TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. The Big Picture………….………………………………...……………….……….…3 2. Situation Analysis…………………...……….……………………………..………….4 2.1
2.2
External Factors 2.1.1
Social Trends
2.1.2
Competition
Internal Factors 2.2.1
External/Internal Site Analytics
2.2.2
2.2.3
YouTube
2.2.4
2.2.5
2.2.6
Observations
3. Planning………………………….…………….……..…….….….……….…………12 3.1.
Goal & Objectives
3.2.
Target Audience
3.3.
Action Strategies
3.4.
Strategies, Tactics & Evaluation Methods
4. Conclusion………………….………….……….…….………………………………27 5. Citations...………………….………….……….…….…………….…………………28 6. Appendix A…………………………………Content Management Schedule in Table 7. Appendix B…………………………………...Content Management Schedule in List
2
THE BIG PICTURE The question isn’t “Will the Brown School have a presence on the web or not?” Because no matter what your answer is to that question – Brown School will have a presence on the web; it’s just your decision of whether you want to try and influence that presence. The Internet and its various social media tools have given each and every consumer a voice. Whether it is through LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogs, Twitter or another yet to come, people have a means to discuss the organization with or without its consent. Brian Solis, author of Essential Guide to Social Media (2008), states it frankly, “If you’re not part of the conversation, then you’re leaving it to others to answer questions and provide information, whether it’s accurate or incorrect. Or, even worse, you may be leaving it up to your competition to jump in to become the resource for the community. Yes, there will be negative comments. Yes, you’ll invite unsolicited feedback. Yes, people will question your intentions. Negativity will not go away simply because you opt out of participating. Negative commentary, at the very least, is truly an opportunity to change the perception that you did or didn’t know existed.” Brown School not only needs to be participating and listening to those voices, but staying ahead of the online curve.
3
SITUATION ANALYSIS External Factors Social Trends The home website, intranet, Facebook Fan Page, Twitter feed, LinkedIn Group or YouTube Channel; these essentially are all tools. All tools that do different things, mind you, but tools that allow organizations to communicate immediately in a more intimate and organic way than traditional advertising. In Social Media specifically, communities take the form of social networks and the communal groups within them. People establish associations, friendships and allegiances around content, objects, products, services and ideas. As an organization we can’t just speak “at” the consumer through one-sided messages; we must listen, talk, listen again, assess and contribute value – as if we were citizens of each respective community we wished to join. It the conversations that feed communities and those communities are markets for relationships. When an organization helps cultivate a relationship, trust and loyalty are the rewards (Solis, 2008). Despite the stereotype, it’s not just the younger generation participating online. While nearly eight in ten teens (78 percent) and 18 to 24s (77 percent) have personal profile pages on a social networking site, almost two-thirds of 25 to 34s (65 percent) and half of 35 to 44s (51 percent) also now have personal profile pages according to the new national survey from Arbitron Inc. and Edison Research, The Infinite Dial 2010: Digital Platforms and the Future of Radio (2010). The study also shows that 30 percent of Americans age 12 and older, who have a profile on at least one social networking Web site, use those sites "several times a day" compared with only 18 percent one year ago. •
Facebook: In March 2010 Hitwise reported that Facebook surpassed the search engine giant Google. In August 2010, Comscore reported that Facebook overtook Google in time spent online.
•
Twitter: Twitter.com claims 105,779,710 registered users, new users are signing up at the rate of 300,000 per day and 180 million unique visitors come to the site every month. 4
•
YouTube: In October 2010 Google reported youtube.com to be the second most popular website with 490 million unique visitors.
•
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com claims more than 85 million members in more than 200 countries. It also claims that Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.
According to the Society for New Communications Research, New Media, New Influencers and Implications for Public Relations (2008), marketers are already realizing the value of the online world. Of those organizations surveyed, 78% use blogs, 63% use online video, 56% use social networks and 49% use podcasts in their organization’s communications initiatives. •
Fifty-seven percent of respondents said that social media tools are becoming more valuable to their activities as more customers and influencers use them.
