Social Media and the University of Michigan

Did you know? A look at the future

Why do you think you need a Facebook presence?

Social Media is NOT a strategy It’s a tactic!

First steps: **  Who do you want to reach?  Students  Press  Faculty  Administrators  Professors  Public **  Analyze your existing communications  Website traffic  Press releases  Ctools  Blogs  Listserves

Insights from Comm 478 Positives  “The site for everything about the University of Michigan.”  “A place for alumni, students, faculty to meet.”  “One day I’ll be an alumni and this will help me stay in touch with the university.” Negatives  “It’s not unusual for a person to “fan” a Facebook page and then never visit the page again.”  “Go big, or go home.”  Not enough “user-generated content” i.e. photos, music, videos, etc.  “Set realistic goals for what a Facebook fan page can do for you.”

Connect Communicate Create Collaborate

Connect

 Use social media to listen  Gather insights  Measure  Remember that students think about Facebook in very different ways than you do.  It doesn’t mean anything that someone “fans” your page—at least not to students.  You have to create reasons for why “fans” will return to your page.  Examples  Comcast on Twitter for customer service Comcast on Twitter  Motrin Moms and worst-case scenario Motrin Moms  Lululemon’s Facebook site Lululemon’s Facebook site

Communicate

 Participate in your online community. Are you going to add Twitter to your Facebook?  No longer one to one  No longer one to many  Many to many with little or no control  Helps break down barriers between those who need your information and you, the information providers.  Engaging instead of transacting or lecturing  Turning your “fans” into lifelong advocates  What do you want to communicate?  How often?  Who controls the communication?  Can anyone post on the fan page?

Create

 Using your “fans” to help create products, information, communications via Facebook that would make it useable and effective.  Photo and video contests  Robust events page  Giveaways  Profile picture contest  Promotions with other entities to raise awareness.  Dove Facebook page Dove Facebook page  Sun Valley Facebook page Sun Valley Facebook page  Jimmy John’s Facebook page Jimmy John’s Facebook page

Collaborate

 To create trust versus transactions  Relationships instead of communications  Reaching high trust and high transaction to create a sustainable relationship  You must think about “actively” managing the relationship.  You use social media to “prime the pump” of collaboration and relationships.  Not simply a one-time event— registration, campus event, alumni meeting, crisis—but an ongoing conversation that can happen at 9 a.m. or at 3 a.m.

Suggestions and information  Rethink your communications staff  Do you need a chief blogger instead of someone who writes press releases that go to an increasingly small group of media.  Do you need a chief tweeter?  Do you need a social media expert?   

Fara Warner Twitter: Farawarner