1. 1. University of Oregon Social Media Marketing Plan Developed by: Ryan Menacho, Antonio Wiley, Hsiang Yun Lee, and Neil Presicci
2. 2. 2 Executive Summary Situation Analysis The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon founded in 1876. The University is home to over 24,000 students and 2,000 academic staff members. It is well known for its sub-schools, including but not limited to, the Charles H. Lundquist School of Business, the School of Journalism and Communication, and the School of Architecture and Allied Arts. Primary attractions for students also include the very successful athletic programs and the friendly outdoorsy community. Plan Focus and Goals The primary focus of this plan is to attract new prospective students, retain the students currently attending the university, and build the Oregon brand to national status through the use of various social media platforms. While the University currently boasts a very impressive athletic department, the academic prowess of the school needs to be accentuated and brought to the forefront of its social media efforts. The social media outlets of focus are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. They will be used to display the unique lifestyle of UO students and the benefits of attending. The overarching objective for this social media marketing plan is to build a well rounded Oregon brand that helps to increase the awareness of the University. Social media goals for the University of Oregon include: Increase followers on Twitter and Instagram Increase page likes and check-ins on Facebook Increase the amount of non-athletic content on social media Increase interaction with users Marketing Plan Overview The strategies to reach the stated goals involve listening and engaging with users, promoting academic and social aspects of the University, and collaborating with all schools within the University of Oregon. The low-cost of social media marketing should allow the University to create synergy surrounding the school while minimizing operating costs of the marketing department, but also continuing to build a nationally recognizable brand. Budget A detailed budget explains the costs of implementing this social media plan. The overall cost will be $65,320 including paying the directors salary. The personnel responsible for preparing and overseeing this plan include Ryan Menacho, Antonio Wiley, Hsiang Yun Lee, and Neil Presicci.
3. 3. 3 Situation Analysis Internal Analysis The University of Oregon is a comprehensive research university and the state of Oregons flagship institution for academics and athletics. Located in Eugene, the university offers learning opportunities in more than 272 academic programs, taking students to places as far north as Portland and as far west as the coast. The school supports a diverse population with more than 12% international students, 73% Caucasian students, and 9% Hispanic/Latino students. The UO is ranked as the 106th best university by US News. It has an acceptance rate of about 74% and an average enrollment GPA of 3.6. About 52% of students are from the state of Oregon. As of 2014, the Universitys athletic department generated $115 million which is ninth most in the nation. Oregon is widely regarded as one of the best college sports brands and has successfully branded the schools athletics into defining terms such as innovative and flashy. There is an elitist factor from being associated with anything that displays the O logo. The UOs connection with Nike, via former student and Nike Founder Phil Knight, has had a huge impact on its growth. Some buzzwords that the UO uses to define its brand are inclusive, adventurous, friendly, and proud. They are also positioned as a brand that is committed to environmental responsibility and having a relationship to the broader Eugene community. The University is a unique, beautiful campus that offers ample adventure opportunities to students throughout the surrounding region. External Analysis According to the Social Media Matters study of 2010, 75% of the online population is comprised of frequent social media users. Additionally, 89% of users in the age range of 18-29 are frequent social media users; an age range encompassing almost the entire student population at the University of Oregon as well as prospective students to the University. With such a large number of students on social media, sites like Facebook,
4. 4. 4 Twitter, and Instagram have become the go to places to reach this massive audience. According to the Students Online: Global Trends article, published by TopUniversities.com, over 65% of college applicants consider both online and offline resources when researching higher education options, and another 30% classified online resources as more important. These findings suggest that not only is there a large presence of users on social media, but these users are also actively using the digital space to identify which college is right for them. The University competes against colleges from across the US to attract students, who in reality are the consumers of their products. Strictly speaking in terms of social media, the University of Oregon competes with major universities across the country to produce content on various social media platforms (primarily Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). One goal is to provide an authentic and positive view of the Oregon campus to prospective students. As a state school the University offers education at a price that is competitive even for some students who are coming from out of state. The Universitys nearest 4-year competitor is Oregon State, the other of two state schools in Oregon. While Oregon leads Oregon State in followers and activity on all of the major social media platforms, Oregon States differing academics provide a challenge that Oregon tries to overcome by promoting its campus life and culture in addition to its academic pursuits as a university. Due to the UO being a major sports school, its competitors also include many of the top colleges in terms of athletics. Students that want to be apart of a passionate and dedicated fan base will consider the UO among other schools. Some include Alabama, Florida, LSU, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, UCLA and UConn. The UO also offers students a sports business program with a very good reputation. The UO is a big consideration for people looking to attend a school on the west coast. Many of the universities in California are very hard to get into, and UO is often one of the next best choices. It is not an elite academic institution but has firmly positioned itself as a well-rounded university.