•
Twenty- seven percent reported that social media is a core element of their communications strategy.
•
Only three percent stated that social media has little or no value to their communications initiatives.
While blogs, online video and social networks were ranked as the most popular social media tools, respondents spread their activities across a wide range of channels. Podcasts, newsgroups, photo- sharing sites and wikis have also been widely deployed. Fifty-one percent of respondents are formally measuring the effects of their organization’s social media initiatives. The metrics they value most are enhancement of relationships with key audiences, enhancement of reputation, customer awareness of program and comments/posts relevant to organization/products.
5
Competition Social Work The University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration: http://www.ssa.uchicago.edu/index.shtml •
Facebook: 465 Fans, http://www.facebook.com/UChicagoSSA
•
Twitter: 20 Followers, 69 Tweets, @UChicagoSSA
University of Michigan’s School of Social Work: http://www.ssw.umich.edu/ •
Facebook: 1431 Fans, http://www.facebook.com/universityofmichigan.schoolofsocialwork
•
Twitter: 1543 Followers, 505 Tweets, @UMSocialWork
•
LinkedIn: 155 Members http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2118793&trk=anet_ug_hm
Penn Social Policy and Practice: http://www.sp2.upenn.edu/ •
Facebook: 845 Fans, http://www.facebook.com/pages/PhiladelphiaPA/University-of-Pennsylvania-School-of-Social-Policy-Practice/38358661171
•
LinkedIn: 511 Members, http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=1810752
•
iTunesU (Connects to the main Penn State University account; presence is on YouTube, but not advertised)
Columbia University’s School of Social Work: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ssw/ Facebook: 726 Fans, http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-YorkNY/Columbia-University-School-of-Social-Work/108772683119?ref=nf University of California Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare: http://socialwelfare.berkeley.edu/ University of Southern California’s School of Social Work: http://sowkweb.usc.edu/ •
Facebook: 3,287 fans, http://www.facebook.com/uscssw
•
Twitter: 576 followers, 138 Tweets, @uscsocialwork
6
•
RSS Feed: feed://sowkweb.usc.edu/news/rss.php
•
YouTube: 59 Uploads,14,822 Channel Views, 58,886 Uploaded Video Views, 260 Subscribers, http://www.youtube.com/user/USCSocialWork
Public Health John Hopkins School Public Health: http://www.jhsph.edu/ •
Facebook: 2292 Fans, http://www.facebook.com/JohnsHopkinsSPH
•
Twitter: 54,873 Followers, 1,089 Tweets, @JohnsHopkinsSPH
•
YouTube Channel: 20 Uploads, 5737 Uploaded Video Views
Harvard School of Public Health: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ •
Facebook: 2683 Fans, http://www.facebook.com/harvardpublichealth
•
Twitter: 1,733 Followers, 779 Tweets, @HarvardHSPH
•
LinkedIn: 938 Members
•
YouTube Channel: 44 Uploads, 20879 Uploaded Video Views
University of Michigan School of Public Health: http://www.sph.umich.edu/ •
Facebook: 1636 Fans, http://www.facebook.com/UMSPH?ref=mf
•
Twitter: 1240 Followers, 3060 Tweets, @UM_SPH
•
YouTube Channel: 25 Uploads, 7219 Uploaded Video Views 7
Internal Factors External/Internal Site Analytics Brownschool.wustl.edu (January 2010-October 2010) 632 visitors on average per day, 2:42 minutes average time on site and 3.47 average pageviews per visit Traffic Sources
Referring Sites
1. google/organic
1. wustl.edu
2. (direct)/none
2. gradschools.com
3. wustl.edu/referral
3. gradschool.about.com
4. bing/organic
4. publichealth.wustl.edu
5. yahoo/organic
5. transitionsabroad.com
6. gradschools.com/referral
6. catalog.wustl.edu
7. gradschool.about.com/referral
7. graduateschool.wustl.edu
8. publichealth.wustl.edu/referral
8. facebook.com
9. transitionsabroad.com/referral
9. polyu.edu.hk
10. catalog.wustl.edu/referral
10. news.wustl.edu
Insidebrown.gwb.wustl.edu (January 2010-October 2010) 1427 visitors on average per day, 2:20 minutes average time on site and 2.07 average pageviews per visit Top Content
