NAVIGATING THE SOCIAL MEDIA LANDSCAPE: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EXTENSION

NAVIGATING THE SOCIAL MEDIA LANDSCAPE: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EXTENSION March 2011

Introduction

What s on the agenda? Why did UW-Extension start using social media? What is social media? How has UW-Extension used social media to promote some of our programs? Successes and challenges.

UWEX and the Growth Agenda The Growth Agenda: aim is to increase the number of adult, nontraditional students working toward a baccalaureate degree, with the ultimate goal of producing 72,000 more fouryear college graduates in Wisconsin by 2017. Social media marketing = way to reach Gen X and Gen Y students. 35.00% 30.00% 25.00% 20.00% 15.00% 10.00% 5.00% 0.00% 30.40% 28.90% 27% 25.10% % of residents with Bachelor's Degrees (US Census Bureau, 2006) Minnesota Illinois NaJonwide Wisconsin

UWEX and the Growth Agenda Jobs requiring a bachelor s degree are projected to grow at a faster rate than the overall job market. From 2004-14 jobs requiring a bachelor s degree in Wisconsin are projected to grow by 18.7%.

What is Social Media? Many different definitions. Generally: Social media are works of user-created text, video, audio, or multimedia that are published and shared in a social environment.

Types of Social Media Types Forums, blogs, message boards Wikis, podcasts, Social bookmarking, picture-sharing, Instant messaging Popular Choices Current popular social media sites include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Flickr

Who s using Social Media? Nearly three-quarters (72%) of online 18-29 year olds use social media sites 45% doing so on a typical day. 39% of internet users thirty and older use social networking websites. Under 30, those ages 18-24 (73%) and those ages 25-29 (71%) are equally likely to use social networking sites. Men and women are equally likely to use these sites, as are whites, African-Americans and Hispanics. Usage of online social networks among adults does vary by educational attainment 50% of online adults with at least some college experience use these sites, compared with 43% of such adults with a high school degree or less. *Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project

Who s using Social Media?

Why Social Media Marketing? A January 2010 survey of 533 senior marketing executives in the Marketing Executive Networking Group (MENG) by Anderson Analytics looked at the importance of various marketing trends. The concept of Social Media officially made the top-10 list for the first time in 2010. The importance of social media however is nearly undisputed; about 70% of marketers surveyed had planned new social media initiatives for 2010.

Why Social Media Marketing? In 2010 MENG Executives were also asked which, if any, industry buzz words, they were most tired of hearing. The top answers were Social Media (29.1%) Twitter (14.8%)

Incorporating Social Media UW-Extension s primary social media efforts thus far have been focused on two of our programs: Independent Learning Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management

Independent Learning Independent Learning (IL) has offered self-paced courses at a distance since 1892. IL offers 125 courses in more than 40 subjects in both online and print-based formats. IL primarily attracts traditional students who are taking a single undergraduate credit course to fill out a semester schedule and stay on track to graduation.

Independent Learning Primary social media marketing for IL has been through Facebook. We e-mailed IL students inviting them to join the IL Facebook group. Currently has 129 members.

Independent Learning

Independent Learning Typical IL Facebook post: Kristy Mary Does anyone have any advice for me? I'm taking the general geology course and the readings are soo boring... I am just not interested in the subject but I have to take the course...the course is taking me much longer than it should it's so hard to just get through one assignment! :( Any advice would be appreciated!

Facebook ads

Independent Learning New IL account on Twitter (http://twitter.com/@ilwisconsin)

Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management The online Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management (SMGT) is a recent collaboration among UW-Extension CEOEL and four University of Wisconsin campuses: UW-Parkside, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout, and UW-Superior. The first students were enrolled for the fall 2009 semester.

Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management Traditional marketing and public-relations were integrated with a social-media plan that included: Student blogs Facebook fan page Facebook paid ads Twitter page Twitter news page for journalists LinkedIn page

Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management

Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management Staff post approximately 20 times per month to the Facebook site. Typical posts include: Notes and questions from students and community members: This program is awesome!! I'm really learning about sustainability and how we can make a difference! Thanks UW-Extension! Check this Green Jobs book out, it is amazing! From the marketing department: Hey SMGTers, what advice do you have for our new students? 5 responses/interactions From student services: Check out your course syllabuses this weekend before classes start. http://bit.ly/enskmx

Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management

Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management 627 Facebook fans (http://www.facebook.com/uwsmgt) 676 followers on Twitter (http://twitter.com/uwsmgt/) 121 journalists following @GreenDegree on Twitter (media-relations only) (http://twitter.com/@greendegree ) 17 members on LinkedIn (plans to reach out to business community) ( http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2244069&about=) Wikipedia page created ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/university_of_wisconsin_sustainable_management) SMGT student bloggers

Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management Additional plans for the 2011-12 fiscal year: submitting materials to itunes U posting videos on YouTube photos on Flickr Looking at potential for Foursquare TeacherTube

Other Considerations Staff time required (moderating and generating good content) Facebook, Twitter and all social media sites are monitored by Student Services staff. Response time is usually under one business day. Add social media links to other marketing-emails, direct mail, department email signatures etc. Choosing a management tool

Legal Considerations Corporate/Employee Disconnect 40% of executives say they have the right to know how employees portray themselves online 58% of executives say it is important to address risks presented by social media 15% say they are addressing those risks 70% do not have programs dedicated to monitoring and mitigating those risks

Legal Considerations 53% of employees believe their personal social network pages are none of their employer s business 33% of employees never consider what their boss would think before posting online 74% of employees say it s easy to damage a company s reputation using social media 20% admit visiting social media sites during work hours

Legal Considerations Review the policies and terms on social media sites, and stay current. Things like privacy policies can change quickly.

Best Practices Create a Strategic Plan Needs to start from the top of your organization What social media platforms will be used and who will control them? Balance risks and rewards Who will monitor what others are saying about you? Will you solicit user-generated content? If so, how will you monitor it? *Source Shoutlet, 2010

Lessons Learned Don t neglect traditional marketing techniques. We have maintained direct mail, print, radio and online advertising. Support e-recruitment with social networking efforts. Work with student services, faculty, program managers and more to stay informed and generate good content. Just getting started? Focus efforts on just one or two areas to get your feet wet. No silver bullet. Like any other marketing, it takes time and staff collaboration and effort to see results.

Questions & Answers