Higher Education Social Media Strategies (IIM Case Study Included)
Introduction
The social media strategy for an educational institution has to stand on solid ground. That is, it has to appeal to various audiences—current students, prospective students, their families, alumni, staff, patrons, donors, and other stakeholders. Each of these audiences is unique and shares its unique contribution to the institution digitally.
Addressing such multiple audiences, and their different needs and interests requires a common thread of social media messaging. This thread is made up of commitment to data, collaboration and tailored messaging. That is all about digital socializing. It cannot happen haphazardly. It needs well-thought-out social media strategies for marketing educational Institutions and a continuous action plan in place.
In this blog, we will discuss how to set an effective social media strategy suitable for a higher educational institute. We will review a case study of how a well-known institution IIM Kozhikode effectively manages its social media marketing. Lastly, we will discuss the challenges of social media marketing that come despite your best strategy and efforts put in; and tips to overcome them.
Setting the Strategy- The Useful 7
Strategy 1: Segment Your Audience
We just discussed different audience groups an educational institute has, each with its needs and interests. Let us explore each.
- Prospective Students
They are interested to know about campus life, academic programs, and student testimonials.
- Current Students
They want updates on events, campus news, notices, resources they can use, and networking opportunities.
- Parents
They are interested in safety, academic performance, and support services.
- Alumni
They look for updates about the institution’s growth and opportunities to reconnect.
Strategy 2: Platform-Specific Approaches
Different social media platforms serve different purposes and need different approaches to get maximum benefit. Here is how to use each effectively.
Great for community building. Share updates, events, student stories and promote your blogs with call to action encouraging audiences to read and comment. Engage with your audiences through timely and appropriate replies and messages.
Perfect for visual storytelling. Use stunning photos, videos, and stories to showcase campus life and student achievements.
- Twitter (now X)
Useful for quick updates and engaging in trending conversations. Use hashtags to increase visibility.
Best place for professional networking. Share academic accomplishments, research breakthroughs, and alumni success stories.
Strategy 3: Create Engaging Content
You will need diverse and engaging content for each of the social platforms. Here are some tips to go about it.
- Videos
Short clips of campus tours, student testimonials, faculty interviews, students in action, and events. Video marketing for educational institutions is essential in today’s digital landscape.
- Blogs
Articles on useful topics related to academics such as how to make a great study schedule that works, how to network with alumni, how to prepare for interviews etc. Blog topics could be endless such as student experiences, career advice and the like.
- Infographic
Great for sharing statistics, tips, and educational information in a visually appealing and creative way.
- Live Sessions
Host Q&A sessions, webinars, and virtual open houses.
Strategy 4: Build a Consistent Brand Voice
Consistency is a must for building trust and recognition. You need to ensure that your messaging, tone, and visuals are consistent across all platforms. For example, use your institution’s colours, logos, and fonts to create a cohesive look. It will help in reinforcing your brand identity and brand recall.
Strategy 5: Interactive and Live Engagements
Engagement is not a one-way street. You will have to encourage the audience to participate with comments, posts, sharing, etc. That is, inspire them to interact. You can do so via:
- Live Q&A Sessions
Answer questions from prospective students and parents in real-time.
- Polls and Contests
Create interactive polls or contests to engage your audience. Collect feedback.
- User-Generated Content
Inspire students and alumni to share their experiences and tag your institution.
Strategy 6: Scheduling and Timing
Regular posting is required to maintain an active online presence.
For this, create a content calendar to plan and schedule your posts.
Use tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to manage and automate your social media activity.
Pay attention to the best times to post on each platform to maximize engagement.
Strategy 7: Make the most of the Analytics
Data is your great friend if you can use it properly to refine your strategy. The analytics tools will help to track the performance of your posts.
Set and monitor your key metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversions.
Use these insights to adjust your strategies and improve your results.
Now, after all the talks let us walk the talk through a case study.
Case Study: Social Media Strategy of IIM Kozhikode
Introduction
IIM Kozhikode is one of the prestigious management institutes in India. It has effectively utilized social media to increase its outreach, engage with various audiences, and build its brand.
Background
Established: 1996. Location: Kozhikode, Kerala
Objectives of Their Social Media Strategy
- Increase Awareness.
- Promote the institution to prospective students.
- Increase Engagement.
- Improve interaction with current students, alumni, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders.
- Brand Building.
- Place IIM Kozhikode as a thought leader in management education.
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Platforms Used
- Facebook: With over 120,000 followers, IIM-K used it for sharing updates, events, and achievements.
- LinkedIn: With over 40,000 followers, the school used it to focus on professional accomplishments, research, and alumni success.
- Instagram: With over 20,000 followers, they used it for visual storytelling of campus life, student activities, and events.
- Twitter (X): With over 25,000 followers they used X for giving real-time updates, event coverage, and thought leadership.
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Platform-Specific Content Strategy Used
- Facebook: They posted regularly about events, student achievements, and faculty insights.
- LinkedIn: They published professional articles and posts highlighting research, alumni success stories, and professional development posts.
- Instagram: Constant publishing of high-quality images and videos showcasing campus life, events, and student projects.
- Twitter: Quick updates, live tweeting of events, and engagement with followers through Q&A sessions for virtual admission events.
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Engagement Tactics Used
- Interactive Content: Polls, Q&A sessions, and live events.
- User-Generated Content: Encouraging students and alumni to share their experiences using specific hashtags.
- Giving Response: Timely responses to comments and messages to maintain engagement and keep the audience spirit high.
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Analytics and Performance
Tools Used: Facebook Insights, LinkedIn Analytics, Instagram Insights, Twitter Analytics.
Metrics Used: Engagement rate, reach, impressions, follower growth.
E) Performance Data
- Facebook: Average engagement rate of 5%.
- LinkedIn: 15% increase in follower growth annually.
- Instagram: 10% average monthly follower growth.
- X: 7% engagement rate on average.
The Result
The Virtual Admissions Event that they conducted via live Q&A sessions on Twitter (X) for prospective students resulted in a 20% increase in applications.
The Alumni Campaign they ran highlighted successful alumni stories. It improved engagement by 25% across all platforms.
IIM Kozhikode used a well-thought-out social media strategy across platforms continuously adapting to new trends and focused on engagement. This way IIM Kozhikode successfully positioned itself as a leading educational institution in the digital space with 20% increase in enrolment applications.
Tips to Win Against the Digital Social Challenges?
No matter how much you strategize your social media and put in your sincere efforts, social media comes with its own set of challenges and they inevitably come. Here are some of them, and how to overcome them.
i)Low Engagement
If you see this, keep experimenting with different types of content and posting times as well to see what resonates with your audience. Once you understand, follow that.
ii)Content Burnout
Posting the same type of content leads to content burnout. That is, the audience does not find your content interesting or get bored. Keep a mix of content types. Involve different departments to contribute fresh ideas.
iii)Negative Feedback
Address negative comments professionally and use them as an opportunity to improve. Do not forget to thank them as well for their efforts to put them down.
Conclusion
To sum up, by understanding your audience, choosing the right platforms, creating engaging content, and making the best use of analytics, you can build a powerful social presence. Institutions are doing it and reaping the benefits, and so can you. The best approach is to take the help of a higher education digital marketing agency seasoned in educational turf.
