Krywosa, IMC

In a rare meeting prior to setting up a Twitter account, one department asked me to tell them how much is too much Tweeting. I realize I got ahead of myself by not letting them finish and blurted out ‘I will never tell you that you are Tweeting too much – its impossible.’ Here’s what I meant:

Twitter Reading is Selective

Its easy to scan each tweet to see if you need to read further. Its the nature of the communication medium: Twitter users become accustomed to short bursts of information and, in my opinion, are very good at skimming the content. In my own use, I find that I skim, and go back and re-read if its important. This also assumes you are an avid user and have enough followers to dilute multi-tweets from one account.

Following Takes the Place of a Feed

Do you read every post that comes through your RSS reader? Didnt think so. The same is true with Twitter. I dont expect that every Tweet you post from orientation will be read but it will be searchable. Think of it as a bookmark for that information. Someone’s going to stumble upon it at some point and find it useful.

I fear the opposite much more than I do over-tweeting. Do you have a magical equation that you use for your branded account?

Lately, everyone’s been talking about creating a social media strategy. Ok. Not lately, but for the past year. I went back and forth on this for a while. Yes, you DEF need a strategy. No, you kinda dont need one. Back and forth, back and forth.

Well I’ve settled: YES. You DO need one. Why? Well, without one, whats the point? You are just ‘doing to do’. You may end up with some positive outcomes but overall, did you achieve your goal, or just a goal in general? Did you move the needle or just do a good job at what you started at?

While I was thinking NO the reasons were because everything changes so fast. Some days, one account has a curious uptick with no internally based promotion. Others, things you think may have worked to increase traffic tanked. Maybe going with the flow, with no real set plan is the way to go. Again, what would be the purpose? A certain number of followers/fans/group members doesnt mean anything when those numbers are just that. The point from this: a good strategy allows for mid campaign change without waiting till the end. You must be agile.

What is your purpose? I know this has been written about several times and ways but its truly the bottom line: What does your success look like? Is it an uptick in applications/accepts/enrolls? Is it a campus that feels more engaged and connected? Both have different strategies and knowing that and planning around them is the main “light bulb moment” that people need to have.

For instance, which is more valuable: a Facebook group with 1400 members and 143 posts or a group with 850 members and 400 posts?

My answer? Both. Depending on the goal. If its just to communicate information to a large audience in a niche way, maybe its ok to not have as much engagement. Although much is crammed down our throats about ‘millennials’ some are just ‘watchers’. If its to create a sense of community on an urban campus, perhaps less people with more posts (and posters) is a win.

Thoughts?

In another installment of ‘getting to know Jess’ and after many great Twitter conversations created around @rachelreuben’s conference Tweeting, I’m attaching links to a few choice publications that I authored in my previous position. I think they are still relevant in the conversation of ‘is social media worth it’, especially for low income families.

Achieving College Access Goals: The Relevance of New Media in Reaching First-Generation and Low-Income Teens

How College Access Marketing Campaigns Can Utilize Social Networking Web Sites

Creating a Strategy for Community Engagement

Its hard to believe. Both that its only been six months and that six months have actually passed…

If you dont know me, the change to Higher Ed was from my 8 year career in education based, grassroots non-profit work, both at the local and national level. I did a lot of strategic outreach through traditional PR, branding and web work, so when my current position opened, it seemed like an excellent opportunity to specialize in web comm and build on my social media integration strengths.

I thought the leap would be of similar strengths and weaknesses, but it was a much grander departure than originally envisioned. Here are my top five lessons from the first six months in office:

1. Politics, Politics, Politics: It seems like not much can get done because someone else may be upset. Funny, I thought we were all working towards the same goal. Oh, we’re not? Huh. Learning how to navigate the waters has been the largest challenge, especially when its not clear who has final say on things. If  you ask, it just might start WWIII.

2. Decentralization: Without one area for messages, branding, and strategies to filter through, how will we know we are successful? Further, how do we get a full picture of how we present ourselves to students? With no real jurisdiction over groups, no ax can be wielded when web content is stale, incorrect or just poorly written. Getting everyone on the same page proves tiresome since meetings become events with 20+ people at the table. Coming to an agreement is even harder.

