Half year report autumn 2023: LUSEM's communication division
Half year report: The Communication divison, Autumn 2023
LUSEM | LUND UNIVERSITY
CONTENT
Page 1 Communication at LUSEM: Who and What
Page 2 Overview of Communication Activities: Autumn 2023
Page 4 Overview of Communication Activities (Continued)
Page 7 Overview of Communication Activities (Continued)
Page 8 Overview of Communication Activities (Continued)
Page 11 Communication in figures: Autumn 2023
Page 12 Communication in figures (Continued)
Page 15 Communication in pictures: Autumn 2023
Page 16 Goals of the communication work
Page 19 Goals of the communication work (Continued)
Page 20 How can the communication work strengthen the LUSEM brand?
Page 23 Web, news, events: Success in figures
Page 24 Social media: Success in figures
Page 27 Forward! Spring 2024
The Content, text as well as figures, below regards the autumn of 2023 (1 August–15 january).
Photos: Unsplash, iStock, LUSEM communication divison.
Communication at LUSEM: Who and What
LUSEM’s communication team forms its own division within the Dean’s office starting from late spring 2023. The department consists of a Head of division, three communication officers, one film manager and one web developer.
The communication officers develop the School’s communication and branding platform, promote and communicate activities, and provide support to the faculty’s management in their communication efforts. Student recruitment, research communication, press and media work, web development, social media management, as well as advice on communication planning and materials, are some of the areas that the communication division works on.
Within the team, there are the following areas of responsibility:
• Strategies, overall responsibilities, and priorities. Source of information to and from the management.
• Press and media
• Research communication
• Internal communication
• Collaboration and external engagement (partner companies, alumni, career)
• Student recruitment and education marketing
• Web development
• Video, podcast, and livestreaming
Overview of Communication Activities: Autumn 2023
WEB
What most affected the communication work during the autumn 2023 was likely the upcoming web migration, scheduled for February 2024.
After planning throughout the spring, a more hands-on approach was initiated to work with a comprehensive web project during the fall, encompassing the migration of all web pages to a new web tool and the consolidation of departmental websites into a single main site – featuring versions in Swedish, English, and an English site for internal use. This undertaking significantly impacted various activities within the communications division. The transition from the previous web solution, Pimcore, to the University’s standard web solution, Drupal, represented the most substantial change effort the division has undertaken to date. Numerous publishers within LUSEM were involved, along with departmental management teams. The web project is overseen by a steering group comprising the web project manager, the head of Dean’s office, and the Head of the Communication division. As a result, communicative efforts and planning during the fall had to adapt to accommodate the forthcoming migration of web pages scheduled for early spring 2024.
RESEARCH COMMUNICATION
During autumn 2023, the research communication work included several research related news articles at the School websites, press releases, and social media posts. Webinars, interviews, comments, and lectures were streamed and recorded. Podcasts featuring researchers were recorded and published. Lectures focusing on research were held, one example is the open lectures on Nobel Economics prize laureate Claudia Goldin, one of LUSEM’s honorary doctors. Another example of an open populistic research event is the book launch with LUSEM organisation researcher Stephan Schaefer and former CEO of Massive, David Polfeldt; ’Organizing Creativity – Context, Process, and Practice’. And for the first time ever LUSEM participated in Kulturnatten, a large annual event where the University collaborates with the municipality of Lund, offering various popular science activities and opening its doors to the public. LUSEM offered three moderated talks with wellknown researchers within Economics, Business Administration and Economic history.
Overview of Communication Activities
(Continued)
Additionally, a new ’News comment’ series was developed, when various researchers are asked to comment on a highly relevant news item in the media. Several articles were produced for LUM (Lund University Magazine), as well as for lu.se. Contributions and support for both LU’s and LUSEM’s research communication activities, at both the administrative and departmental levels, were also provided.