5. 5. 5 Social Media Presence Social Media Platform Sentiment Reach Company Posts Feedback Response Time to Feedback Youtube 100% neutral 7500 Subscribers 2 videos posted per week on average Videos are rarely, if ever, commented on Comments are disabled Google+ 90% positive 10% negative 3570 Followers 412,000 views Currently: 2-3 times per year 0-1 comments per post (usually 0) 5-6 +1s+ per post No responses Facebook 95% positive 5% negative (sports related) 355,000 page likers 1-2 posts per day 0-800 comments, 500-33,000 likes No responses Twitter 80% positive 10% neutral 10% negative 85,100 followers 5-6 tweets per day 20-25 retweets per post. involving football: 250- 300 retweets per post Responses are rare LinkedIn 100% positive recommendation 103,892 followers N/A N/A N/A Instagram 90% positive 10% negative (sports related) 19,300 followers average of 3 times per week 0-80 comments per post No responses
6. 6. 6 While The University excels when it comes to producing content for their social media outlets, its biggest shortcoming is interaction with other social media users. While the University does frequently retweet, it rarely acknowledges people who mention the university handle on Twitter (@Univ_of_Oregon), nor does it allow comments on any of its Youtube videos which are frequently linked via Tweets and Facebook posts. Currently, the University posts on all of the big three social media outlets including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter quite frequently, perhaps even to a fault. Though not always the case, this potential over-posting has caused the value of the Universitys content to be reduced. While athletics are a major part of campus life at the University of Oregon, and there is an official athletics Twitter handle (@goducks), the University fails to separate its academics and athletics on social media. The athletics side has done an amazing job on social media and has built a large following. It is our recommendation that the University works to draw a connection between the two, but avoid overusing athletics as a tool for recruitment and publicity as it appears to have reached a point where it takes away from the academic integrity of the institution. It is our belief there is enough academic and social material between students, faculty, and alumni to use the Universitys official social media outlets not solely a support system for athletics, but also for the promotion of the University as an academic institution. The University does not have an official Snapchat at the time, the development and use of that platform by the University is something that we highly recommend as the use amongst students, as well as college prospective age students, continues to grow rapidly. In short, while the University is very active on social media, we believe that there are strategic changes in their use that can help promote the University as a more well rounded establishment. They do not have a clear strategy and it is time to implement one instead of regurgitating information and winging it. These changes would help to increase prospective students interest in the school and increase applicants.
7. 7. 7 SWOT Analysis Strengths Strong brand presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn Very successful at using these platforms to inform students and create hype A variety of social media platforms are used and various accounts are set up on each of them Great at using social media to market athletics Facebook is used to market the highly embraced Oregon Pride campaign LinkedIn recommendations are powerful Outdoors enthusiasm, environmentally friendly Weaknesses Less than desirable presence on YouTube and Google+ Minimal interaction with users Content is not clearly aligned with a single campaign Most user social media chatter is about sports There is no strategic approach to the content posted, no clear message No social media calendar Not enough employees Low engagement Lack of collaboration with the rest of the UO campus Opportunities With the growing user base of Snapchat, this new app could be a huge opportunity for Oregon There is a huge opportunity for more collaboration with users on each social network to build a stronger brand presence Alumni post frequently to LinkedIn. This is a resource to be tapped into Post more regarding academic achievements or works in progress. Promoting a healthy lifestyle and the newly built rec center could be huge areas of opportunity Using Instagram to promote dorm food to prospective students Hire new employees to handle social media platforms Collaborate with other UO schools to have more content to post about Engage with fans on social media frequently Threats Oregon State is the strongest competitor (though their social media presence is much smaller than Oregons) In-state institutions including all community colleges and 4-year universities Unsatisfied current students Inappropriate student conduct spreads like wildfire on social media (throwing snow at professors car)
