Including student-driven content in your overall content strategy will enhance the user experience of your college or university website.

1. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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3 Ways To Boost Student Driven
Web Content

2. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
Slide 2
1. Student Blogs
2. Testimonials
3. Writing Contests
Overview
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-website

3. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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Just as classrooms rely on student participation in order to
thrive, a college or university website needs student-led content
in order to bolster the energy and voice of your overall web
branding.
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-website

4. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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 Student-driven content will allow your site to:
 Act as a catalyst to the academic experience offered at your school.
 Play a crucial role in education lead generation
 Offer visitors the type of content that will answer the questions that they
are likely asking themselves: What does it mean to be a student at this
college? What do the students stand for? Is this college the best choice?
Can I see myself studying here?
Here are just a few types of student-driven content that you
can add to your college or university website:
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-website

5. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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 Student blogs are the gateway to the spirit of your student
body. Whether you’re working at a college that offers career
training in niche markets or at a university with programs in
dozens of different disciplines, every student has a distinct
learning experience. Offering students the opportunity to tap
into these experiences through a blog will reinforce the
strength and value of the knowledge you are teaching them.
1. Students Blogs
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-website

6. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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 There are so many engaging ways to allow students to host
blogs directly on your website. To ensure that the blogs are
related to the student experience at your school, you can
design them through themes or personalities.
 For example, launch separate blogs for each faculty, and have
students be the primary authors of these blogs: Science students
can write about the latest research being done in the labs, Business
students can write about fluctuating trends, Arts students can plug
their latest work and on-campus events, etc.
1. Students Blogs
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-website

7. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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 After developing the theme of the blog, send out a call for
students who would be interested in submitting regularly
within the theme and guidelines that you create.
 The most important thing is to let the students drive the
content.
 Allow them to speak openly about their experiences in order
for the content to be both honest and engaging.
1. Students Blogs
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-website

8. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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 Life @ U of T is just one of more than a dozen blogs hosted
on University of Toronto’s Student Life page.
 Posts are written by numerous students from different
faculties, allowing the blog to represent a wide spectrum of
the student body.
 The bloggers also maintain a Twitter feed, which allows then
to engage with other students, and also adds to the
university’s overall social media marketing efforts.
1. Students Blogs Example: University of
Toronto
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-website

9. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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 Testimonials put a spotlight on students as they share
their overall impressions of their time at your college or
university.
 Featuring testimonials on your website is an absolute
necessity, and is likely the easiest type of student-driven
content that you can add to your website.
2. Testimonials
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-

10. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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Remember that testimonial content can take shape in a variety
of different formats, including text, video, illustrations, audio,
etc.
 Saint Michael’s College presents testimonials
through Student profiles (as well as faculty, staff and alumni
profiles).
 The testimonials are presented in an interview format, where
the student tells his story by answering questions relating to
their experience at Saint Michael’s.
2. Testimonials Example: Saint Michael’s
College
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-

11. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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University of British Columbia recently launched the
incredible Continue Your Story student testimonial campaign on
their Continuing Studies page.
 The campaign thrives in its ability to showcase the personal stories of
four distinct students and the reasons why they chose to pursue
continuing education studies.
 Ultimately, these stories give visitors a concrete understanding of how
higher education can help shape their lives.
 The mix of media (photos, video) as well UBC’s choice to highlight the
campaign by giving it dedicated space and promotion on the website
adds to its overall success.
2. Testimonials Example: University of
British Columbia
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-

12. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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 Writing contests are a great way to get the creative juices
going across the entire student body.
 Design the contest around a particular theme and send out a call
for submissions.
 For example, ask students to send in their best "Rookies Rule" story,
which would include anecdotes about how they overcame a big academic
hurdle during their freshman year.
 Feature the winning (and runner-ups!) stories directly on your
site, thereby giving your students’ voices physical presence on
your site.
3. Writing Contests
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-website

13. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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The Mohawk College Writing Centre recently did a great job
hosting a writing contest on their site.
 The contest was called “Writing Rocks” and sent out a call for fiction and
poetry submissions.
 Once the winners were chosen, the first place and runner up entries were
featured directly on the Mohawk website.
 They also have a social media buttons on all of the corresponding pages,
giving users the ability to share the content on Mohawk site.
 Integrating all of these elements into the writing contest contributed to
enhancing the user experience.
3. Writing Contests Example: Mohawk
College
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-website

14. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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 Before launching any one of these student-driven content
initiatives, be sure that they are implemented into your overall
digital communications plan and content strategy.
 Similar to how you schedule online announcements of events,
new courses, program updates etc., you would need to develop
a plan that will map out the dates, contributors and themes of
each piece of content.
 Using an editorial content calendar is the perfect way to
stay organized from the start will make the content integration
process a whole lot easier!
Source: http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/3-ways-boost-student-driven-content-website

15. 3 Ways To Boost Student-Driven Web
Content
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