Other research communication work involved the production and distribution of an external newsletter with research updates several times during the autumn, as well as monitoring and documentation of doctoral thesis defenses. New dissertations are also featured on social media. Tools and materials that have been used to provide content include, for example, Retriever, the LU Research Portal, and research newsletters from other universities and research centers.
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
During autumn 2023, the internal communication work included several news articles at LUSEM Staff Pages. The purpose of these internal news articles is to inform staff about what and how the management is working, what colleagues (researchers, teachers, administrative staff) are up to, activities happening at the School that are relevant to staff members, as well as to communicate important messages and information for employees at LUSEM. The fundamental goal is to create a sense of security in the workplace and pride in the research, teaching, and activities being conducted. New ways to meet internal communication needs are constantly evolving.
The internal communication work during autumn 2023 also involved several events for staff members, called Meetingpoint Ljusgården. At these meetings, staff members and the student union’s board are invited to listen to a researcher or other expert briefly discussing something interesting from their field of research, while also enjoying breakfast and networking with colleagues. The internal communication work during spring also included newsletters, LUSEM Staff News (every other week), information through email, and production of signs and printed materials such as LUSEM’s contribution to the Annual Report at LU and typesetting, compilation, and layout of the EQUIS report.
Overview of Communication Activities
(Continued)
FILM, PODCAST, LIVESTREAM
During autumn 2023, the work in LUSEM’s film- and podcast studios continued, where a routine and strategy for film and podcast production have been developed since January 2021, when the film studio became operational. The podcast studio has been up and running since autumn 2022. Production has steadily increased since then, and during autumn 2023, the work further evolved. Interest within the faculty, as well as externally, has grown, and bookings have become more frequent. Teachers, researchers, and professional services staff book the studio primarily for educational films, research films for applications or conferences, films targeting students (programmes, courses, alumni), and filming and / or streaming of symposiums or conferences. The communication division regularly utilizes both the film- and podcast studios services for interviews, panel discussions, expert- and news comments and ’pitches’ as well as for LUSEM’s own podcast series.
COLLABORATION AND EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT
During autumn 2023, the work in collaboration communication included webinars, news articles, strategic support for and marketing of events, print material production, support for livestreamed lectures, and social media work. Notably, on the corporate side, news articles and posts were written on social media, especially LinkedIn. Communicative support was provided to Career Services and Alumni activities in the form of social media, web content, and news updates.
Overview of Communication Activities (Continued)
STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND EDUCATION MARKETING
Education communication mainly revolves around educational information and student recruitment. During early autumn 2023, this work primarily involved communication efforts targeting prospective master’s students, whose application round opened in mid-October. This work involved web development, dissemination of information via social media, and production of different digital and physical informational materials. This role involves collaborating closely with Lund University’s central student recruitment team. Responsibilities include updating web information, publishing fact sheets, and conducting meetings with programme directors, coordinators, and student advisors to ensure information accuracy. An innovative aspect was the adaptation of statement of purpose documents to enhance accessibility.
A significant and important part of education communication during the autumn was the three fairs that our student ambassadors took part in, given in Sweden’s three largest cities, Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. This work involved training, planning, booking, marketing, material production, and follow-up. Other education communication work primarily involved updating the education website, producing student news for the web and/or social media and various student activities such as visits from high school classes. Furthermore, the education communicator worked on projects and provided communication support related to career and alumni activities, Academic Skills Services, and the International office.
Communication in figures: Autumn 2023
Below an overview of the number of completed activities, published news articles, sent and published press releases, sent newsletters, as well as posted content and events on social media, is presented. As all communication is audience-specific, target groups are indicated for each section except for social media, as these are already tailored to specific audiences (LinkedIn: External/companies/researchers/alumni, Facebook: Students/External, Instagram: Students, Twitter: External/companies/researchers).
