My Day: Posts

Here at the University of Kentucky we have a rapid turn-over in the selection of a college major. This can be a good thing if the student is moving from a major where there is not a good fit in expectations or background to one where there is more promise for success, persistence despite adversity -- and eventually, ta-da! graduation. This rapid and repeated changing of the major is a bad thing if the student still hasn't found a good fit and program/degree requirements keep adding on to an already too-long list of courses taken. So, it seems strange to me that all the energy and MONEY placed on college recruiting activities, including social networking endeavors, doesn't get shared with student support staff and faculty working with currently enrolled students who wander between the various colleges within the University.

Some really good points were raised at a recent CASE online speaker session: "In "Listen and Watch Closely: The Effective Use of Social Media for Student Recruitment," Lipman Hearne's Robert Moore and Stetson University's Gregory Carroll discussed the prevalence of social media use among Generation Y—teens and young adults—and how universities are using these technologies for recruitment and communication outreach efforts. Moore, managing partner at Lipman Hearne, said 89% of rising seniors visit social networking sites primarily to stay in touch with friends, but only 18% use social media in their college search. However, Moore admitted the power of Facebook, MySpace and other social media as "extremely powerful peer-to-peer and word-of-mouth tools." Carroll, Stetson's vice president of marketing, discussed messaging and brand reinforcement, emphasizing the need for an "authentic voice." Previously, Carroll was vice president of marketing and public relations for Furman University. He noted that Furman's retention rates for students rose to 93 percent after the university implemented its social media efforts, which include using student bloggers. Having a strategic plan in place and being open to new ideas are key to a successful program, he said. "Don't be afraid to try new things and see if they work," Carroll said.

Yahoo! This is exactly what Chris Rice is doing with our Big Blue Network efforts.

Other key points from the session fit really well for any student retention efforts:

Successful strategies will include the right mix of traditional and social media
Be part of the conversation but engage audience as an individual—not from an institution's viewpoint
Monitor Twitter, RSS feeds and other communications
Know the culture of your institution to determine what strategy will work best
Social media success takes people, skills and time
Be authentic in your storytelling and represent yourself accurately