Social Media Use

Public

Discussion:

Hello Mary,

Many schools have a Facebook Page because it is used for Lead Generation for Marketing. However, there are many schools who are still discovering that social media tools can be used to enhance student retention and career development/career services participation among many other purposes. Thus, what you describe in about your school having a FB page but Career Services not having one, is normal. Your reluctance is also normal. One thing, among many, this course will emphasize is the mindset and expectations you will have to have if you decide to leverage a social media strategy for your department. This means transparency and authenticity are critical which also means control is given up because you do open it up for students/alumni to post their opinions which may be negative. This is a reality but it isn't necessarily "bad."

Rather than viewing this as something to fear, what about viewing it as an opportunity to publicly demonstrate your high-quality customer service? One thing is for sure, once you go social, it will keep you on your toes! How to make things work for you will first require you to have a focus on what objective(s) you have for your department and how social media will play a role as merely one component of the multiple things your department already does to accomplish your department objectives. You will see examples discussed in forums and you will also see examples of strategy plans in the "Resources" section. This course is essentially, a marketing course that will help you understand how a strategy can be developed, how it can be used, and finally, what tools can help you execute as well as measure. I look forward to our future interactions and encourage you to maximize your learning by asking questions and engaging in dialogue. I am hear to help facilitate this journey with you.

Take care.

Robert Starks Jr.

Hello Mary, Many schools have a Facebook Page because it is used for Lead Generation for Marketing. However, there are many schools who are still discovering that social media tools can be used to enhance student retention and career development/career services participation among many other purposes. Thus, what you describe in about your school having a FB page but Career Services not having one, is normal. Your reluctance is also normal. One thing, among many, this course will emphasize is the mindset and expectations you will have to have if you decide to leverage a social media strategy for your department. This means transparency and authenticity are critical which also means control is given up because you do open it up for students/alumni to post their opinions which may be negative. This is a reality but it isn't necessarily "bad." Rather than viewing this as something to fear, what about viewing it as an opportunity to publicly demonstrate your high-quality customer service? One thing is for sure, once you go social, it will keep you on your toes! How to make things work for you will first require you to have a focus on what objective(s) you have for your department and how social media will play a role as merely one component of the multiple things your department already does to accomplish your department objectives. You will see examples discussed in forums and you will also see examples of strategy plans in the "Resources" section. This course is essentially, a marketing course that will help you understand how a strategy can be developed, how it can be used, and finally, what tools can help you execute as well as measure. I look forward to our future interactions and encourage you to maximize your learning by asking questions and engaging in dialogue. I am hear to help facilitate this journey with you. Take care. Robert Starks Jr.