NUMBER OF NEWS ARTICLES, TARGET AUDIENCE: EXTERNAL
39 in Swedish 34 in English (some of them also published at lusem/internal)
NUMBER OF NEWS ARTICLES, TARGET GROUP STAFF
42 in English (some of them also published at lusem.lu.se)
NUMBER OF NEWS ARTICLES, TARGET GROUP STUDENTS
9 in Swedish 9 in English
NUMBER OF PRESS RELEASES 5 in Swedish
Communication in figures (Continued)
In addition to the activities and news mentioned, the communication division has been responsible for various tasks such as spreading news and events (calendars, email, social media, etc.), production of materials such as posters and conference programs, filming and streaming, photography, and other technical aspects at several conferences, seminars, and lectures at both the faculty and departmental level during the autumn of 2023.
Communication in pictures: Autumn 2023
The image collage on the opposite page aims to illustrate a quick glimpse of all the news, interviews, social media posts, newsletters, podcasts, films, press releases, and events that the communications division produced, coordinated, and disseminated during the autumn of 2023.
Goals of the communication work
The Communication Division strives to create favorable conditions for LUSEM to achieve its goals in research, education, and collaboration.
The Communication division promotes and communicates LUSEM internally and externally, providing support to the faculty’s leadership and operations in communication matters. The main focus is to demonstrate how LUSEM makes a difference in a constantly changing world through research, education, and collaboration.
Strategic communication work is conducted on several levels which involves, for example, nurturing and strengthening the faculty’s brand internally and externally, as well as disseminating new research findings. The communication officers also make important information available to prospective students and contribute to maintaining and developing cooperation with companies, alumni, and the surrounding community. Societal relevance is crucial; communication efforts should be linked to current societal issues and trends to increase relevance for the target audiences.
Internally, news and information should strengthen the leadership’s presence in the organisation. It should also contribute to clarity between leadership and employees while fostering a sense of unity. This half year report together with the communication strategy serve as a benchmarkers for the Communication divion’s work. Therefore, a half year report shall be written twice a year and the strategy shall be reviewed annually and updated every second year.
Communication should prioritize a strategic, audience-focused approach, with communication officers tailoring content and channels to suit target audiences. The Communication Division oversees website management and provides communication support to departments to ensure cohesive and effective messaging. Close collaboration with Lund University’s Communication Department is essential, particularly regarding maintaining a consistent graphic profile. Regular evaluation and measurement of communication efforts, as mentioned above, are therefore necessary to assess impact and effectiveness. This work isn’t isolated; rather, aligning communication objectives and strategies with LUSEM’s management goals is essential for success.
Goals of the communication work (Continued)
In summary, the Communication Division’s goals in daily work are to:
• Create cohesive, effective, and audience-targeted communication
• Establish communicative conditions for clear and present leadership
• Disseminate socially relevant research
• Cultivate and expand the faculty’s external relationships
• Provide all students with accessible and relevant information
• Nurture the LUSEM brand
• Foster internal security
How can the communication work strengthen the LUSEM brand?
To strengthen the LUSEM brand, the Communication Division primarily focuses on showcasing the impact of the faculty’s work in education, research, and collaboration, both locally and globally. The image conveyed should portray a strongly research-oriented institution, appealing to work with and collaborate with, while also being attractive and a top choice for students, both national and international. The knowledge, breadth, commitment, and goals inherent in everything done in the name of LUSEM should be highlighted.
To achieve these goals, the Communication Division actively and strategically works on social media and news dissemination, hosts open lectures and other activities, and builds important networks with press, other academic institutions, external partners, and alumni. Brand building also entails continuously developing internationally recognized communication, maintaining and increasing interest among prospective students and alumni, fostering internal security, and strengthening the role as an attractive employer.
Beginning discussions on more active Employer Branding started in late spring 2023, continued in autumn of 2023 and will go on during 2024, as a collaboration between the Communication division, HR divison, and Career Services. Employer branding efforts primarily involve clarifying career paths for young researchers, spreading awareness of ranking and accreditation efforts, and highlighting measures that benefit employees, such as work at the management level, projects within the local security committee, and equity work. Keywords for this work can be found in the strategic plan of LUSEM: ”LUSEM strives to be the employer of choice, and in relation to our staff, we stand for clear responsibilities, active career planning, and fair remuneration.”
