Time Management & Social Media: Solutions for International Educators

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Time Management & Social Media

Solutions for International Educators

Top Solutions: Save Time & Sustain Successful Communities

Resources to Mine for Content

Hootsuite/Twitter searches

Google Alerts

TheOldReader

Social Oomph

Alltop

Memes

Guest Contributors

Interns

• Facebook Scheduler
• Hootsuite (Auto Schedule)
• SocialOomph
• Pinterest "Pin It" Button
• Content Schedule and Calendar
• Schedule when posts will be released and shared on networks (lots of tools to research optimal times and days)
• Set time aside in YOUR schedule of when to be interacting with your audience

Why is The “Social” So Important?

• It’s where your audience is - want them on your website or in your office? Meet them halfway

• Content is the new normal

• As the technology develops, there are more ways to measure the return on investment

Introduction

Stephanie Jackson - Opportunities Abroad Program

Manager & Marketing Coordinator

BridgeAbroad

Melissa Cech - Online Community Manager

University of Colorado

Tiffany Harrison - Outreach Manager

GoAbroad.com

Platforms To Consider

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• Pinterest
• YouTube

Melissa Cech

Online Community Manager, CU-Boulder Alumni Association

melissa.cech@colorado.edu

Tiffany Harrison

Outreach Manager, GoAbroad.com

tiffany.harrison@goabroad.com

Stephanie Jackson

Opportunities Abroad Program Manager & Marketing Coordinator, BridgeAbroad

sjackson@bridge.edu

BridgeAbroad

FACEBOOK

• Launched summer 2012
• Visual content (memes, photos, etc.)
• Posting once a day
• Abroad101 & Facebook Essay Contest

TWITTER

• Longest running platform with the most followers
• Links to informative articles, quick tips, program information
• Posting 2 - 5 times per day

CUBAA

FACEBOOK

• Alumni Association Page with 10,000+ likes plus 50+ Chapter Pages
• Content reflects tenets of association: Engage, Contribute, Celebrate
• Post 1-3x per day
• Flashback Friday (historic photos) and Walkabout Wednesday where we highlight popular locations around campus and the community.

TWITTER

• Nearly 4,000 followers
• #ForeverBuffs
• Can post anywhere from 5-30 times per day
• Live tweeting

First Things First...

GOOGLE+

• SEO
• More important as our email system migrates to Gmail

PINTEREST

• Highlight the life cycle of the student/alumni experience
• Popular with young female Forever Buffs

YOUTUBE

• Videos of events
• Mixed media

What are YOUR frustrations

and questions?

What are YOUR long term goals?

Who in your offices manages social media? How much time does it take?

GoAbroad

FACEBOOK

• Over 50K fans - drives referral traffic
• Run numerous campaigns: Innovation Awards, Next Great Travel Writers Contest
• Timeline Design = preference for videos, photos, status updates
• Post 3 - 5 times a day depending on the day of the week

TWITTER

• One of the main referrals of traffic to Facebook
• Great for sharing quick updates; finding new fans to engage & interact with
• Post about 20 - 40 times a day; different hashtags for different campaigns

Putting it All Together

GOOGLE+

• Google+ is great for SEO. Syndicate with HootSuite!
• Important to be present and posting on this platform - carries a lot of weight with search engines

PINTEREST

• Frequently used to post content from the GoAbroad Blog, share interesting content related to different aspects of travel
• Host contests through the platform
• Less strict than Facebook** AND great for SEO purposes

YOUTUBE

• Great way to feature content - interactive medium
• Announce news, host contests, featured interviews, etc
• Build playlists, embed videos, share links, new channel redesign

• Choose what works for you (large office, small office, lots of employees, few employees, etc.)
• What works for others, might not work for you

• Be selective in the platforms you choose to focus on

• Syndication = a timesaver and a lifesaver

• Social media won’t exist on its own; it’s essential to make interaction and engagement an important function of your office/organization