Content by Title
1. /Pages/Default.aspx
1. Inside Brown
2. /students/CourseListings/Pages/Courses.aspx
2. Brown School Courses
3. /Library/Pages/default.aspx
3. Brown School Library
4. /Library/Pages/DatabasesA-D.aspx
4. Events
5. /students/MSW/Pages/AcademicResourc
5. Reservations
es.aspx
6. Search Results:
6. /Lists/Events/calendar.aspx
7. Search People Results:
7. /students/Pages/keycontacts1.aspx
8. Databases A-L
8. /roomers/Pages/Reservations.aspx
9. MSW Academic Resources
9. /Library/Pages/DatabasesM-R.aspx
10. Key Contacts
10. /FormApps/Pages/Forms.aspx
8 Â
Facebook Quantitative •
830 Fans
•
7 daily active users on average
•
16 daily page views on average from viewers logged in
•
0 daily impressions of stream stories generated by page
•
99 total “likes” on posted stories
•
21 total “comments” on posted stories
•
37.85% (the majority) of users are females age 25-34
Qualitative Posts are scarce and come across as an advertisement for the school. Example from September 22 “Professional Development Opportunity: Attend the Designing Family Informed Services for Neglecting Families and Children lecture tomorrow at the Danforth University Center, Room 276 from 4:15pm - 5:15 pm. Richard Barth, PhD makes the case for identifying family risks to prevent child abuse and neglect. Learn more: http://bit.ly/98LkBw” Example from August 26 “We are offering a brand new dual degree this year with the Olin Business School. The MBA/MPH is designed to meet the growing demand for business-savvy, public policy-minded health-care managers. Learn more about it http://bit.ly/ddvYIp” Questions go unanswered. Example from August 20 “My name is Rebecca and I am a grad student in nutrition through University of Kansas Medical Center. I am taking a course this semester called International Nutrition and World Hunger, for which I must interview someone from a country other than the U.S. regarding health and nutrition in his/her country of origin. I live very close to campus in Clayton - do you know of anyone who would be willing to chat with me over coffee or happy hour?”...No response from the School.
9
YouTube Several videos posted with WUSTLPA, but no personal channel. Twitter •
87 followers
•
23 tweets total
LinkedIn Official presence is non-existent. Nonofficial: “GWB Alumni” Group (127 members) Nonofficial: “Washington University in St. Louis George Warren Brown School of Social Work” Group (67 members) Observations According to Analytics While the Brown School external site has a solid foundation, it clearly functions alone. No form of social media draws significant attention to the site. Tools such as socialmention.com and addictomatic.com, sites that gauge online impact, do not recognize “Brown School”. When using “George Warren Brown School” on socialmention.com the majority of the sentiment is neutral and there is more than 24 hours on average in-between each mention. The internal site of the Brown School, while used frequently by the same users, needs to be reorganized for easier use. “Search Results” and “Search People Results” may rank so high in the ‘Top Content’ section due to this poor navigational organization. The items that are popular with users, e.g. calendars and events, need to be highlighted on the main page. The Facebook page is sparse and thirsty for attention. By implementing a consistent stream of information for fans of the page, Facebook will become an extension of Brown School on the web. It has the potential to provide a community for alumni and students; in return, it extends the Brown School brand and draws more attention to the Brown School site. According to new research from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School
10
of Business (2010), companies that use the popular social-media site Facebook and its fan page module to market themselves to customers can increase sales, word-of-mouth marketing and customer loyalty significantly among a subset of their customers. Although a Twitter account is present, it is unused; YouTube and LinkedIn have no official presence, leaving others to fill the gap by creating their own groups.
