SMSsummit Higher Ed — Day 1
Monday, October 23, 2023
7:55 a.m.–8:00 a.m. Pacific
Welcome Remarks by Summit Emcee
Asst. Professor & Graduate Coordinator, Dept. of Comms and Media Studies
Southeastern Louisiana University
8:00 a.m.–8:45 a.m. Pacific
Staying up to Date in 2023: An Overview of Emerging Platforms, User Trends, and Feature Updates
Speaker-Led Roundtable Discussions
8:45 a.m.–9:30 a.m. Pacific
Join one of our small-group video roundtable discussions to share new ideas with your peers. Speakers will lead these discussions. There will also be open networking tables to meet and greet other attendees.
Join one of our small-group video roundtable discussions to share new ideas with your peers. Speakers will lead these discussions. There will also be open networking tables to meet and greet other attendees.
Time Management and Burnout for Social Media Managers  | Navigating Copyright Rules for Graphics and Music | Social Media Accessibility | Nurturing Innovation: Tips and Tools for Fostering Creative Thinking in Your Team  | Evaluating Time and Frequency of Content Posting | Social Media Tool Recommendations |
9:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m. Pacific
Break
10:30 a.m.–11:15 a.m. Pacific
Panel
Integrating UGC into Your Social Strategy
11:15 a.m.–11:45 a.m. Pacific
Break
11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Pacific
Case Study
Social Media Campaign Development from Start to Finish
12:30 p.m.–1:15 p.m. Pacific
How Social Marketers Can Leverage Collaboration Across Campus to Support Marketing Goals
Chief Communications and Marketing Officer
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
1:15 p.m.– 2:00 p.m. Pacific
Panel
Managing Social Media on Behalf of University Leadership
2:00 p.m. Pacific
Day One Concludes
SMSsummit Higher Ed — Day 2
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
8:00 a.m.–8:15 a.m. Pacific
Welcome Remarks by Summit Emcee
Asst. Professor & Graduate Coordinator, Dept. of Comms and Media Studies
Southeastern Louisiana University
8:15 a.m.–9:00 a.m. Pacific
Extracting and Communicating Insights from Social Media Data
Whether you love or hate it, data might be the most essential tool in a social media manager's toolbelt. But what should you be tracking, and how should you report it?
During this session, attendees will learn that there is no one-size-fits-all regarding social media reporting. They'll leave with best practices on what metrics to pull, how to cross-analyze them, and how to break those numbers down in a digestible way for all those to understand.
Speaker-Led Roundtable Discussions
9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m. Pacific
Join one of our small-group video roundtable discussions to share new ideas with your peers. Speakers will lead these discussions. There will also be open networking tables to meet and greet other attendees.
Join one of our small-group video roundtable discussions to share new ideas with your peers. Speakers will lead these discussions. There will also be open networking tables to meet and greet other attendees.
How to Work with Student Content Teams | How to Share and Elevate Research from Your School on Social | Engaging with Alumni on Social | Developing Consistent Content as a Team of One | Leveraging AI Tools to Make Your Job Easier | Tips and Tricks for Creating TikTok Content |
10:00 a.m.–10:15 a.m. Pacific
Break
10:15 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Pacific
Implementing a Test, Learn and Optimize Strategy with Social Advertising
When it comes to social media advertising, where do you begin? Selecting the correct creative, placements, and budget can be overwhelming. And once the ads are live, where do you go from here? What does success look like during and afterward? This session will teach you how to set up and prepare for a social media campaign properly. We'll cover KPIs to monitor during the campaign to ensure optimization and reporting structures for your team and leadership.
11:00 a.m.–11:45 p.m. Pacific
Panel
Preparing Your Team to Leverage Social Media for Crisis Comms
11:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Pacific
Break
12:15 p.m.–1:00 p.m. Pacific
Panel
How to Choose the Right Social Media Platforms for Your Institution
1:00 p.m.–1:45 p.m. Pacific
10 Tips for Holding a Content Brainstorm that Generates Big Ideas
1:45 p.m. Pacific
Day Two Concludes
SMSsummit Higher Ed Workshops
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Pacific
Building Your Content Strategy: Planning, Calendars, Creativity, Data & More
This workshop will include short lectures, activities with small break-out groups, results-sharing, and Q&A.
Section 1: Content Strategy & Planning, led by Laurie Roberts, Johnson & Wales University
Setting the strategy is the first step to developing a successful social media presence, including the basics: goals, audiences, platforms, and content pillars. Knowing what to post is important, but knowing when to post can be tricky. This section will also cover creating and maintaining a content calendar that puts your content strategy to work.
