Become a Social Media Wizard Best Practices and Emerging Trends

Ron Fauss Partner - Proforma Collegiate Solutions

Randon Coffey Missouri Southern State University

Director of Athletic Marketing and Sponsorships

Demographics Of Social Media

Demographics Of Social Media

With 1.55 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the market leader for social networking sites.

Demographics  Of  Social  Media

• 74% of adults who went to college use Facebook.

• 71% of adults with some college experience use Facebook.

• 74% of adults who make between $50,000-$74,999 use Facebook.

• 72% of adults who make over $75,000 use Facebook.

Demographics  Of  Social  Media

Is  the  only  pla8orm  where  those  ages  30-­‐64  are  more  likely  to  be  users  than  those  ages  18-­‐29.

Demographics  Of  Social  Media

• 31% of adults 30–49 use LinkedIn.

• 30% of adults 50–64 use LinkedIn.

• 23% of adults 18–29 use LinkedIn.

• 21% of adults over 65 use LinkedIn.

• 50% of adult college graduates use LinkedIn.

• 22% of adults with some college experience use LinkedIn.

Demographics  Of  Social  Media

• 44% of adults making over $75,000 use LinkedIn

• 31% of adults making $50,000–$74,999 use LinkedIn

• 21% of adults making $30,000–$49,999 use LinkedIn

• 111 Million plus users in the United States

Demographics  Of  Social  Media

• 72%  of  adult  internet  users/62%  of  the  American  popula8on  

• The  largest  user  age  demographic  at  29.7%  are  Ages  25-­‐34  

• Facebook  among  internet  users  65+  has  increased  21%  in  the  past  two  years  

• S8ll  Growing  …

• 23%  of  adult  internet  users/20%  of  the  American  popula8on  

• 30%  of  Urban  internet  users  are  on  twiMer.  

• More  men  use  twiMer  than  women.  (25%  vs.  21%)  

• PERISCOPE  -­‐  Offers  many  new  opportuni8es

• 28%  of  adult  internet  users/24%  of  the  American  popula8on  

• The  largest  user  age  demographic  at    55%  are  Ages  18-­‐29  

• Instagram  was  growing  rapidly  from  2014-­‐2015,  but  slowed  down  drama8cally  in  2015.

Demographics  Of  Social  Media

• 31%  of  adult  internet  users/26%  of  the  American  popula8on  

• 44%  of  women  internet  users  are  on  pinterest  compared  to  16%  of  men  

• Most  common  categories  of  pins:  DIY/Cra(s,  Food,  Home  Décor,  Hair  and  Beauty,  Design

• 200  million  users  

• 71%  of  users  are  between  18-­‐34  

• 70%  of  users  are  female  

• 18%  of  U.S.  social  media  users  use  Snapchat

• 28%  of  adult  internet  users/23%  of  the  American  popula8on  

• par8cularly  popular  among  college  graduates,  those  in  higher-­‐income  households  and  the  employed    

• 50%  of  College  Graduates  use  LinkedIn    

Why Does This Matter?• Targeting to fans and followers of your social media is 31% more effective than all

other targeting groups in building awareness.

• Fans and followers of your social media convert 3.5 times better than interest targeting for direct response campaigns.

Your social media fans and followers are a goldmine and constantly outperform all other targeting groups.

Your Brand is

IMPORTANT

Build your social media brand and following =

expand your GOLDMINE

Brand BuildingOld Way

Direct Mail CampaignsPrinted Alumni Magazines

WebsitesTraditional Television, Radio and Billboard Advertising

Brand BuildingNew Way

Social Media presents an ever-evolving and broadening way to reach your alumni and supporters.

It’s changed the game from you hoping your alumni and supporters visit you, to you being socially entrenched in their everyday activities.

How to execute properly with the additional pull on current resources and acumen

Preparation is KEYPlan at least three months in advance important events and campaigns and have a

unique plan for all platforms, focusing on the key objectives.

Do it right, and do it professional. Social Media is now the most public your brand will be to your alumni and supporters.

Make sure all content is meaningful and all graphics are on point.

Design / Content Quality is KEY

Take  the  same  care  in  choosing  graphics  for  your  social  media  as  you  would  for  donor  gifts,  apparel  and  everything  else  your  logo  and  brand  

will  be  associated  with.

Design / Content Quality is KEYMost  institutions  are  already  stretched,  with  current  staff  having  limited  time  or  acumen  to  execute  a  social  media  plan  

properly.      

Strategic  outside  partnerships  can  be  very  helpful.

