Higher Ed Social Media Summit

The field of generative AI has been advancing at a breakneck pace since ChatGPT was introduced to the public in November 2022. AI tools are now able to produce incredibly detailed images, lifelike videos, and remarkable works of writing based on just a few lines of user input or prompts. If used the right way, generative AI can be an effective tool for increasing productivity, boosting creativity, and empowering people with capabilities beyond their skills. But it’s also important to understand the risks.

Attendees of this talk will leave with:

• An understanding of what generative AI is and how it works
• Potential uses in higher ed marketing and communications
• Challenges and concerns to consider
• Recommended approach for integration
• A list of tools and resources

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The ever-evolving landscape of social media platforms requires carefully crafted strategies that are not only adaptable, engaging, and inclusive but also tailored to each platform algorithm.  With so many algorithm changes and new platforms emerging, it’s imperative that we understand the most effective strategies for each channel — including how the algorithms are designed, the ways in which they have changed recently, and where new platforms emerging have altered the landscape. 

These channels are incredibly powerful for communicating, connecting, and collaborating in their own ways, and with so many platforms, it can be difficult to classify them into one category for our work. With that in mind, we will examine them on an individual level to digest the value-add opportunities and the ways in which they influence one another. This session will review the most used social media platforms within the higher education industry and a few new players in the landscape. 

Takeaways: 

• Understand the current state of social media platforms and the various algorithms we are all trying to navigate (and dominate!). 
• Learn strategic approaches to ensure your brand’s social media content is designed for success on each social media platform. 
• Gain insights and skills in dynamic tactics to craft strategies, content, and engagement approaches that succeed across platforms.

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Tracking metrics and social media ROI often fall under the purview of solo social media marketers. In this session, Joel will share tips for managing metrics and analytics when time and resources are of the essence. 

You’ll learn how to:

• Keep track of the important metrics if you’re facing data-overwhelm
• Identify what you should be measuring
• How to translate the numbers into insights leadership will value
• Different ways to organize and calculate metrics
• Streamline tracking and reporting to make your life easier
• Defining light engagement vs. deep engagement
• Prioritize metrics and performance analysis alongside all of your other social media duties
• How to draw analytics from your competitors

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Section 1: The Student Recruiting Arc: Finding Collaborators to Amplify Your Mission with Kellen Manning

Finding students and building relationships to set the table for potential collaborations is a core tenet of our overall social strategy at Penn State. Meeting with up to five students a week has created an environment where students from across the University can authentically present themselves and their communities, spotlighting what makes our University unique and staying in line with our mission, values, and goals. To do this, we utilize every tool our platforms provide to create a never-ending supply of potential collaborators. This section will explore our methods and processes for building a robust student collaboration program.

What you’ll learn:

• Finding and reaching out to students from across the university using the tools platforms provide
• Building relationships that lead to unique content that showcases a thriving, diverse community while remaining in line with our University mission
• Utilizing the students' strengths and past work to get the most out of the collaboration
• Strategies on how to get students to participate, whether it be one-off posts or long-term paid roles

Section 2:  Setting Student Content Creators Up for Success with Alexa Block

Students play a pivotal role in creating digital content for higher education institutions. This section will explore ways to leverage students' experiences, skills, and perspectives to create meaningful social media content that is authentic to the student experience and upholds the institution’s values and mission. 

What you’ll learn: 

• How to create a structure for students to work within for content creation that aligns with institutional goals, including setting expectations, resource management, and how to conduct brainstorming sessions and select assignments for students
• What things to think about when sending students out to create content on behalf of the institution 
•  How to create documents to help guide students, such as “best practices for creating social videos” and “social media content creation policy”

Section 3:  Expanding the Influence and Scope of Your Student Team with Stephanie Ramirez

Once you’ve found your students, built a structure for their work, and developed them as content creators, it’s important to consider expanding their social media management and strategic skills. Students who understand the behind-the-scenes work of a social media manager not only produce better content but can also help alleviate your workload. This section will explore how you can fold your student creators into your overall strategy and expand the influence and scope of their work.

What you’ll learn: 

• How to understand and cater to students’ interests and strengths
• Where students fit in behind the scenes
• What kinds of tasks and opportunities to delegate to students, from day-to-day drafting to creating campaigns
• How to fold student content creators and their work into the big picture, i.e., your institution’s social media strategy

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LinkedIn Members interact with LinkedIn Pages over 2B times per month, which makes it essential that your brand's presence and content stands out. This session is designed to offer you top tips and tricks to help you make the most of your brand’s presence.