8. 8. 8 Marketing Objectives There are two overall objectives for the University of Oregon. The first is to increase the number of student applicants by 15% over the next 2 years. The second is to turn Oregon into a national brand, recognizable anywhere in the country. These two objectives can be achieved through proper execution in two areas: Social Media Marketing Plan This social media marketing plan will be implemented on the following platforms starting July 1st and continued for a full year. Twitter Instagram Snapchat Facebook Expansion of the UO Social Media Team Due to the large scale of UOs social media following, multiple interns will be needed to achieve high levels of user engagement. At least four UO students interested in social media marketing will need to be hired. These students primary job will be to interact with social media users posting to the Universitys social networks. Key Issues The biggest challenge for the Universitys social media team is creating interesting non- athletic content. Athletic content is what people expect to see and it is what currently generates the most engagement. The social media team needs to develop non-athletic content that breeds user interest and engagement on each platform. Another big issue is the lack of user engagement on social media. This includes responding to user comments and questions in a timely manner. A consistent voice will need to be achieved so that the University can deliver a cohesive message across all platforms. The last major issue involves the communication between the social media team and the various schools/ departments within the University of Oregon. The social media team needs to develop
9. 9. 9 communication with these schools in order to be aware of what is happening and relay the message via social media. This requires building a network and developing relationships with the right people who can aid in the creation of content for the different platforms. Target Markets The primary target market for the University of Oregons social media platforms includes people looking to pursue higher education in the age range of 15-20. This audience includes high school students transitioning to college or post-high school students transferring from a community college. We have identified four different personas which are subgroups of the target market: 1. Sports fans 2. Students focused on academics 3. Outdoors enthusiasts 4. Students interested in the arts People attending the University of Oregon generally fall into one or more of these four categories. Additionally, there is a secondary target market which is current students. The goal is to inform them about on-campus activities and all the great things the university has to offer to maximize their relationship with the brand. In reaching this market, Oregon is focused primarily on brand building. Positioning The University of Oregon is positioned as a leader of liberal arts education on the west coast providing a balanced lifestyle for students that enjoy a friendly community, a beautiful region, and strong athletic programs.
10. 10. 10 Implementation of the Social Media Marketing Strategy Oregon will implement individualized strategies for each of the four major current social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. These individual strategies will serve to increase followers and improve user engagement relative to the platform identified. A specialized approach is needed because different users are found on different platforms and each type of user will need to be targeted slightly differently. Overarching Strategy Oregons social media team is spending too much time finding content and not enough time posting content. Stronger communication needs to be established with the various schools/departments within the university. In this way, the schools could provide interesting information to be posted and the social media team would only need to decide how to incorporate that information onto the various platforms. For this strategy we have put together a social media calendar (See Appendix 1) to help guide what types of things to post each day. The calendar doesnt need to be followed exactly as is, but it helps to provide variety and strategy to social media posts. Platform Specific Tactics and Campaigns Twitter Twitter currently hosts 271 million users across the globe who share ideas and information in public posts of 140 characters or less. In addition to text, users can link images or short videos to their Tweets. Those posts are then read by followers, shared via retweets, or responded to with another post. Recently, Instagram has surpassed Twitter in number of followers; however, it is still a major communication tool for generation Y and Z, which is the same as our target market. The @Univ_Of_Oregon Twitter handle currently reaches 85,100 followers with each Tweet, but has the potential for much greater reach. The goal for @Univ_Of_Oregon is to reach and interact with a wide range of Twitter users, including but not limited to: prospective students, current students, and alumni. Content creation (via original Tweets)
11. 11. 11 and sharing (via retweets) should be informative, entertaining and educational in order to engage followers and provide an authentic representation of life on the Oregon campus. Twitter should be used not only as a means for publishing content and sharing information, but also as a tool to engage users and share information regarding on campus events. Posts should include and range from campus events, updates about students and faculty, campus social life, and athletics - to name a few areas. The @Univ_Of_Oregon handle will achieve this by following a few simple rules built into a pre-determined strategy. Overall Twitter Goals Increase Twitter followers from 85,100 to 100,000 between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016. Respond to all Tweets including the @Univ_Of_Oregon handle using one of the three Twitter interactions (retweet, favorite or reply) within 12 hours beginning July 1, 2015. The following actions will be taken: Include more images with original posts. Visuals spark user interest much more than text When possible include a call to action Maintain a positive voice Link to uoregon.edu for hosting of articles and youtube.com/user/UOregon for hosting of videos Respond to all @Univ_Of_Oregon Tweets within 12 hours with any of the three Twitter actions (Retweet, Favorite, or Reply) Maintain a ratio of at least 50% satellite content content created by various campus departments posted via the @Univ_Of_Oregon handle Produce two original Tweets daily in times of normal traffic flow, and maintain the option of Tweeting a third and fourth time when regarding major events or news
