Most schools have embraced social media by now but some still remain skeptical of its actual usefulness. Fortunately, there is research now that tracks how educational institutions are using social media and how effective it is for achieving their goals. Read on to find out about the success schools are having and how they are doing it.

Insights from Three Years of Data

A recent report from CASE/mStoner/Slover Linett reveals how social media has changed in higher ed over the last few years. The three organizations have been surveying education institutions since 2010 on how social media is being used. Here are some key takeaways from the latest survey:

• Facebook remains the dominant social channel (96% of respondents use it), and 86% consider it the most successful channel they use
• The top goals for social media are engaging alumni and enhancing brand image
• Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube use is up, and are considered to be more effective than last year
• There is a growing acceptance that social media effectively amplifies institutional communications
• Half the institutions that responded are using social media channels as an integral part of campaigns

Credit: Third Annual Survey of Social Media in Advancement conducted by CASE, mStoner, and Slover Linett Strategies

Other interesting findings in the research are:

• The growth in the number of institutions that are building their own social networks despite the prevalence and reach of Facebook. 27% indicated that they were pursuing this option
• Many institutions this year began to experiment with Google Plus, Pinterest, and Vimeo
• There’s growth in the use of social media to engage current students and their parents, and significant growth in the use of social media to engage current faculty and staff

Schools are finding social media to be very versatile and are using it for:

• Engaging prospective students/current students/alumni/faculty/local community/media
• Improving brand image and increasing awareness
• Recruiting students/faculty/staff
• Raising private funds

Channels Most Successful at Meeting Goals

Credit: Third Annual Survey of Social Media in Advancement conducted by CASE, mStoner, and Slover Linett Strategies

Another interesting insight is the attributes that schools shared when they claimed they were “very successful” with social media. What they usually have in common are:

• Have institutional support for social media.
• Believe in the power of social media to help them reach their goals
• Have learned how to use Facebook well and are active on Twitter
• Experiment with new channels when they are released (Pinterest, Google Plus)
• Use multiple metrics to gauge success rather than just focusing on “likes” or “shares”
• Are responsive to audience needs and engage audience members on their own terms
• Regularly incorporate social media into broader multimedia campaigns

You can download the full white paper here [PDF]. It also contains some excellent case studies of effective social media campaigns that might give you some ideas of your own.