In this session, you'll learn practical strategies to enhance your brand’s visibility, including:

• The importance of creating a strong Page for your brand on LinkedIn and how to do it effectively
• Best practices for creating and sharing content that drives engagement on LinkedIn
• LinkedIn formats and features to best convey your message
• How to build a community around your brand
• Optimizing content with analytics

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Join us for an insightful session where we delve into the success stories of UHealth, the University of Miami Health System, and the Miller School of Medicine's strategic social media initiatives. Discover the secrets behind our robust content strategy, fostering community engagement, and positioning ourselves as trusted authorities in the medical field. This session is important to attend for anyone working in healthcare education, managing multiple brands, or wanting to learn more about HIPAA regulations in social media content. 

Key Highlights

• Explore how UHealth achieved a remarkable 22.3% increase in total followers and a staggering 152.8% surge in engagement. 
• Uncover the details of our platform-specific tactics, including a vibrant 744% engagement increase on TikTok and a 164% surge on LinkedIn.
• Witness the dynamic and impactful social media brand crafted by the Miller School of Medicine. Dive into our well-thought-out content strategy that resulted in a remarkable 251% engagement growth across major platforms in just one year.
• Gain insights into how UHealth and the Miller School of Medicine have excelled in healthcare education and communication through social media initiatives. 
• Understand the commitment to excellence that has propelled these institutions to become trusted sources of medical knowledge and innovation.

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Higher education institutions are continually seeking innovative strategies to engage with their audience effectively. In this breakout session, we delve into the rich tapestry of insights gleaned from diverse industries and explore how these lessons can be applied to elevate social marketing efforts within higher education.

Drawing parallels between higher education and other sectors such as technology, retail, CPG, and entertainment, this session unveils a spectrum of innovative approaches, tools, and tactics that have proven successful in capturing audience attention, fostering community engagement, and driving impactful results.

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Instagram is still one of the most popular social media platforms among college students, but how can schools use it effectively to connect with them?

In this presentation, Brenna shares how she transformed UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Instagram presence from a passive, one-way communication channel to an active, student-centered community. Because of the intentional strategy shift, engagement increased by 105% compared to the previous year, and their audience also increased by 20%.

She discusses the strategies, tools, and best practices used to create and curate authentic content, including a template for reaching out to students and examples of high-performing posts.

After this talk, attendees will be able to:

• Use all types of Instagram posts (stories, Reels, feed) to showcase students
• Properly reach out to students/staff/faculty to gather content
• Keep content professional for a university while still having fun
• Track the best metrics for engagement

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Session objectives

• Understand the creator economy from the perspective of creators and the organizations hiring the
• Understand the strategies and tactics used by creators to grow followings and make content
• Understand how to discover and engage with the content creators on your campus

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Social media platforms are not just for sharing information and communication anymore. In today’s digitally connected world, social media is critical for higher education institutions to amplify their brand and set themselves apart. In this session, we’ll explore strategies to ensure your social media content truly reflects your institution and resonates with your audience.

After this session, you will be able to:

• Understand why a strong brand is so important to an integrated marketing strategy 
• Articulate what makes your own institution unique
• Identify elements that reinforce your brand’s identity on social media, such as visuals, phrases, traditions, voice, and tone
• Recognize the importance of storytelling to reinforce and support key messages

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At either the recreational or NCAA level, collegiate athletics plays an important role at most universities. It’s something for students, alumni, faculty, staff, and the public to rally around and provides a sense of community. At times, however, it can be hard to strike a balance on social media between promoting athletics and keeping the focus on student success in the classroom, faculty research, and other university initiatives.

Using the 2023 Georgia Game Changers campaign as an example, Jamie Lewis, senior social media manager at the University of Georgia, will provide a successful example of how her team partnered with UGA Athletics to leverage the success of the Georgia Bulldogs football team following back-to-back national championships to tell the story of 12 students who support the football ecosystem on Saturdays while excelling in the classroom and supporting the community during the week.

Attendees of this talk will leave with:

• Tactics on how to collaborate with university athletics and leverage on-the-field success to highlight academics
• Examples of ways to integrate athletic content into your institutional social media strategy
• Innovative approaches to short-form video content that highlight student success and student experiences on the field and in the classroom

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