Social Media & Higher Education: How can you build a brand for learning?

4/12/2022

by Cait Fitzpatrick



    There is substantial evidence that a social media presence can boost revenue for a university or college, encourage community engagement and create a shared understanding of an institution’s core values. First, generation Z and millennials are comfortable with social media, and they often trust it as a mechanism to receive facts and information. This comfortability with technology reaches a specific age group, and regardless of educational background, young people ages 18 to 24 are the bulk of internet users, and they visit these platforms more so than any other age group (Zou, 2011).


    Institutions in higher education are able to foster a welcoming environment that encourages connection and community through these platforms. Twitter, Facebook, and other online groups can help connect incoming students, alumni, and other third party partners to the institution (USA Today College, 2011). Social media platforms can also serve as laboratories for students who are studying social media studies, data management, political science or journalism, all of which are disciplines that have a presence on social media. From a more practical standpoint, social media posting can be used to deliver time-sensitive messages and alerts to students.


    Finally, institutions can successfully build their brand voice and relay core brand values to their audience via social media. This is crucial in a modern area because students have so many choices when it comes to higher education. If institutions can successfully understand their “why,” and communicate that to students, they can be successful in recruiting future cohorts. One might argue that the best way to create value is to create a brand that people believe in. The most successful institutions in social media have come to the realization of why they matter, which is the first stage of brand voice (Sistrunk, 2014).

    In regards to the downfalls of social media in higher education, they are rooted in the unfortunate reality that misinformation exists. Facebook has recently been placed on a pedestal for inconsistent fact checking and disinformation, and can no longer be considered a safe or neutral platform for discussion (Robins, 2021). Technology moves quickly, and if social media is to remain an integral part of an institution's recruitment process, then staff involved must be dedicated to the upkeep of research and trends. This is a challenge in itself that involves many resources.

    The race for institutions to build up their brand via social media is related to the audience they serve. Young people use social media as a means to connect and find information, and institutions should foster that further. Additionally, updated business trends suggest integrating and centralizing your brand messaging and voice (Sistrunk, 2014). There’s a push to make these updates to the existing pedagogy of an institution’s marketing and communications teams. In a virtual world where visits, information sessions, and campus tours are taking place online, students have substantial access to the college search process. Universities and colleges will be in a race to grab their attention first, and the only way to do so effectively is to build a brand worth remembering.




Thanks for reading!




References:




BestCollegesOnline. (2011, June 27). 20 colleges making good use of social media. In USA Today College.




Robbins, H. (2021, February 16). Academe's Facebook problem. In Inside Higher Education.




Sistrunk, C. (2014, March 17). Brand like your company really matters. In Entrepreneur.






Zou, J. (2011, July 19). College students lead in internet use and tech gadgets, study finds. In The Chronicle of Higher Education.