There are thousands of community and technical colleges in the United States, so how can administrators and marketers make their school stand out from their competition to reach their target markets? Here’s how community and technical colleges can use social media effectively:
- Use targeted marketing. Avoid a one-size-fits-all-approach in which you blast the same message to all your target audiences through all channels. Instead, use each social media platform for different purposes. For example, Pinterest could be used as a showcase for student projects and activities, while Twitter could be beneficial when announcing upcoming events for the entire school.
- Don’t be a used car salesman when promoting your institution. The best course is to provide value in the form of information or entertainment to your audiences. For example, rather than saying “Sign up for Health 101,” try talking about (and show examples of) how the class has benefited students.
- Be accessible to students. Although it would be helpful to have a large department to run social media effectively, you can get by with one or two dedicated rock stars. Simply putting up a page on Facebook isn’t enough these days. Active, frequent communication and moderator participation are key to engaging your current, prospective and former students.
This was our strategy when we consulted with Madison Area Technical College. Contact us to learn more about using social media tools to promote your community or technical college.