Dr. Liz Gross, Social Media Measurement Instructor at Higher Ed Experts, is one of the 12 presenters of the 4th Higher Ed Social Media Conference.
In this 3-question interview, Dr. Liz tells us a success story, shares the most difficult parts of the job and discusses the required skills to thrive as a higher ed social media pro.
1) What’s your best social media success story?
Besides teaching social media measurement and analytics at Higher Ed Experts, I work for a student loan servicer.
We noticed that we had a content gap in our customer journey. When a student paid off their loan—a huge accomplishment they should be proud of—they just received a form letter letting them know it was paid in full.
We learned from social listening that our customers felt pretty let down in that moment. So, we worked with our web developers to implement a “paid in full party” on our website, with built-in social sharing. It includes some owned social content (an animated gif with confetti that includes a celebratory message and the hashtags #PaidInFull and #Adulting), that customers can choose to share. Now, we see online celebrations of student loan payoff every single day! (You can see some of the examples in this Twitter search.)
2) What are the 2 most difficult parts of your social media job and how do you deal with them?
I try to tie social media to customer experience expectations. When speaking with other business units or senior leadership, I need to explain why something we offer in one channel (our website, for example), should also be offered on Facebook, Twitter… and maybe even WhatsApp or Snapchat. Data helps with this argument, but it’s tough in a process-focused, cost-conscious organization.
There are some community members that we cannot please, and they continue to rant and/or attack us. Being respectful and inclusive when engaging with these folks takes a lot of self-control, and seeing angry messages in an inbox can be really defeating if you start to take it personally.
3) What are the 2 most important skills to thrive as a social media pro in higher ed?
Constant Curiosity: The only thing consistent with social media is change.
Platforms, features, and algorithms change on a regular basis, and that may require adjusted tactics and strategies in order to continue to be successful. A thriving social media professional will be consistently curious and always be looking for what’s new or trying to predict what’s next.
Strategic Thinking: As social media becomes part of our standard way of doing business, it’s important for pros to understand how social media integrates with organizational strategies and priorities.
Whether it’s in admissions, student engagement, alumni giving, or brand reputation, thriving social media pros will connect their work to the goals of the department or institution to ensure leadership buy-in and continued funding.
Follow Dr. Liz Gross for a day at work on Instagram!
You’re going to love Higher Ed Experts’ #HESM Instagram Takeovers where your higher ed social media colleagues share a day in their life.
Check out Dr. Liz’s 1-day takeover of Higher Ed Experts’ brand new Instagram account.
A conference for Higher Ed Social Media pros & teams?
The HESM conference has become a must-attend event for social media teams in higher education looking for new ideas and best practices.
Read below what a few of your higher ed colleagues who attended the past editions of the Higher Ed Social Media Conference say about the event.