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Admissions , Facebook in Higher Education , Social Media

What Prospective Students Think About Your College Facebook Page

What Prospective Students Think About Your College Facebook Page

Last month I had the opportunity to hear from a variety of higher ed heavy hitters at the CASE Social Media and Community conference in Chicago.

Although the presentation topics were varied, my biggest takeaway was that institutions love their Facebook Page like their first born child. The School-wide Facebook page was often described as “our premier piece of social real-estate” or “the social first impression for prospective students.”

While I agree institutions should maximize their School Wide Facebook Pride, I couldn’t help but wonder if prospective students held these Pages in the same regard as their administrators.

High-School Student Focus Group

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May 02, 2012
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Social Media , Student Engagement

Should Colleges Use Social Media to Engage Non-traditional Students?

Should Colleges Use Social Media to Engage Non-traditional Students?

One of the questions we’ve been hearing a lot lately from schools, “do non-traditional students use social media the same as traditional students?”

This is a great question, since non-traditional students are one of the fastest growing segments in higher ed. For those of you not familiar with the concept, the most commonly-used definition of a non-traditional student is an individual enrolling in higher education age 25 or older. But that’s not the only definition. Read more ▸

Apr 26, 2012
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Facebook in Higher Education , Social Media

Facebook Introduces New Preferred Marketing Developer Program

Facebook Introduces New Preferred Marketing Developer Program

Facebook has announced they’ve merged two of their programs, the Preferred Developer Consultant (PDC) program and the Marketing API (MAP) program. The two have now become one – the Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD) program.

Since joining the PDC program in 2010, Inigral has had access to Facebook’s leadership and engineering teams with some knowledge of the direction and upcoming releases made by the social network.

This allows us to offer a frictionless user experience for our schools and their students. Read more ▸

Apr 19, 2012
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Admissions , Facebook in Higher Education , Social Media

How Are You Welcoming the Class of 2016?

How Are You Welcoming the Class of 2016?

There’s nothing new about colleges and college students creating Class of 20XX Pages and Groups before school start. These groups offer an engaging medium for students to meet one another and discuss life before they arrive on campus.

While this is a best practice for institutions looking to build community and improve yield, rarely do we hear exactly what students are talking about, which conversations are most engaging, and how the medium affects the message. Read more ▸

Apr 18, 2012
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Facebook in Higher Education , Social Media

Facebook Announces Groups for Schools – Good, Bad, or ‘Meh’ for Higher Ed?

Facebook Announces Groups for Schools – Good, Bad, or ‘Meh’ for Higher Ed?

Facebook has released their newest feature – “Groups for Schools” – this week in an effort to increase their reach into university communities.

While a handful of universities have already launched this year, the expansion of these “group networks” has rightfully caused a stir within the Higher Ed community. We’ve been in touch with Facebook’s product team on these new features since last year, but like Apple, product features and releases are kept under close wraps.

As new developments continue to occur we’ll be updating this resource, so please share your feedback and insights as you dive into the new groups feature. Read more ▸

Apr 11, 2012
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Admissions , Marketing , Social Media

Tumblr for Arts Schools Admissions – Tips from University of the Arts

Tumblr for Arts Schools Admissions – Tips from University of the Arts

Before I dive into the post I have to say my biggest pet peeves in marketing are: 1. Marketers try to join every social network under the sun and 2. Marketers disregard their unique brand and business situation when evaluating which platforms “make sense” to participate in.

Although Tumblr has been around for a few years it wasn’t until I ran into Lou Perseghin, the Social Media Coordinator from University of the Arts, who shared how he utilizes the platform to reach artistic high-school students. We met last month during a Hootsuite University Twitter chat, and he shared how great the engagement has been from their admissions presence on Tumblr. Read more ▸

Apr 10, 2012
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Admissions , Facebook in Higher Education , Marketing

7 Ideas to Improve your New Facebook Timeline Page

7 Ideas to Improve your New Facebook Timeline Page

When March 30th arrives, Facebook Pages will change forever. Well, knowing Facebook’s track record, things will probably change again. But, at the end of the month, Pages will have the new Timeline design.

While some schools have taken the leap of faith, a few schools are still hanging on to their current pages. While you do have until the end of March to make the switch, I wanted to share some ideas as to how you might improve your school’s Facebook Page.
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Mar 26, 2012
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Marketing , Social Media , Social Networks in Education

5 Hidden Costs of “Free” Social Media Marketing

5 Hidden Costs of “Free” Social Media Marketing

Social media, free as in Puppy, or free as in Lunch?

This is always the question I ask when people claim one of the benefits of social media is that it is “free.” Sure, signing up for most social media accounts doesn’t cost any upfront money, but social media is a bit more like a free puppy rather than getting a free lunch.

Don’t believe me? Here’s five reasons why there’s no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to social media. Read more ▸

Mar 20, 2012
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