11 Â
PLANNING The overall strategy, in allegiance with the Brown School’s vision and the communication department’s mission, is to create positive social change by fostering conversations and providing online communities that marry the school’s path-breaking research and educational excellence to all the people involved.
Goals & Objectives Campaign Goal To create awareness and increase visibility on multiple digital platforms. Objective 1 Create accounts and participate actively in relevant online venues within 90 days. Objective 2 Create a positive online reputation within six months. Objective 3 Increase online brand awareness to the degree of being considered a key MSW/MPH competitor in the online realm within one year.
12
Target Audience The target audience for the Brown School will span from future students to seasoned employers. While every platform is not ideal for every audience, each offers an opportunity for a particular audience. By providing multiple options for the Brown School community, you allow them the choice to participate where they are most comfortable. External Site The external site is by far the most versatile platform in terms of range of audience. Metaphorically, it is the digital storefront that houses different departments within. Whether a consumer is brand new or seasoned with the school, they may find use out of this site. The audience encompasses, but is not limited to: •
Future and Past Students
•
Employers/Potential Professional Development Participants
•
Undergraduate Establishments
•
Competing MSW/MPH Programs
Internal Site •
Faculty and Staff
•
Current Students
•
Administration
Facebook •
Future Students
•
Current Students
•
Alumni
•
Faculty and Staff
•
Administration
13
Twitter •
Public Health/Social Work Organizations (e.g. http://www.getsocialworkerjobs.com)
•
Competing MSW/MPH Programs
•
Future, Present and Past Students
LinkedIn •
Alumni
•
Current Students
•
Faculty and Staff
•
Administration
•
Employers/Field Instructors
YouTube •
Future, Present and Past Students
•
Employers
•
Undergraduate Establishments
•
Competing MSW/MPH Programs
•
Faculty and Staff
14
Action Strategies Measuring Success In order to measure the success of efforts, an evaluation of all sites (external, internal, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) will need to take place periodically. Varying methods can be used for each platform. •
External (excluding WUSTL IP addresses)/Internal Site: Google Analytics
•
Facebook o Quantitative: Insights (provided by Facebook) o Qualitative: Manual collection of recorded communication
•
Twitter, LinkedIn Currently there are no analytics provided for these two social network sites, however, through manual recording we can keep record of a few items.
•
LinkedIn o Quantitative: Manual collection of members, bit.ly URL to record the click through rate of links provided o Qualitative: Manual collection or recorded communication
•
Twitter o Quantitative: Manual collection of followers, bit.ly URL to record the click through rate of links provided o Qualitative: Using key search terms such as “WUSTL Brown School”, “Brown School”, “George Warren Brown School” to survey what is being associated with the brand
•
YouTube: Google Analytics
15
Applicable Content Facebook, Twitter & Internal Site
LinkedIn & External Site
YouTube
16 Â
Content Creation Faculty Research Translation/Dissemination: One on one interviews with the Assistant Dean of Communications will provide insight as to what each faculty member is working on presently and in the future. The personal interviews will open up a line of conversation as to what is the best possible way for the communications team to promote their research. In order to stay updated on a more frequent basis, the following procedures will be implemented: 1. The online/emerging media specialist will be informed of faculty information that will be provided on the Dean’s Update at least a week in advance. 2. A generic communications@brownschool.wustl.edu will be created for faculty ease of use. All communications team members will have access to the email and personal folders within the email. Any email moved to a personal folder is the responsibility of that team member. Materials (e.g. magnets, computer frames, etc.) that remind faculty members of the best way to contact communications@brownschool.wustl.edu should be distributed. a. Faculty should be frequently reminded through the Dean’s Update that this email is available and the best way to communicate their research b. Faculty should also be encouraged through the Dean’s Update to report all lectures and appearances to the communications email at least a week in advance Curriculum Vitaes: Each faculty member will be required to provide an updated CV to the online/emerging media specialist on a semi-annual basis. Reminders will be provided through the Dean’s Newsletter and personal emails from the communications team. If multiple attempts to collect updated CV’s fail, the online/emerging media specialist will make personal calls and visits. The online/emerging media specialist is responsible for the posting of the new CV.
