Alexa, help me build a community, not a following. Since social media usage is up, now is the time to start building that social media empire you've been dreaming of. Online communities build brand awareness, increase leads, and drive conversions. With a clear purpose and the right moderation, these communities can become one of your most powerful marketing channels. In a matter of weeks, COVID-19 forced the last few reluctant marketers to embrace digital transformation. Online and higher education institutions mobilized real quick to foster even stronger online relationships that businesses in almost any industry can learn from. Their ability to adapt to this uncertain and unfamiliar time is why they are now winning the social media community game. Watch full webinar here: https://www.falcon.io/webinars/global-community/

1. How to Build a Global
Community Online
#FalconEd

2. Your Presenters.
Dino Kuckovic
Director of Community
Falcon.io
#FalconEd
Kerisha Harris
Social Media Manager
Wesleyan University
@dinokuckovic @KerishaSays
Daniel Blaser
Sr. Manager of Creative Content
Pluralsight
@dablsr

3. Leveraging digital & adapting online
3 phases of community building
Upskilling during #FreeApril
Q&A
Today’s Agenda.

4. (Housekeeping)
Rules Help Control the Fun!
- Monica Geller
Audio
Everyone is muted for best audio
quality.
Recording & Slides
Available on-demand and sent to
you in tomorrow’s FUP e-mail.
Questions
Q&A in real time and live at the
end of the webinar.
Chat
Communicate with others for the
duration of the webinar.
Social
Find us on all socials @FalconIO
and use #FalconEd to participate.
Survey
We would love to get your
feedback upon exiting the webinar.

5. falcon.io/webinars
MAY-AUGUST WEBINARS
Vertical Success Stories.
May 14 - Education
How to Build a Global
Community Online
June 11 - FMCG
How to Optimize Your Marketing
Strategy in Times of Change
August 6 - Healthcare
How To Effectively Harness
Social Media
May 28 - Agencies
How Agencies Can Rise to
Meet New Challenges
June 25 - Retail
How to Use Social to Drive Your
Sales Funnel
MAY JUNE JULY
#HigherEdSocial
2 free months of
Falcon with demo
now - May 31

6. LEVERAGING YOUR
DIGITAL PROPERTIES
Adapting when your Playbook gets ripped up.

7. A community can contribute to
building your online brand.
1. Engagements on social media
2. Social proof
3. Word-of-Mouth marketing
4. UGC
5. Feedback & idea sourcing
6. Brand awareness

8. 3 PHASES TOWARD AN
ONLINE COMMUNITY
Creating an amazing experience when campus is closed.

9. Wesleyan Overview.
- Undergraduate institution with 3,000 students
required to live on campus all four years.
- COVID-19 presented a major disruption to close-knit
community.
- Biggest challenges:
1. Convincing students to come to Wesleyan
without on-campus experience.
2. Keeping alumni and extended campus
community engaged.
3. Creating a meaningful experience for graduating
class for all even while apart.

10. Pres. Roth announces Wesleyan transition to online learning. Emergency fund for students to support move/travel expenses.
Wesleyan Example.

11. Time to rethink business
as usual.

12. Admitted student
webpage created just
for them.
Admitted student
“virtual video
experience” where we
would release or re-
release new videos
aimed at prospective
students.
WES101 Video Series
created specifically for
social media.
Wesleyan Plan B.
- Get CREATIVE!
- LISTEN to and ENGAGE with audience.
- Figure out what they really WANT?
- Get creative with virtual tools (social media +
existing video) to replicate on-campus
experience.
- Invite extended global community to connect
with prospective members of community.

13. Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Class of 2002. Beanie Feldstein.
Class of 2015.
D.B. Weiss.
Class of 1993.
Brand Ambassadors = Best Friends.
- Wesleyan has an incredible alumni network to tap into now of all times.
- Popular alumni submitted videos on social welcoming prospective students to campus.

