Dive Brief:
- Engagement Labs on Tuesday unveiled a ranking of the 50 U.S. higher ed institutions with the best presence on Facebook and Twitter. Taking the top spots on Facebook were Baylor University, Texas A&M and Ashford University, while the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Texas A&M and Baylor scored highest on Twitter.
- The tech and data company compiled the data used for the rankings with its eValue Analytics platform, measuring the institutions' engagement, impact and responsiveness on the social media platforms.
- Social media has become a powerful communication tool for colleges and universities, eCampus News reports, enabling them to reach students easier for recruitment, retention, and general communication.
Dive Insight:
Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have become powerful marketing and engagement tools for institutions looking to reach current and prospective students, as well as alumni. Knowing how to best take advantage of the media, however, is critical.
Baylor, for example, grabbed the top of the Facebook rankings with posts about football and campus life while encouraging followers to interact. According to eCampus News, the approach gave the school the top 10's most active userbase, measured by the highest number of comments and likes per 1,000 followers. Texas A&M and Ashford succeeded with a focus on school pride and humor, respectively.
The latter approach was particularly successful for UW-Madison on Twitter, which utilized "a combination of humor, GIFs and witty comments," according to Engagement Labs CEO Bryan Segal. And Baylor's strong content strategy also served it well on Twitter. But being responsive is equally important, as the University of Utah demonstrated by taking the highest score in that category for Twitter despite its No. 5 ranking.
Ultimately, the best approach for any institution looking to make a strong social showing will require a target group and a deep strategy on the desired messaging, post frequency, and marketing plans.