There are No Gurus

A Few Do’s and Don’ts for Getting the Most Out of Social Media

Dave Tyler @dtyler321March 21, 2012

Why that name for this presentation?

• I’m not really that smart• There’s too much to know• The field is changing so rapidly• Those who calls themselves gurus or experts

are selling something.

A few ground rules

• Some of what you hear will sound contradictory• None of what you hear is “THE right answer.”• Some of what you hear will probably be invalid

in 6 months• I’m not going to recommend you use any

particular platform• Your mileage may vary

Have Goals

• What are your goals? Recruitment? Increased Enrollment? More Likes?

• Social Media is a tactic. Not an objective.• Pick a goal, then figure out best platform to

help achieve that goal.• Numbers are nice, results are better

You Can’t Do Everything

Find a Friend• Someone who can help

you learn• An advocate• Maybe lots of

someones• Get S.M.U.G., if you can.• Find cheap student

labor

Don’t let your sites become this

Be Proactive and Responsive.

• Don’t ignore your page• Post Regularly• Provide answers• Even the tough stuff.• It’s okay to say “I don’t know. I’ll look into that for

you.”• If you’re not talking someone else is doing it for you

Be Conversational

• Write in English, skip the jargon• Social Media is not a press release or a white

paper or a dissertation• Be lighthearted (where appropriate)• Start conversations, don’t just react.• Ask questions.

Be Authentic

• Don’t try to be something you’re not. • “Authenticity builds credibility slowly, but

shameless promotion can destroy it quickly.”*• Use the resources at your disposal to build that

credibility.• You don’t need to hit people over the head w/

marketing messages or admissions deadlines.

*Greg Perfetto & Jeff Arnold of AdmissionsLab.com

Don’t Be Rude

• It only takes a minute to become a meme• Ocean Marketing• Even the rude people on your page most likely just want a response

Add it to your job description

• “When am I going to do my work?”• THIS IS YOUR WORK!• Carve out 15 minutes in the morning and/or

afternoon.• Or try the Google approach- 50 min work

followed by 10 min. of putting out fires.• Increases your value to your organization

Watch. Explore. Measure.

• Don’t just plunge in headlong. Observe first.• Your communities will tell you what they want.

Listen.• Use the stats functions of different platforms• Google Analytics• Consider a service, if you can afford it.– Hootsuite, Radian 6, IceRocket

Don’t Link Your Accounts

• People will catch on• If you catch an error & delete post from one,

do you remember to delete from the other?• Different social media outlets treat content

differently. • Different audiences receive content differently.

Don’t Run From Your Mistakes

Don’t Be Afraid to Fail• You can only learn from

the experience• What will it really have

cost you? Social Media is cheap

• You’ll still seem cool and edgy

Questions? Complaints?

• @dtyler321, dtyler@brockport.edu• Facebook.com/dtyler321• Slides at www.slideshare.net/Dtyler321.• BLATANT PROMOTION ALERT: Read

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