12. 12. 12 The daily Tweets will be split evenly between the Digital Marketing Unit (1) and a school/ department within the University (1) (these schools/ departments will be given equal opportunity to provide content based off of the attached Posting Guidelines Calendar) Set aside times where the @Univ_Of_Oregon handle hosts conversation segments or is run by other campus entities (ie Philosophy Friday or The Presidential Hour - where Michael Gottfredson responds to questions in an open forum) Facebook Facebook is currently the most highly used social network with over 1.35 billion active users. This platform is excellent for reaching alumni, prospective international students, and families of prospective students in the US. When checking out potential schools, prospective students almost always check out a schools Facebook page to get a sense of the brand. Due to this its extremely important to keep a fresh and consistent Facebook page to breed awareness and increase perception of the Oregon brand. Overall Facebook Goals Increase number of Facebook page likes from 360,000 to 450,000 between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016. Increase number of Facebook visits from 140,000 to 180,000 between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016 The following actions will be taken: Alter the About section to includes links to other social media platforms and also a benefit statement such as, Like the page to stay updated on UO essentials Occasionally post about international student activities on campus to cater to the international student presence on Facebook Wristband campaign: Partner with Duck Guides and hand out UO wristbands to everyone who does a check-in on Facebook and likes the page during the tour
13. 13. 13 Partner with the Duck Store to reintroduce contests and giveaways Post content a maximum of once per day Post according to the Posting Guidelines Calendar Reply to comments and messages within 12 hours Instagram Instagram supports a massive photo sharing community of over 300 million people. Some 60 million photos are shared every day. It is well suited for engaging with students because photos capture user interest much more effectively than simple text. A well taken photo will grab a users attention, while the caption will provide the desired information to be shared. The audience found on Instagram is of a younger age: primarily high school and college students. This makes Instagram the perfect platform for engaging with prospective students as well as students currently attending the University of Oregon. Overall Instagram Goal Increase Instagram followers from 20,000 to 60,000 between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016. The following actions will be taken: Upload photos featuring interesting campus/sporting events, historical images, notable visitors, student life, the duck, faculty, etc. Use proper hashtags to broaden the visibility of each post Upload new photos at least twice a week Post according to the Posting Guidelines Calendar Reply to comments that include the @UOregon or pose a question within 12 hours Implementation of the What is Oregon to You? campaign o This campaign will ask Instagram users to upload a photo to Instagram in which they depict what Oregon means to them in a single picture. The hastag #whatisoregon will be used for this campaign, and every Tuesday
14. 14. 14 two or three of these pictures would be reposted on the Oregon account. The aim of this campaign would be to create stronger user engagement on Instagram, and it would give prospective students a stronger sense of what the Oregon brands entails and what campus life is like. Additionally, at the end of each term a YouTube video would be created featuring a slideshow of the various #WhatIsOregon pictures. Implementation of the Who Do You Select? Campaign o This campaign will primarily target prospective students in high school. It will ask them to upload a video to Instagram of themselves choosing to attend the University of Oregon in a creative fashion. This campaign will use the #SelectOregon hashtag. Snapchat Snapchat is a quickly growing social app that lets users message photos to other users. According to Snapchat, over 700 million photos and videos are sent every day. Currently, Oregon has a Snapchat account in place, but it isnt in use. Snapchat is being used primarily by a younger audience (ages 14-28) making this platform perfect for reaching prospective students and current UO students. Snapchats primary purpose in this campaign would be to boost Oregons brand image. Overall Snapchat Goal Begin a My Campus Story the first day of fall class (September 26, 2015) and reach 20,000 Snapchat friends by December 31, 2015. The following actions will be taken: Reintroduce campus story and keep it running Promote Snapchat use via other social media channels to raise its awareness Post pictures and videos to Snapchat story that promote campus life, campus events, and athletics
