Blogs & Twitter:Capturing Real-Time Experiences

for Engagement & Promotion

Gene BeginDigital Marketing DirectorBabson College

Vanessa TheoharisMarketing CoordinatorUndergraduate School, Babson College

Audiences

CurrentStudents

Parents

Alumni

Recruiters

Prospective Audiences

Prospective Students

Current Undergrads

Current Grads

Faculty & Staff

International Students

Business Community (Recruiters, Exec Ed, Entrepreneurs, etc.)

Alumni

Parents & Families

Research Community

BLOGS

Blogging Platforms

WordPress

Blogger

Hubspot

Tumblr

Twitter

Content Contributor Models

• Staff Coordinated• Off-shore courses, volunteer programs abroad, etc.

•Student Owned• Individual content produced without college support

• Student College-Branded• Online ambassadors; centered around the person

•Program-Specific Student Bloggers• Abroad program, admission, 1st year programs, internships, etc.

Consuming the Content

Customer Service

PromotionBrand Monitoring

Advising &

Teaching Tool

Distribution Channels

WebsiteShare ThisFacebook

TwitterLinkedIn

Blog ReadersIntegration with Print

Best Practices

• Interactive; keep user engaged• Editorial process• Include links• Tagging, categories• Titling

• Try adding title last• Bad: Habitat – Day 3 or Blog Post #88• Good: Applying Babson’s Entrepreneurial Education to the Orphanage

Top 10 Places to Study Abroad

TWITTER

Content Contributor Models

• Staff coordination • Off-shore courses, volunteer programs abroad (i.e. @BabsonBRIC)

• Student College-Branded• Online ambassadors

• Student Owned• Individual content produced without college support

• General Accounts • International Program Office• Per Program

Consuming the Content

Customer Service

Customer Service

PromotionBrand Monitoring

Advising &

Teaching Tool

Pre During Post

• Pre: general OIP account, promotion of events and programs

• During: student-created content, capturing real-time experiences

• Post: general OIP account, follow-up promotion, re-entry

Tweeting the Study Abroad Experience

Distribution Channels

• How to reach Twitterers• Directories (CampusTweet, Wefollow.com, etc.)• Twitter lists• Hashtag searches (#studyabroad, #highered, #basaa, etc.)• Brand monitoring• Engage in conversation

• How to reach NON-Twitterers• Website – account and hashtag streams• Facebook• Physical Presence – TVs or computers streaming tweets

• At events (Education Aboard Fairs, Orientation, etc.)• In main office (at check-in)

Best Practices

• Editorial process• Links to share content (your own and others)• Ample space for RT-ing• Interacting with Twitter community• Ask questions and answer questions• Continuous brand monitoring• Lists and searches

Twitter Applications & Platforms

• Twitter.com• Tweetdeck• CoTweet• HootSuite• EasyTweets• Tweetie

• Seesmic• Digsby• Echofon• Mobile

(apps for iPhone, Android, Blackberry)• UberTwitter• Twitterberry, etc.

Blogs

LinkedIn

Web siteTwitter

Facebook

• Link to web site• Promote via Twitter and/or Facebook

• Connect students to alumni and employers• Monitor jobs & career interest groups• Promote Events• Link to web site

• Promote all social media platforms

• Promote programs, web site and blogs• Listen, Interact & Engage

• Promote programs, web site and blogs• Groups for niche student interaction

Managing an Online Presence

Key Takeaways

• To Each Their Own… Content Contributor Model• Conversation = Promotion• Leverage Student-Created Content• Pre > During > Post• Editorial Process• Extend the Content

Questions?

Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Gene Begin Vanessa Theoharisgbegin@babson.edu vtheoharis1@babson.edu @gbegin @vanessaTsmileswww.linkedin.com/in/genebegin www.linkedin.com/in/vanessatheoharis