14. But…
- Not just famous voices, authentic student voices too.
- Regular Zoom with current students.
- IG Live takeovers with Q&A for prospective students.
- FB Group for prospective students only ft. current students &
alumni.
Success:
- Four Instagram Lives with each 1,000+ participants
- YoY increase in number of commitments to Wesleyan

15. THESE ARE YOUR FUTURE CLASSMATES!
You’ll soon be part of our global
community. We may be apart, but we can
start building that community online
right now!

16. #TogetherWes
- Community mostly missed the connections.
- Adopted spirit of togetherness.
- “Event apart, we are always #TogetherWes”.
- Common theme for all messaging.
Fight song singalong.
Letter to high schoolers
from our VP of Admission.

17. #TogetherWes Photo winners
Wesleyan Example.
Student Photo Contest
-Students submit their campus photos.
-We post on Instagram.
-Selected photo gets a gift card to local cafés owned
by Wes alums and hit hard by campus closure.

18. #TogetherWes
Takeovers.
Turn over the accounts to students,
allow them to document their
authentic experiences through
takeovers and Q&A’s.
Personal fave: Two international
students who couldn’t return home
did a takeover to share their
experience.

19. This takeover is now one one of
our most popular Instagram
Stories, and responsible for
nearly ALL of our story
impressions from April!
#TogetherWes
Takeovers.

20. What’s next?

21. Challenge.
Graduating seniors hit hardest.
Milestones like senior week, commencement
depend on the on-campus experience.
Enter Virtual Commencement.
Commencement is all about gathering together
as a community with friends, family, alumni.
Since we can’t do that, we’re taking it virtual.
Solution.
How do we create a meaningful experience
that will connect not just our graduates, but
our entire campus community?

22. A congratulatory
wall on social using
#WesGrad #Wes2020
and #TogetherWes.
Invitation for our
community to submit
a message to the
graduates.
Digital downloads and
interactive experiences,
including custom frames
for Facebook and
Instagram, Zoom
backgrounds.
Senior spotlights on social
media.
Wesleyan Example.

23. #FalconEd
1. Strong focus on two-way communication,
togetherness and engagement.
2. The community felt seen and heard which led to
trust and continued engagement during a crisis.
3. Stay authentic and genuine in your messaging.
Your audience will notice and appreciate it.
part one
Why it Worked.

24. Cast your vote on-screen.

25. BUILDING A #FREEAPRIL
COMMUNITY
Engaging in learning during quarantine.

26. Pluralsight Overview.
- Thousands of technology courses created by 1500+ “authors”.
- Users can benchmark skills and measure growth.
- Creating progress through technology.
- Technology skills have the power to transform lives.

27. Once upon a time in
late March.

28. We start receiving messages on social and
directly about the impact of COVID-19.
Requests to offer access to our video
content to those affected.
Messages are shared throughout the company.
Executives make the decision to offer
our product for free for an entire month.

29. • Empathy, authenticity, aspiration.
• This is an unprecedented opportunity during an
unprecedented situation.
• We are a community of people facing challenges
but doing our best to learn.
#FreeApril

30. - UGC amplification: build on the energy.
- Anchor to existing community:
‣ Authors
‣ Learners
‣ Employees
Building a Community.

31. - Authors
- Celebrities
- Content creators
‣ Weekly live streams
‣ Tech Skills Day
Influencers.

32. April 23rd, 2020
#TechSkillsDay.

33. Outcome : Results.

34. 1m
plus people signed up.
70%
of registrations came
from non-paid efforts.
13%
Engagement rate of
announcement Tweet.
39k
Mentions of
#FreeApril
600%
YoY brand mentions
increase (vs. 2019)
1.7m
Views of
#TechSkillsDay
An overwhelmingly positive response. We’re grateful so
many shared on social & joined us to upskill/reskill.
Campaign Performance.

36. #FalconEd
1. Empathize and offer value.
2. Prioritize strengthening existing communities.
3. Celebrate and amplify community wins.
Why it Worked.
part two

37. Book a Falcon demo
now - May 31 and
get 2 months free if
you go with us.

38. @falconIOfalcon.io welcome@falcon.io