Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College Rules of (Twitter) Engagement eduWeb Conference August 5, 2014

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Why it’s good to be these guys…social media wise

Why it’s good to be these guys…social media wise (cont.)

But there is hope for everyone else What this presentation will cover: A) Proven approaches for engaging with your Twitter followers B) Best practices for covering events via Twitter C) Ways to leverage Twitter activity on other social media platforms D) Strategies for gauging Twitter Return on Investment (ROI)

A little bit about your presenter -Assistant Director of Alumni Marketing and Communications at the Harvard Business School where he manages the office’s social media channels -13,000 alumni interactions via Twitter since January Graduate of UMass-Amherst and the Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences -Author, Social Media Matters blog, -Superhero sidekick of Aniceta

Twitter Approach: Identify Identify HBS alumni who are on Twitter and add them to the appropriate list.

Twitter Approach: Identify (cont.)

Finding your target audience: A)Confirm whether new followers are (or are not) alumni B) Use the LinkedIn “Advanced Search” feature

Twitter Approach: Identify (cont.)

Twitter Approach: Engage Engage alumni through retweets, original tweets promoting their work, tweets sharing events, tweets connecting alumni with each other, tweets to alumni based on their interests, etc.

Twitter Approach: Engage (cont.)

“The Case of the Panda”

The Case of the Panda (cont.)

Twitter Approach: Engage (cont.) Engage alumni through live coverage of events.

Twitter Approach: Engage (cont.)

Twitter Approach: Leverage Leverage the relationships we have developed with alumni so they participate in discussions.

Twitter Approach: Leverage (cont.)

Twitter Approach In Review Identify Engage Leverage

Event Coverage: Research -Locate alumni attending an event and add them to the appropriate list.

Event Coverage: Pre-event -Curate conversations and/or share content with alumni attending the event before it takes place. -Monitor attendee list and hashtag for engagement opportunities.

Event Coverage: Pre-event (cont.)

Event Coverage: Day of Event The Essentials: A) Laptop B) Camera and/or smartphone C) Twitter tracking sheet (more on this to come) D) A VERY large cup of coffee

Event Coverage: Day of Event (cont.) -Live-tweet event. -Engage with alumni attending the event.

Event Coverage: Day of Event (cont.)

-Reach out to alumni who are NOT at the event when specific engagement opportunities arise.

Event Coverage: Day of Event (cont.)

Event Coverage: Post-Event -Post Storify of event coverage and share with event attendees and other interested parties (e.g., alumni from the same class year). -Post event photos on Facebook.

Event Coverage: Post-Event (cont.)

Cross platform engagement or why you should cross the streams on Twitter and Facebook

Crossing the Streams (cont.) -Identify people you’ve interacted with on Facebook AND Twitter

Crossing the Streams (cont.)

-“Pull alumni over” from Twitter to Facebook.

Crossing the Streams (cont.) -The result? An increase in engagement across EACH platform.

Crossing the Streams (cont.)

Gauging Twitter Return on Investment (ROI) -Each alumni interaction is tracked on an excel spreadsheet. This sheet includes information drawn from the Twitter profile and alumni directory file of each alumnus/a such as city and state of residence, interest, year of graduation, and section.

Gauging Twitter ROI (cont.)

-This sheet enables us to connect with alumni based on personal and/or professional interest.

Gauging Twitter ROI (cont.)

-Each interaction with an alumnus/a is “scored” on a tracking spreadsheet: 1-2 “touches” a month equals “minimally engaged”; 2-4 “touches” a month equals “moderately engaged”; and 5 or more “touches” equals “highly engaged.” -Interactions are retweets, favorited tweets, or original tweets by individual alumni.

Gauging Twitter ROI (cont.)

-We also measure the connections we help make

Gauging Twitter ROI (cont.)

-Connections must be one of the following…. A)A tweet in response to an action we took. B)Tweeted responses from alumni must include the handles of fellow alumni. It cannot be a tweet directed solely

Gauging Twitter ROI (cont.) -Twitter-based interactions are included in monthly reports.

Gauging Twitter ROI (cont.)

In conclusion…. -Identify, Engage, Leverage -Find event attendees on Twitter and engage with them before and during the event. -Engagement can (and should) happen across different social media platforms. -It is possible to share the ROI of your social media work.

Speaker survey: (mobile, tablet, or laptop)

Thank You! Questions?