What is the objective of being present on social media for UVM?
Strong values to convey
Andrea didn’t attend the University of Vermont herself, but upon arrival, the values the institution represented really spoke to her and impressed her. UVM wants students to feel involved and at home, giving the young learners a sense of place and purpose.
It remains of the utmost importance to Andrea to continue to relay these values through social media. Human stories are particularly valuable, as they allow her to touch on emotional topics in a very direct way.
“On our Instagram feed, you'll get a view of UVM that you won't get anywhere else.”
Andrea Estey
Andrea asked new students to send videos of themselves opening their admission letters by DM to @universityofvermont, and she used them in the account’s Stories. This generated lots of Stories interactions, as well as an 80% increase in DMs and an overall engagement rate of 13% for feed posts during the campaign.
Aside from conveying specific principles within the university itself, Andrea understands the importance of being committed to the State of Vermont and everything it represents. She describes Vermont as being a very unique place with lots of beautiful scenery and landscapes. The content displayed on the University’s social media channels speaks volumes about the State, and the sense of community combined with the geography, really acts as a deciding factor for many students applying from out of State.
Prospective students to convert
The university runs surveys with the new students each year. In 2019, the overwhelming result was that 58% of enrolling students used social media to learn about UVM, and that more than half of those used Instagram specifically. Thanks to the survey, Andrea has the certitude that prospective students who follow UVM on social media are more likely to enroll at the university than those who don't. A statistic that would impress any social media marketer!
What about Iconosquare’s role?
Andrea tracks all her social media metrics with Iconosquare. The Engagement section especially really helps her to gauge the precise posts which are increasing the overall engagement rate of the account. Although it’s not all about the numbers, she admits:
“In recent months, we've had posts that have had huge engagement rates, but they've been for negative reasons. It's been lots of comments from students complaining and being upset that campus is shutting down. So even though those numbers feel great, the sentiment really matters as well.”
Andrea Estey
As with any brand, the quality of the engagement received is paramount - maybe even more so for an institute of higher education where the overall happiness of the community (online and off) is what keeps the machine running.