Dominique Benjamin, Communications Coordinator at Texas A&M University, is one of the 12 presenters of the 5th Higher Ed Social Media Conference.
In this 4-question interview, Dominique tells us about managing social media demands, a learning outcome, the role of video in social media strategy and chimes in on Snapchat.
1) How do you manage the demands on your time and focus inherent to social?
Being in admissions communications, my work is very much results-oriented. With that in mind, I prioritize projects where our resources are best spent: keeping an eye out for user-generated content that can be repurposed, engaging with admitted students, and creating excitement for the incoming freshman class. Through it all, it helps to collaborate with campus partners.
2) What is the most useful thing for your social media work you’ve learned over the past 12 months?
How I view my role on the team has changed over the past year when I realized just how much recruitment marketing research is out there. Reading up on it helped me adjust our priorities for social media in a way that I thought would be most effective for our audience. I feel more confident now knowing for sure what content makes a difference and why.
3) What role does video play in the social media strategy of your school?
User-generated content is a huge part of our recruitment strategy, both online and in print. That applies to video as well. So, it’s no coincidence that our most successful video was one submitted to us by an admitted student. Kailey Got Accepted, which was viewed more than 83,000 times, served as an advertisement for Aggieland Saturday, the university’s annual open house, and drove more than 1,000 clicks to the event web site. As I see it, that success speaks to the power of authentic storytelling as a means of moving people to action.
4) Snapchat is still somehow controversial in higher ed. Do you think schools should invest time and resources on this platform?
Yes, and I think that will be the case even more so as the platform continues to add new features that appeal to advertisers.
As of right now, On-Demand Geofilters are still an effective way for us to empower brand ambassadors. For example, during high school graduation season we purchased geofilters at several graduation ceremonies across Texas to celebrate #Aggiebound students. We even surprised one student in California with her own geofilter! Being able to have that kind of impact, even when our target audience is on the other side of the country, is a powerful thing.
A day in the life of a higher ed social media pro: Dominique Benjamin
Are you a fan of social media takeovers by students or alums?
Dominique Benjamin took over Higher Ed Experts’ Instagram account for a day on October 27, 2017 as part of the Higher Ed Social Media Conference Speakers Takeovers where your higher ed social media colleagues share a day in their life.
A conference focusing on higher ed social media?
The Higher Ed Social Media Conference is a must-attend event for higher ed social media professionals and teams 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 experience.
Tags: HESM17, Higher Ed News