What you’ll learn:
- How to draft a social media strategy that outlines goals, audiences, platforms, and content pillars (plus a worksheet)
- How to re-imagine key marketing messages as content pillars
- How to map out post ideas on a content calendar (plus suggested free tools)
- How to maintain a content calendar that’s both flexible and strategic
- Tips for a multi-departmental approach to sourcing strategic content
Section 2: Channel-Specific Content & Working with Students, led by Lawerence Synett, University of Colorado Denver
Once your content pillars and content calendar is in place, it’s essential to break down content per platform and understand where your content will perform its best. This section will review platform best practices, and provide easy-to-implement ideas for tackling the “creative desert.”
What you’ll learn:
- The best types of content per platform, including Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter
- The best ways to leverage student ambassadors, workers, and organizations
- How to address a lack of content ideas
- Traps to avoid regarding link clinks, hashtags, graphics, specific days, and celebrations
Section 3: Data-Informed Content Strategies, led by Moriah Walker, UNC Charlotte
Once you’ve created your social content strategy and identified the best channels for your institution, there are important steps to take to stay on track to achieve your goals. This section will cover how to make data-informed decisions to keep your audience engaged and your institutional priorities top of mind.
What you’ll learn:
- The role of data in determining what to share and how to share it effectively
- When to find a new approach for your lowest performing content and when to move it off of social
- How to make “dry” topics more engaging for a social media audience
- Ways to repurpose content to get the most ROI
SMSSummit Corporate Brand Workshops
8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Pacific
Data Literacy for the Social Media Marketer
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Pacific
Break
12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Pacific
Video Content Creation for the Time-Strapped Marketer
SMSsummit Corporate — Live Virtual Conference
Thursday, October 26, 2023
8:00 a.m.–8:15 a.m. Pacific
Welcome Remarks by Summit Emcee
8:10 a.m.–8:40 a.m. Pacific
“Edutainment": How to Create Content that Informs and Entertains
8:40 a.m.–9:10 a.m. Pacific
Social Customer Care: Going Above and Beyond to Surprise & Delight Your Customers
9:10 a.m.–9:30 a.m. Pacific
Break
9:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m. Pacific
Thought Leader Spotlight
9:45 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Pacific
Panel
Panel: Examples of High-Performing Content, What Worked, and Why
10:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Pacific
Develop & Scale a Paid Social Plan
11:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Pacific
Break
11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Pacific
Thought Leader Spotlight
12:15 p.m.–12:45 p.m. Pacific
Panel
Ask Us Anything: How to Operate at Maximum Output with a Small Team
12:45 p.m.–1:00 p.m. Pacific
Break
1:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m. Pacific
Using Social Media to Support Your Lead Generation Goals
1:30 p.m. Pacific
Day One Concludes
SMSsummit Corporate — Live Virtual Conference
Friday, October 27, 2023
8:00 a.m.–8:10 a.m. Pacific
Welcome Remarks by Summit Emcee
8:10 a.m.–8:40 a.m. Pacific
Extracting and Communicating Insights from Social Media Data
8:40 a.m.–9:10 a.m. Pacific
Creators vs Influencers: How Each Can Support Social Campaigns
9:10 a.m.–9:30 a.m. Pacific
Break
9:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m. Pacific
Thought Leader Spotlight
Speaker-Led Roundtable Discussions
9:45 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Pacific
Join one of our small-group video roundtable discussions to share new ideas with your peers. Speakers will lead these discussions. There will also be open networking tables to meet and greet other attendees.
Join one of our small-group video roundtable discussions to share new ideas with your peers. Speakers will lead these discussions. There will also be open networking tables to meet and greet other attendees.
TikTok Strategies | LinkedIn Strategies | Instagram Strategies | Twitter Strategies | B2B Social Strategies |
10:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Pacific
Tips and Tricks for Creating Effective Video Content
11:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Pacific
Networking Break
11:30 a.m.–11:45 p.m. Pacific
Thought Leader Spotlight
11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Pacific
Panel
How AI Can Improve Your Efficiency as a Marketer
12:30 p.m.–12:45 p.m. Pacific
Break
12:45 p.m.–1:30 p.m. Pacific
Panel
Establish a Brand Community from Scratch
1:30 p.m. Pacific
Day Two Concludes
Higher Ed On-Demand Sessions
You have unlimited access to these talks — watch when and where you want!
The Dos and Dont's of Jumping on Social Media Trends
Who doesn't want to jump on a social media trend? They're fun and relatable, increase engagement, and boost your profile. However, it's a slippery slope regarding which trends a university should and shouldn't participate in. In this presentation, we will take an in-depth look at social trends that are great for a school or university and those that may not work.
You'll learn:
- How to know what makes something a social media trend
- Ways to identify if you should or should not participate
- Thinking through content creation based on a trend
- Best practices for what to do when you decide you'd like to join one