When to Post 80% of the US population is in either the Eastern or Central time zone.

Posting Saturday or Sunday increases engagement by 32%

The best times to post on Facebook are 1–4 p.m. late into the week and on weekends.

Saturday and Sunday at 12–1 p.m.Thursday and Friday at 1–4 p.m.

Wednesday at 3 p.m.

When to Post Mondays and Fridays are the worst times for posting to Linkedin.

Posting Saturday or Sunday increases engagement by 32%

Midweek posting is optimal from 5–6 p.m.

Tuesday at 10–11 a.m.Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 7:30–8:30 a.m., 12 p.m., and 5–6 p.m.

When to PostPosting Saturday or Sunday increases engagement by 32%

The optimal times to tweet are 12–3 p.m., with a peak best time at 5 p.m. During the workweek is the best, though some niches might have more active audiences

on the weekend.

Wednesday at noon and 5–6 p.m.Monday–Friday at 12–3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Experiment with 2–3 a.m., 6–7 a.m., and 9–10 p.m.

When to Post Instagram Audiences are engaged throughout the week.

Mondays should maybe get a little more attention.

Monday and Thursday at any time other than 3–4 p.m.Videos any day at 9 p.m.–8 a.m.

Experiment with 2 a.m., 5 p.m., and Wednesday at 7 p.m.

10 Social Media Best Practices for Best Engagement

1. Follow back and interact Displays interest and fosters goodwill. You’ll also pick up public thanks, which starts a

personal conversation.

2. Keep the social in social media Engage your influencers, donors and alumni. Social media is all about relationships.

Engage when possible - with the exception of trolls - DON’T FEED THE TROLLS

10 Social Media Best Practices for Best Engagement

3. Determine your voice and tone Be sure your content and tone matches both your brand and the values and ideals

represent, as well as the demographic you’re reaching in the chosen platform.

4. Keep it Succinct Short, sweet and to the point. Most consumers of social media are grazing, so you

have a limited timeframe to grab their attention for your message. In addition, tweets of less than 100 characters are more than 17% more likely to be engaged.

10 Social Media Best Practices for Best Engagement

5. Create Brand Awareness Social media platforms offer the potential to increase your public profile. You have the

ability to create grassroots campaigns, engage with donors and alumni, share content from them, and stay active in conversations.

6. Don’t Overshare While it’s important to stay in the loop and maintain social relationships, posting too

often can turn your audience off. Focus on sharing items that are of value to your community and reflect your brand. Planning content is the key.

10 Social Media Best Practices for Best Engagement

7. Don't Always Feel Compelled to Jump In Much like oversharing, you don’t have to be a part of every conversation mentioning

your institution. Choose your engagements wisely to maximize exposure.

8. Be as Transparent as Possible Openness goes a long way in social media and is a big part of building trust with your

followers. Give them behind the scenes access to your institution and its events by creating videos, livestreaming events, and introducing your team with links to connect. In turn, prospects will take more of an interest in your brand, and stay in touch.

10 Social Media Best Practices for Best Engagement

9. Be Proactive, Versus Reactive Monitor general feeds in higher education and of your peers. This strategy reveals new

conversations you may wish to take part in and establishes new relationships. It’s also a great way to catch any issues or trends ahead of time to be outfront.

10. Respond to Negative and Positive Feedback Respond to positive feedback, thank your community for sharing your content and invite

members to share their stories. Consider negative feedback as constructive criticism and an opportunity to improve, and respond quickly.

Leverage on-campus partnershipsAthletics

2013 - Florida Gulf Coast Men’s Basketball Team - “Dunk City” upsets Georgetown and San Diego State to become the first 15 seed to advance to the “Sweet 16”

THE NEXT DAY the FGCU institutional web site crashes from the sheer volume of traffic.

Leverage on-campus partnershipsAthletics

2015 - North Dakota State “Drive for Five” Stampede.NDSU hosted and event at Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas in conjunction with the

FCS National Championship.

The event itself was nearly sold out, and was viewed via Youstream by more than 1,000 fans and alumni while promoted only via

social media and the NDSU app.

Bottom LineSocial Media is almost entirely about telling your story to build interpersonal relationships. This is best done through quality content that foster engagement

from your followers, donors and alumni.

Your goal for social media should be engaging and developing a one-on-one, personal relationship with each and every follower, donor and alumni and

providing your brand top-of-mind awareness.

Today’s  session  evaluations  will  be  emailed  to  you.  

Session  presentations  will  be  available  after  the  conference.    Conference  registrants  will  receive  an  email  with  links  to  these  presentations.