17
Staff Internal/External Site Forms: Requiring each office to be responsible for its own “form” or “application” creation will continue the mantra of internal capacity; however, to alleviate some of the confusion and clutter on the site – permissions to post will be limited to a few administrators. The online/emerging media specialist will be primarily responsible for publishing forms to the internal and external sites. Students Outreach: The online/emerging media specialist will actively seek out active students to provide content for social media sites. For example, student group leaders, members of the student council, etc. These students will be asked on occasion to provide photos, stories, and updates of activities around the school. Community and Culture Blog: Student Ambassadors will be the content creators of the Community and Culture Blog. This blog will provide news and views for prospective students by students. The online/emerging media specialist will monitor this blog and approve all posts before made live. The blog will cover a variety of topics of “Inside the Classroom” to “Living St. Louis”. The blog will be housed externally, but will be linked to the Brown School site. International Institutes: For each international institute, students chosen by faculty members will be asked to contribute photos, video and/or blog excerpts on externally housed blogspots. The blogs will only remain active during the time period of the International Institutes. When the institutes are completed, the materials will be repurposed to use on any External, Internal or social media sites. Alumni Distinguished Alumni Awards: The annual DAA event will require the online/emerging media specialist to create multiple pieces of content for the presentation. The materials created for the event (photos, videos, interactive graphics) can be repurposed on any External, Internal or social media sites. Materials collected
18
during the annual DAA event, such as a flickr photo stream or audio comments, can also be repurposed for promotional use. Research Centers Page & News Update: Each research center is required to have at least one content management supervisor for their online website. The online/emerging media specialist is responsible for checking with each content management supervisor on a monthly basis to confirm that everything is up to date and functioning the way the center sees appropriate; it is also during this monthly check that updates on the center’s work is to be discussed. Are they working on something that is newsworthy to be posted on their own website or possibly the Brown School site? It’s through these conversations we can make sure we have a pulse on what each center has done, is currently doing and will be doing in the coming weeks. External/Media Public Affairs Office: It is the responsibility of the online/emerging media specialist to check the Brown School section of the wustl.edu Newsroom daily for updated news stories about the school. It is also the responsibility of the public affairs representative of the Brown School to alert the online/emerging media specialist of stories (print, photo or video) that could be used on any of the External/Internal/or Social media sites. On top of these responsibilities, an open line of communication needs to be created when those at the Brown School thinks there may be something newsworthy. By keeping a pulse on the faculty’s work, the research center’s work and the student life – a running list of timely suggestions will be submitted to the Public Affairs office by the online/emerging media specialist. External Online Search It is the responsibility of the online/emerging media specialist to check various news sites, blogs, and social media sites for any mention of the Brown School or other relevant topics as it related to social work or public health. These materials can be
19
repurposed where appropriate according to the guidelines set forth in the online/social media strategy report. Experimentation On all platforms, there is need for experimentation to gauge what works best for the target audience. The External/Internal Site’s experimentation will be less visible to the public; new ideas for the sites will be tested before made live. For platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube experimentation, while never truly ceasing due to the nature of the ever-changing sites, will be most intense in the first 60 days of the launch. After 60 days there will be a balance of knowing what venue is best used for particular mediums and continuing to try new ideas and methods. Negative Content Posted on Brown School Online/Social Media Sites In any circumstance where a user posts negative comments or content about the Brown School students, alumni, faculty, staff, the school itself or social work and public health as a whole on an official Brown School site, the school must address the comment or content. In this circumstance, the online/social media representative is to contact Asst. Dean of Communications, who will then decide what action to take within a 24-hour time-period. While negative comments aren’t expected, they can happen and should not be left unaddressed by the school. Education A social media policy and opportunity for education will be provided to all students, faculty and staff. Above that, the social media policy will be provided for any Brown School social media user on the External Site. The following classes will be offered: Staff/Research Centers The Nitty Gritty On a semi-annual basis staff, including those in the research centers, will receive training on how to contribute content to their perspective “sites”. In this training, the process of uploading or posting any text, photos, video or