A fundamental requirement for maintaining a strong and reputable brand is to use the correct brand colors, fonts, and logos in all communication. This ensures a consistent and professional appearance, sets us apart from competitors, and creates a sense of belonging and positivity through brand recognition.
For more information, support, and assistance regarding procedures and practical communication issues, the LUSEM communication guide is developed and regularly updated by the Communication Division.
Web, news, events: Success in figures
• LUSEM Staff News (9 letters autumn 2023) has about 350 people in the send list and about 90% in opening rate which means that about 318 people read the letter.
• LUSEM’s external newsletter: ’Latest news; Research, Education, Collaboration. Newsletter from LUSEM’ (2 letters autumn 2023) has about 7500 people in the send list and about 45% opening rate which means that about 3375 personer read the newsletter.
• LUSEM’s web sites: The faculty pages had a total of 735,199 page views with an average time per page of approximately 1 minute and 46 seconds (ehl.lu.se, lusem. lu.se, staff.lusem.lu.se). This is equivalent to our website visitors spending 903 full days on the faculty’s web pages during the second half of 2023.
• The events arranged by the communication division during the autumn of 2023 the following four attracted most people:
-From Fictions to Futures med Monika Bielskyte (120 on site)
-Organising Creativity (80 on site)
-How to make the most out of LinkedIn! (75 on site)
-Kulturnatten (60 on site)
Social media: Success in figures
Facebook
Reach: 20.1K (15140 organic, 5502 from ads)
Content interactions: 444
New followers: 77
Total followers 7.6K
Facebook page visits: 8.9K
Number of posts: 30
Instagram
Reach: 10.9K (6379 from organic, 5592 from ads)
Content interactions: 2.7K
New followers: 385
Total followers: 3K
Instagram profile visits: 6.7K
Number of posts: 39
Number of stories: 62
LinkedIn
Page views: 18893
Unique visitors: 9877
New followers: 2137
Total number of followers: 24 516
Posts: 40
Twitter/X
Followers: 1,948
Forward! Spring 2024
LUSEM has established documented strategies for its various communication activities since January 2023, developed collaboratively and approved by the Head of Dean’s office and the Dean. These strategies were evaluated, reviewed, and updated in September 2023, with plans for biannual updates or when needed. The purpose of these strategies is to consistently address the question ’Why are we doing this?’, ensuring clarity on direction, priorities, optimal channels, and audience targeting. It’s crucial that these strategies remain anchored and regularly discussed with the management to maintain alignment and effectiveness.
In the spring of 2024, the following activities and areas will be prioritized:
• Quality assurance of our new websites.
• Increase and strengthen communication collaboration at LUSEM with management, publishers at the departmental level, and researchers within the faculty.
• Development of educational navigation to simplify pathways on the website.
• Increase and strengthen communication collaboration within the Dean’s office.
• Develop communication efforts in collaboration with LUSEM’s partner companies.
• Increase internal information on ongoing accreditation efforts.
• Increase the number of meeting points internally where communication can be conveyed (like Meetingpoint Ljusgården).
• External spreading of news through podcasts, Ljusgården pitches, News comments and Morning Talks.
• Newsletters: LUSEM Staff News every other week, External newsletters, three.
• Continue the work with Employer Branding.
• Develop the mobile devices of the film studio and the routines for live streaming.
In addition the key strategic communication goals of significant importance prioritised by LUSEM for the next two years include:
• Drive social impact.
• Empower community engagement.
• Global presence, local influence: Elevate LUSEM’s international image and workplace appeal.
• Innovate our communication using AI.
Learn more about LUSEM’s communication work in our Communications guide.
