Great #hesm pros to follow: Lauren Boyd (@lcboyd) from The Ohio State University (@OhioState)

Lauren Boyd, Multimedia Specialist at The Ohio State University, is one of the 12 presenters of the 3rd Higher Ed Social Media Conference.

In this 3-question interview, Lauren tells us how she manages social media, shares a surprising social media outcome and tackles the tough ROI question.

1) How do you manage your activity on social media?

I use HootSuite Enterprise to help manage both Twitter and Instagram. Being able to schedule my posts is huge for my workflow and time management. I also block time off on my calendar as planning and “look ahead” time to write social media content that I know I want to go out within the next few weeks.

2) What’s the most surprising social media outcome you’ve experienced this year? What did you learn?

Ohio State’s Instagram has taken off — off-the-chart numbers over the past year or two. At first, I used this as a platform to post pretty pictures of campus, but when I saw the growing numbers, I took a step back and thought, “How can we use this in a more meaningful way?” Now, we’re using it in multiple ways — showcasing gorgeous photos of campus, finding and posting user-generated content and telling stories through some long-form captions.

3) How do you approach the question of return on investment (ROI) when it comes to social media?

When I can demonstrate the conversations and engagement happening on social, then that’s a win. At Ohio State, we strive for engagement and awareness, and that’s a key driver in our social media strategy. ROI to us means letting our audience be a large part of the conversations, driving traffic to our website and engaging in meaningful dialogue with our students, alumni, faculty/staff and friends.