3. Fiefdoms Proliferate: Not sure why someone doesnt want to let you in? Maybe its because they are master of their own kingdom, having been there for 20 years and  are afraid you’ll uncover that they do not really have any content knowledge beyond ‘the way its been done’. This is problematic for many reasons, but primarily because it kills any new employee’s idealism. Second, it allows outdated ways of doing things (interoffice mail, for example) to eat up precious staff time. A little bend here and there goes a long way to incorporating new ideas, while helping employees gain new skills, making them actually invaluable.

4. Old Way (My Way) versus New Way (Your Way): Building on #3, many employees feel threatened, not only by new technology and social media, but by your expertise in an up and coming field. This leads us to ‘this is the way its been done’ and we all know how that goes. Frustration abounds and proactive newbies end up thwarted and denied action on innovative ideas. How long will these employees last? Who will observe their tenacity and strategic thinking and snatch them up? I could give a few examples…

5. Slow Sallies: Mix 1-4 together and what do we have? A slow operation that gets even slower when educating people on new tactics and strategies becomes central to moving anything forward (which, it should). Decisions cannot be made because multiple people hold multiple keys to one lock. They must Rubik’s cube themselves together to actually work. Stars must align. In such a climate as the recent financial downturn + the proliferation of newer and newer technologies and vendors, timing is essential. Look around at all of the great ideas that you’ve seen come to fruition lately: without this, how will your school stay afloat and top of mind? How will you compete? Slowness is not an option.

With that, I remain up to the challenge. I’m optimistic that stars will in fact align. There’s a tide turning here and its exciting to help steer the boat that rides it. Even though its been tough, organizationally and personally, it leaves everything on the table.

Now, if only everyone would show up for dinner…

I recently read a post by Chris Brogan discussing the idea that search is social. After initial brain digestion, I began to apply it to my new position to see what I could uncover. I’m realizing that there is much to be learned regarding our customers and how they access information, but also, what they already think of our product.

How do customers decide upon a college beyond price, location and academics? If they don’t know who you are, chances are, they may not be looking for you. But, do they know what you offer, experientially, geographically and in terms of personal growth opportunities? Does your university culture offer something that others do not, and if so, how are you using that to help students decide to attend your school over another? What doesn’t it offer that may leave some students feeling like they are missing something, and yet empower others?

Creating tactics in social media are one thing, but, creating a branded identity that can be applied to a student’s persona is another. Search – and research based on customer segmentation – is a part of this, as its a part of behavior.

What are your thoughts on creating an experience as an identity, and not just a university brand?

Check out my submission for the .eduguru new blogger contest. Remember to vote for me!

Ugh. I’m soooooo sick of hearing about the Millennial. Are we done with this yet? Has it passed? Do we have to wait for the next generation to finally stop being lazy and over typecasting these kids?

I dont know why its been everywhere lately, from the business angle to the college angle. But I’m happy that someone is coming out against it.

It seems like we’re seeing more and more of both. Which may sound bad, but the rise of the anti is actually very welcome. How can we consider an entire generation of students across the globe as extremely well versed in everything digital?  Sure they have the option, ones we never dreamed of and probably dont take advantage of. But, for many of them, they dont take the place of real communication: they only facilitate more of it.

I was recently converted to the anti movement when I asked a bunch of college students if they knew what Twitter was and most of them did not. Only 1 or 2 used it. On the flipside, think of how they use Facebook or other social networking sites: many times, they do not distinguish between what they read on Facebook, and what they are told directly. In conversations, they (and other digital natives), use the information to facilitate conversations in real life as if there is no divide or difference in how they learned what they know. These communication tools serve to provide them with a tether that usual means of contact have not allowed so that they are free to be more involved in each others lives. I say this, because I know its how some of us – non-millennials – live.

We need to remember what good marketing is. Its not the next best thing. Its the original thing: one on one communication. Web 2.0 can be used for this, but a generational blanket does nothing but leave out those who need contact and communication the most.