20
documents will be addressed. It is also during this training where a roster will be taken of those responsible for each perspective sites. It is only after receiving the training when that person will be given administrator rights to post content on the internal/external sites. The class will also address the best way for staff/research center to contribute content to the Brown School sites/social media sites. Staff will be given the most direct contact information for the communications team (communication@brownschool.edu) for internal/external posts and will be encouraged and trained on how to post relevant materials on social sites. Research centers will provide a phone number that is best for a monthly update from the online/emerging media specialist. Keeping Your Personal Life, Personal This optional class will available to all faculty and staff on a semi-annual basis or by appointment; the class will cover best practices on various social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.). The class will go into detail about how to set up privacy settings and lists on Facebook. Faculty Making Media Work On a semi-annual basis or by private appointment all faculty will participate in a class, “Making Media Work�. In this class, best practices of using social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) will be addressed. Topics will include but are not limited to: Facebook privacy settings, friending students, networking through LinkedIn, writing recommendations on LinkedIn, promoting research/publications/speaking events through Twitter. The class will also address the best way for faculty to contribute content to the Brown School social media sites. Whether this means contacting the communications team about a publication soon to be released or highlighting
21 Â
work through a particular site, faculty will be given the most direct method for communicating content. Students Welcome This class will introduce students to the various online and social media sites that the Brown School has to offer. It will include but is not limited to: an introduction to InsideBrown, an introduction to the Facebook Fan Page, an introduction to the Twitter stream, and a step-by-step introduction to LinkedIn. The course will cover the best use of each site and how to communicate with others on each site. Students will be made aware of all Washington University in St. Louis and Brown School social media policies. Students will also be made aware of the best way to contact the communications team (communications@brownschool.edu) if they have content to contribute. All students will be reminded of the other class option: protecting your privacy. Protecting Your Privacy All students will be offered the option to take this intensive course on how to protect their privacy. The course will cover the best way to use Facebook privacy settings and lists, and best practices for participating on the site. The course will also cover how to participate in LinkedIn (if not already enrolled) and the best way to network with others in order to find employment.
22 Â
Strategies, Tactics & Evaluation Methods Campaign Goal: To create awareness and increase visibility on multiple digital platforms. Objective 1: Create accounts and participate actively in relevant online venues within 90 days. Rationale: By becoming active in relevant online platforms, the Brown School can create venues that allow the community to foster conversation about its research opportunities, its educational excellence and all the people involved. In return, it will increase brand awareness. Tactic: Keep the External Site Interesting. If users know that a site will look the same every time they visit, there is no need to return. By continuing to update the content on the homepage of the External Site, the site will continue to engage users. Tactic: Make using the Intranet easy. Through various interviews and by evaluating analytics, it is evident the Intranet overwhelms its users. By reorganizing the site and making it look more like an External Site, users will be able to benefit from all it has to offer. Tactic: Proactively Engage in Social Networking Sites. “If you build it, they will come” does not work in this environment. It isn’t enough to start a LinkedIn group; you must actively search profiles and invite those to join. Above that, find out what they view as relevant discussion and begin prompting conversation. •
Facebook: Create information not commercials. Provide photos, questions and other multimedia content to engage the fans with the page. Be frequent, not obnoxious. Create a customized ‘Welcome’ page that sets the site apart from others. Foster and participate in the conversation.
