for students and interact with Mass Communications professionals in the area. The Z School can post articles from their blog that features internship opportunities and share information from mass communications professionals or businesses in the Tampa area. Example: Minor League Baseball seeks communications intern for the upcoming spring semester. The intern would be responsible for various administrative tasks. Those interested should look at the following link: https://smcinternships.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/interncommunications.pdf. Include the following photos: Minor League Baseball logo Current/university events This category would be used to share information about USF and the Tampa Bay community. The Z School could share posts by the USF official page, USF athletics and other schools or colleges at USF. They would also use this category to participate in university wide current events. Example: The official USF facebook page posted: #USF ranks 10th nationally and 13th among universities worldwide for U.S. patents granted in 2014! #GoBulls The Z School would share this post and add the following: Way to go USF! #GoBulls Include the following photos: any photos added in original post
Facebook Schedule Interactions throughout the day:
Reply to comments on posts to engage students Day 1: 9 a.m. Post about a job opportunity relevant to students 3 p.m. Share content from another Facebook page that is relevant to Mass Communications or USF/students 6 p.m. Share a story from the Oracle written by a Z School student Day 2: 9 a.m. Highlight the work that a PR Research class is doing for a real client, such as Be The Match 3 p.m. Highlight a student’s success with getting a scholarship 8 p.m. Promote that Z School students volunteered at MOSI that past weekend as encouraged by their Principles of PR class Day 3: 9 a.m. Promote the Student Journalism club meeting that night 3 p.m. Share the link to the Mass Communications blog with internship opportunities 8 p.m. Share a story about a Z School student who got a job broadcasting USF women’s basketball games Day 4: 9 a.m. Highlight a past student’s success with the job they got working for the Bucs after they graduated 3 p.m. Share a post about a speaker that presented to students in their Event Planning class that day 6 p.m. Share content from other Facebook pages that is relevant to Mass Communications or USF/students Day 5: 9 a.m. Highlight an achievement by the Z School, such as an award or recognition 3 p.m. Promote that the Oracle is looking for writers 8 p.m. Post a relevant “Happy Holidays!” or “Happy National ______ Day!” message Day 6: 9 a.m. Highlight a Z School professor or advisor 3 p.m. Promote the PRSSA weekly meeting that night 6 p.m. Share a story that a Z School student wrote for the Odyssey Day 7: 9 a.m. Highlight a class project or the work that a Z School class is doing 3 p.m. Write a post about the professional who spoke to PRSSA students at their meeting the night before 6 p.m. Share an internship opportunity with students
Managing the Instagram Account
The alternative social media platform we have selected is Instagram. Instagram is a photosharing application that draws the attention of our student body, faculty, staff, donors and alumni. Here are a few essential tips for using Instagram in an effective manner:
1. Follow and engage with notable accounts. In order to connect with the audience, it is important that the account follows all professional USF accounts, USFaffiliated accounts, USF sponsors and USF representatives. This not only keeps our department informed of USF news, but maximizes visibility of the account to other popular users. The account should tag professional accounts in a post when appropriate. When a wellrespected account tags the account in a photo or caption, our handle is exposed to their numerous followers. 4
2. Engage with our followers. Appropriate ways to show engagement on Instagram include “liking” or commenting on any USFrelated photos posted by professional and wellrespected accounts. Like any other social media platform, a fast response rate is critical to maintaining and growing an audience. It is important to reply to comments on photos that the account has posted as quickly as possible. These actions show an actively engaged account that shows support for the university. 5
3. Alert followers of important information. The Zschool will act as a source of department and building updates across all platforms. Instagram can be used for notifying followers about mass communications news, classes, internships and events. To catch the attention of Instagram scrollers, choose an eyecatching photo with bold, overlaying text. The posts must be accurate, relevant and timely to attract an audience. (4)
4. Host contests. Engaging the student body is the best way to boost activity and gain publicity. Simple contests persuading students to like, comment or share a Zschool post on Instagram is an effective way to reach more of the student body. To maximize visibility, contests can be simultaneously promoted through our connected accounts on other social media platforms. Instagram contests can also promote the use of trademark hashtags frequently used by the account. 6
5. Use familiar hashtags. Hashtags are used to label Instagram posts that allow users to find relevant content. The three hashtags that the Zschool should consistently use are #usfmasscomm, #usfzsamc and #zschool. These hashtags will promote a brand for the account for followers to recognize. Over time, they will build individual portfolios of photos that the account and other followers post. 7
4 http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/instagramforbusinesstips/ 5 http://blog.business.instagram.com/post/29441248656/instagrambestpracticestoseemoretipsand 6 http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/runsuccessfulinstagramcontest/ 7 http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/getyourbusinessstartedoninstagram/
Analyzing Results There are many tools one can use to analyze the success of posts on both Facebook and Twitter. We will be using three different sources to analyze our success on the Zimmer School of Advertising and Mass Communications social media networks.
1) One of these is the “Insights” tab on Facebook Administrative pages. The Insight tab can provide you with information such as your page like demographic, the times of the day you have received the most engagement, your post reach and more. This feature on Facebook allows the admin to better plan the posts and timing that best suits that page. 2) Twitter also has a feature similar to this. If you click on a tweet, you can see the words, “View Tweet Activity” this allows you to see the impressions and engagement of that tweet. Administrators will best be able to see the content that their followers like to see through these analytics. 3)Another tool that can be used to analyze the success of social media is Hootsuite. Hootsuite is a great program that allows users to view more advanced analytics that allows you to see your follower growth, total mentions over a period of time, what ethnicity your followers are and more. This program is great because it allows you to really get in depth with your data.
Alternative: Instagram Plan We believe that The Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications would benefit more by using Instagram. The program currently does not have this outlet and it is an increasingly growing form of distributing information to the current generation at USF. The program will create a club that helps run this entity of social media. Through the club, members will each have the opportunity to run the Instagram account for a week. They will post about student life, class activities, internship opportunities, ways to get involved, and student successes. We believe that this will not only be effective but interactive for the student body. It will allow the Instagram account to be filled with uptodate activities within the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications.