Social Media in the PSE Context

Joanne Musico & Jean-Paul Rains

Having a story to tell

• One of fastest-growing universities in Canada, enrolment up from 6,000 to close to 10,000 in past decade

• Jumped seven places in Maclean’s university rankings in the past two years, the highest increase of any Canadian university

• Maclean’s: one of three Canadian universities “on the radar”• Globe and Mail: “Laurentian has buzz”; “Sudbury: the unlikely magnet for

global education”• Canada’s newest medical school, upcoming school of architecture• Mining, forensic science programs receiving international attention• Planning for new campus in Barrie• New strategic plan, academic plan

Key takeaways

1. Your brand’s voice and value proposition

2. Expanding your social network with key audiences

3. Government Relations through Social Media

Your Brand’s Voice and Value Proposition

• What are the qualifiers of your brand’s voice? • Who are you speaking to?

– How can you best reach those audiences?

• What do you perceive your value to be? – Does that value differ from your audience’s perceived value?

Your Brand’s Voice and Value Proposition

• Enabling your internal community to share the voice– Creating your Social Media Community

• Approaching policy and resourcing– Our ‘Handbook’ – Resources for policy creation

• Governance structure– Collaborative – Building capacity over building approval structures

Community Manager

Athletics

Future Students

Student

Success

Alumni

Community Manager

Student Bloggers

Part-Time Student

Expanding your network with key audiences

• Social Network should reflect your stakeholder network

• Move beyond your immediate followers

• Actively listening

• Knowing when to act and when to observe

Expanding your network with key audiences

• Social Network should reflect your stakeholder network– Does your Twitter account follow these stakeholders?

• Move beyond your immediate followers– Who is influencing your stakeholders?

Expanding your network with key audiences

• Actively listening– Monitoring tools– Twitter Search – IceRocket.com

Expanding your network with key audiences

• Knowing when to act and when to observe

Community Manager

Question

Venting

Pride

GR through Social Media

• The art of the Alley-Oop, on Twitter

• Strategic Tweets and striking the political balance

• Sharing Networks and the power of your Re-Tweet

• Being a conduit for conversation

The art of the GR through Social Media

• The art of the Alley-Oop, on Twitter

• Strategic Tweets and striking the political balance

GR through Social Media

• Sharing Networks and the power of your Re-Tweet

• Being a conduit for conversation

QUESTIONS?Thank you, merci!