•
LinkedIn: Create a group. Address rogue groups already created and try to join everyone under one membership. Start discussions of interest and value to this particular audience.
23
•
Twitter: Follow relevant users. Seek out and follow organizations or users that could be of use to the Brown School community. Actively search out hashtags mentioning the school or anything associated with the school.
•
YouTube: Create a channel. Utilize in-house video to start and encourage community members to contribute.
Evaluation Method: Continue Qualitative and Quantitative measurements according to the Content Management Schedule. Create quarterly reports that compare the before and after analytics.
24
Objective 2: Create a positive online reputation within six months. Rationale: By offering information of use to the community, the Brown School is not just self-promoting; it’s providing a service. Just as those who live in close proximity to the Brown School feel the effects of the community, the online community will feel the effects as well. This creates a positive reputation for the school. Tactic: Let them tell their story in their own words. Create and manage student blogs that highlight their work or their experience at the school. Feature these blogs in every venue available. Tactic: Highlight their work. Create video content that focuses on what is happening now. Whether it is a transdisciplinary project or students volunteering nearby – provide a look into what’s happening through a multimedia platform. Tactic: Encourage user-generated content. Whether it is videos, photos, etc. prompt participants to submit user-generated content. (e.g. Users submit content on Facebook that is featured on the Internal/External sites) Evaluation Method: At the six-month mark, compose a qualitative report from information collected according to the Content Management Schedule.
25
Objective 3: Increase online brand awareness to the degree of being considered a key MSW/MPH competitor in the online realm within one year. Rationale: In order for the Brown School to continue to be an educational leader, it must continue to stay ahead or present itself as a tough competitor in all venues – including the Internet. With key competitors tapping into a resource the Brown School has yet to benefit from, it is behind. Through a concerted effort to engage in the online realm, it will find its name at the forefront of emerging media. Tactic: Stay informed, stay educated. Participate in at least one social media seminar within the year. What is new? What is upcoming? To be a key competitor, you must be prepared for what is coming next. Tactic: Be consistent. It seems like a silly point to make, “Be consistent”, but like a New Year’s Resolution you wane on after three months, sometimes it’s hard to keep the momentum up. By being consistent with providing content, fostering conversation and trying new things on a frequent basis – the online and social media sites stay fresh and useful. Always ask, ‘What can we do better?’ Tactic: Think big. Venture to take on a large project like creating a smartphone Application. Tactic: Highlight online/social media strengths in key Brown School materials/seminars. Tactic: Faculty/Staff/Student Survey. What is working? What isn’t working? These are questions to be asked in a large survey of the local community who uses the External/Internal/Social media venues the most. Evaluation Method: Create complete analytics report with analytics from competing schools/universities to gauge where the online/social brand of the Brown School stands in comparison.
26
CONCLUSION The implementation of this Online & Social Strategy in and of itself is a proactive step by the Brown School; trying to engage in a medium that has become so important to many speaks volumes on how much the school cares about the people involved with it. By taking the steps to get involved, the Brown School will not only connect the people responsible for the school’s ground breaking research and educational excellence but it will continue to create positive social change through conversation and a greater sense of community.
27 Â
CITATIONS Solis, B. (2008). The essential guide to social media [PR 2.0]. (Adobe PDF), Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/3283966/The-Essential-Guide-to-Social-Media Arbitron and Edison. (2010). The infinite dial 2010: digital platforms and the future of radio (Adobe PDF), Retrieved from http://www.edisonresearch.com/The_Infinite_Dial_2010.pdf Society for New Communications Research. (2008). New media, new influencers and implications for public relations (Adobe PDF), Retrieved from http://sncr.org/wpcontent/uploads/2008/08/new-influencers-study.pdf Dholakia, U., & Durham, E. (2010). How effective is facebook marketing?. Retrieved from http://www.rice.edu/nationalmedia/news2010-02-18-facebook.shtml
28 Â