Third-party marketers who are hungry for your incoming freshman and their attention can try to hijack your brand on Facebook and other social media sites. That seems obvious. I know, you’re thinking “What can we do about it? It’s inevitable.” But trust me when I say it’s worth investigating.  Before exploring ways to investigate, let’s talk about the proliferation of Facebook Pages and Groups that represent your brand, but are not created by you or an official representative of your institution.

Tireless effort made vain

Your school may have the resources for an entire department to manage the marketing efforts towards your newly admitted students. Or it may be the case that it’s just you and a colleague are holding down the fort. Either way, the work you do is tiresome, and highly appreciated by those invested in your department, and your institution. As alluded to before, it’s difficult to ensure that you are the first person to get in front of this year’s admits. There is a major risk that your admitted students are confronted by a person or firm that is not aligned with the brand your institution. The bottom line is that no one wants their first impression to be the worst impression. And in cases like the “FacebookGate” scandal uncovered by Brad J. Ward and BlueFuego, your admits should not be introduced to your institution by way of spammy links, strange marketers, and silent staff.

100% out of your control

The worst part about unofficial groups is the fact that your institution has NO CONTROL OR VISIBILITY over who joins, what is said, when it’s said, and who says it.  All of the announcements, targeted email campaigns, icebreakers, and other efforts your team could be thwarted. When interrupted by unexpected communities forming without your knowledge, keeping your admits attention might require a plan B.

Facebook’s Policy: You’re on Your Own for a While

If someone has hijacked your brand, Facebook won’t do anything for a really long time.  You can contact them using this form, but they’ll say more or less to resolve it yourself by contacting the Page or Group administrator.  On a positive note, there’s a strong chance the Page or Group administrator will willingly hand over the Page or Group to avoid a stink.  On the other hand, it might take a while and they might not care about the whole ordeal as much as you do.

Every day counts

Time is of the essence when it comes to getting your admits to choose your institution over your competitors. The fact is that every day counts; if you aren’t engaging them in a unique and meaningful way, another institution will be.

Keep in mind that this applies to you even if you own and manage your Facebook class of 2014 Group. Because the way Facebook works, anyone can create a Group with your institution’s name and trademark in it’s title. And by default, anyone can join your class of 2014 group as well, even me!

Set up your Incoming Class Facebook Group Now!

Here’s a few quick ways to make sure that your 2014 group is set up for success:

1. Set the privacy settings to “Request to Join,” and cross reference every request for membership with your admitted student list.
2. Make sure that an official representative of your institution is an administrator of the group. (It’s important that this person has your institution’s Facebook network as their primary network.)
3. Use your institution’s official branding assets (logo, etc.) for the Group’s profile picture.
4. Add some copy about this being “The Official Group”
5. Under the “Info” tab, link back to the webpage on your institution’s website for either admitted students, new students, or another informational page.

By following these quick steps, you will have created a solid, official community for your admits to connect and engage.

Or/And Set Up an Incoming Facebook Student Application Now!