Higher education institutions have never had a greater need to establish a presence on social networks as Gen Z is entering college age. Many institutions who are proficient in social media tools have many benefits. These are the top benefits of social media in higher education.
1. Promotion of Values and Accomplishments
Your institution’s mission, values and vision should be made known. The role of social media in higher education is important in setting the tone for campus. Your school should promote and represent the culture it aspires to cultivate.
From small purchases to major life choices, value alignment is key. Make sure prospective students, faculty, partners, and other stakeholders know that they are welcome and supported. Communicate to them what behavior will not be tolerated.
Make it easy for past and current scholars to feel proud of their alma mater by displaying commitments to sustainability, investments into the community, or advancements in medical research.
It’s okay to brag a little. Highlight state-of the-art facilities and award-winning research. Honor staff, faculty, students, and alumni. Celebrate the achievements and first places of top athletes to rally school spirit.
2. Connecting with Students to Increase Fundraising
Major fundraising contributions often come from alumni. Social media can help you raise your profile and maintain relationships with them. Many universities and colleges have social accounts that are specifically designed for alumni relations.
Social media can also be used to promote one-off and annual fundraising events.
You can easily integrate different campaigns to allow you to assign funds. Alumni, students, staff, and faculty can also be involved in social fundraising campaigns. They can be a great source of support and camaraderie.
3. Using UGC (User-Generated Content)
Your entire student body is likely to create social content regularly. This is a lot of real-life content that can authentically increase your institution’s visibility.
Students can participate in social media contests by sharing content they can use. As motivational prizes, simple rewards such as university logo clothing are a good choice. These promotional clothing items are likely to be featured in future posts, furthering the university’s organic promotion.
4. New learning opportunities
Higher education has many opportunities to use social media for creativity and presentation.
A professor asks students to tweet their favorite Moby Dick line in “The Chair,” a Netflix series. It’s not a place for critical thinking. It could be a great first step towards incorporating social media tools. Perhaps students could create a hashtag that is specific to their course and collect tweets. Then, they can discuss the impact of those tweets or what their meaning is.
How is social media a popular tool in higher education?
It is difficult to overstate the impact of social media on higher education. Let’s take a look at some of the most important uses it has for higher education.
1. It Is Attracting to New Candidates
Your university can make it easier for students to imagine their future. Use virtual tours to showcase college life and student takeovers.
Highlight the social activities, clubs, and communities that attendees can take part in. Showcase the campus. Show them the campus and explain to them what your institution has to offer beyond academic studies.
2. Important Updates Can Be Shared in Real-Time
Nobody wants to be in a crisis or an emergency. Institutions should plan for these situations. Social media is becoming a popular source of information and updates for people. Social media is an integral part of any crisis communications plan.
Social media is a fast way for rumors to spread quickly. You’ll also want to monitor student-led trends. It is vital to engage in active social listening.
The current health situation has made it more important to have strong communication at colleges and universities. Policies, precautions, cancellations and physical distancing are all examples of mask policies. These are all the advisories that schools issue now on social media.
3. Engage Students On- and Off-Campus
Some students do not live on campus. However, this doesn’t make them less motivated to participate in student life.
Social media is a key benefit for higher education because it allows students to communicate. This could be at home, on different campuses or at conferences.
To rally students, create channels and groups. They can be based on a wide range of topics, interests, experiences, or activities.
Bottom Line
Social media is one of the easiest ways to attract attention to your institution and keep students interested in its life. Locations and ways you engage your students can vary, but the tool can help you with every obstacle.
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