15. 15. 15 Assignment Roles Tim Christy - Digital Marketing Director Tim will review all content prior to posting and will maintain integrity of the brand while making sure there is a consistent voice that matches the strategy. He will create a social media calendar and plan content around major events/topics one school term (3 months) in advance. Additionally, Tim will direct the interns on what responsibilities each one has. He will develop a network around the campus/community that will aid in the creation of content and information to be posted. Interns (Four) - Digital Marketing Coordinators Each intern will manage Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, or Instagram for 1 week at a time. Then after the first week, each intern will rotate platforms. This will be done to give each intern experience with each platform, but also to keep things fresh. Within the overall voice of Oregon, each intern will have a slightly different take on how they post things. This should keep posts more unique and cause users to be more engaged. The table below outlines how interns would rotate between platforms: Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Twitter Intern A Intern D Intern C Intern B Facebook Intern B Intern A Intern D Intern C Snapchat Intern C Intern B Intern A Intern D Instagram Intern D Intern C Intern B Intern A
16. 16. 16 Intern Requirements: Ability to work with different departments of the school to create, strategize and grow University of Oregon brand nationally and internationally Content Creation and Curation : Maintain a regular schedule for social media platform posts, and coordinate with different departments Public Relations: Monitor and respond to interactions online including social media, fan page in-box responses, and website comments Proficiency with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat Tracking, Measuring and Evaluating Performance will be measured by analyzing the following metrics: growth, sentiment, and interaction. At each meeting these metrics will be looked at by the entire team, for each platform, to make sure each objective will be met. Growth As an example of how we will measure growth, the goal for Facebook will be to increase page likes to 420,000 by June 30, 2016. This goal can be broken down into 2 week increments, and the true number of likes achieved every other week can be compared to this incremental goal. The same can be done for each other platform. Sentiment Sentiment can be analyzed by carefully monitoring how users respond to Oregon created posts and how users post to the University platforms. If users are posting a significant amount of negative comments, its important to understand why. Its also important to respond to negative posts, and not just ignore them or delete them. Interaction Each intern will need to respond to user comments on the platform theyre managing for the week. Number of responses, and timeliness of responses will be measured. A majority, if not all, comments on each social media platform should be responded to, and
17. 17. 17 users shouldnt have to wait more than 12 hours to receive a response from Oregon. These metrics will need to be enforced to keep up an engaging social media presence. Social Media Analytics Hootsuite will be used to help manage each social media platform. It allows Oregon to schedule postings and keep track of them all in one place. In addition, it helps analyze each platforms performance. We recommend upgrading to the pro version if this hasnt already been done. Projected Budget Digital Marketing Director Salary $85,000 Digital Marketing Intern Stipends (4 x $200 per term) $3,200 Hootsuite Pro Service ($9.99/month x 12 months) $120 Contest Promotions/Giveaways $1,000 Equipment/Technology $1,000 Total Expenses for one full calendar year $90,320 Contests/Giveaways There will be room in the budget for future contests and/or giveaways. Currently there is no strategy in place for contests, but in the future we hope to see more and more contests being hosted via social media.
18. 18. 18 APPENDIX 1 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Make posting from school of journalism/journali sm related Make posting from architecture school/architectur e related and/or important events in UO's history Create a post regarding athletics Create posts regarding chemistry Create posts regarding the business school/business related Create posts regarding the school of music/music related Create posts regarding the arts (sculpting, painting, photography)/ art related Create posting from English department (quotes) Create posting from language departments/ international related Create posting regarding athletics Create post regarding dancing and/or theater arts Create posts regarding physics/physics related Create posts regarding biology/human physiology Create posts regarding sustainability/ environmental studies
19. 19. 19 Bibliography "Front Page." University of Oregon. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2015. Office of the Registrar." Enrollment Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2015. "Social Media Matters | Ogilvydo.com." Social Media Matters. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2015. Barker, Melissa S., Donald Barker, Nicholas F. Bormann, and Krista Neher.Social Media Marketing: A Strategic Approach. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. TopUniversity. Students Online: Global Trends.2014. PDF. 25 Feb. 2015. "Twitter Facts and Statistics You Need to Know in 2014." Jeffbullass Blog RSS. N.p., 06 Aug. 2014. Web. 07 Feb. 2015. "University of Oregon." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2015. "University of Oregon Twitter." University of Oregon Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. "University of Oregon." University of Oregon. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2015. US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2015.