Navigating the
Social Media Jungle
Minda Powers-Douglas
Palmer College of Chiropractic
Marketing & Communication
October 2013
Best Practices Series

The question
used to be:
Should I use social
media?
Kevin.Lexblog.com

Now the question is:
How do I do it better?
- Jay Baer

- Erik Qualman, Socialnomics
Social media is the #1 activity on the web

- Erik Qualman, Socialnomics

1.1 billion
Facebook users
(as of July 14, 2013)

Social and Digital Media Revolution
Statistics 2013 (video)

Social networking
has changed
how we …
work
communicate
do business
find
information
entertain
ourselves

Social networking has changed
how we …
live

5 reasons people use social media
Edudemic.com
As of Jan. 2013

Social media is changing the world
• The world is smaller – connecting globally is easy
• Traditional communication is ―old school‖
• We are no longer dependent on the news; we
report it on our own

Review sites like Amazon, TripAdvisor and
CollegeProwler empower us to give honest opinions

Now our voices can
be heard
• Comments
• Videos
• Likes
• Sharing

We are empowered
• Activism made easy
• It’s no longer politics
as usual
Kony 2012 video

Social networking meets two
primary human needs:
1. The need to belong
2. The need for self-presentation
ReadWrite.com – Boston University Study

Social media has revolutionized
customer service
• Using social media to handle the bulk of
customer inquiries is becoming standard
practice
• People want to see brands respond to them in
a Facebook post or a tweet

Can you see
the forest for
the trees?

Conversations about you and your
brand are going on all the time.

There’s no longer a division
between the ―real world‖
and the online world.

But why would I need it for my job?
• No matter what your role is for the College, you
are a representative of Palmer
• Social media can help you improve student and
alumni relations as well as relationships with
prospective students

But Why Would I Need It for My Job?
• It’s where your audience lives
• If you don’t embrace it, you risk becoming
obsolete

Social networks give us the opportunity
to offer excellent, personalized customer
service at little to no cost and in a
time-efficient manner.

How social media affects
college recruitment
and communications

―1 in 3 colleges say social media is
more efficient than traditional media in
reaching their target audience.‖
- OnlineColleges.net, 8/9/12

―92% of undergraduate admissions officers
agree that SM is worth the investment …
86% plan to increase their investment in SM
in the next year.‖
- U of Mass. Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, 2012

―78% of schools surveyed report that
social media tools have changed the
way they recruit.‖
- U of Mass. Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, 2012

―Reduced costs for traditional
media are attributed to use of
social media.‖
- U of Mass. Dartmouth Center for Marketing
Research, 2012

Schools report less spending
on traditional media
• Printing – 33% less
• Newspaper ads – 24% less
• Radio/TV ads – 17% less
- U of Mass. Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, 2012

A stealth student ―is doing his or her own
research into colleges or universities and
doesn’t want to be contacted directly.‖
- OptimizeMyBrand.com

―He or she is likely starting online and
searching multiple sources of information
(websites, reviews, magazine articles, social
media, blogs …) to choose which schools
meet specific criteria or expectations.‖
- OptimizeMyBrand.com

Where you can find Palmer

Navigating Palmer’s social media
• Est. 2007
• Currently on:
Facebook, YouTube,
Twitter, Instagram,
Pinterest, Flickr and
Phanfare

Facebook 101
• Users create profiles
• Connect with friends and
acquaintances
• Post and share links,
thoughts, opinions,
photos, video, events
• Like things and comment

• To understand the expectations of our audiences
• To monitor what people are saying about Palmer
• People are going to social media to share their
experiences and seek new ones
• To take part in the conversation
How could I use Facebook for my job?

Facebook
Page
(managed by Marketing)

West Campus
Facebook
Page
(managed by Marketing)

Florida Campus
Facebook
Page
(managed by Marketing)

Palmer
Facebook
Group
2,634 members
(managed by Marketing)

Palmer
Future
Chiropractors
Facebook
Group
469 members

Connect on Facebook to …
• Ask questions (and potentially get answers in
real time via messaging or chat)
• Get to know Palmer representatives
• Interact with fellow future students
• Interact with current students and alumni

Twitter 101
• Allows you to tweet (up to 140 characters)
• ―A real-time information network that connects
you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news
about what you find interesting. (Twitter)
• It’s about sharing

• To understand the expectations of our audiences
• To monitor what people are saying about Palmer
• People are going to social media to share their
experiences and seek new ones
• To take part in the conversation
How could I use Twitter for my job?

Twitter
@palmercollege
(managed by Marketing)

Use Twitter for research and ideas

Use Twitter for research and ideas

YouTube 101
• Created in 2007
• Reaches more U.S.
adults ages 18-34 than
any cable network
(Nielsen study)
• 1,000s of channels are
making 6 figures per year
- YouTube.com

Just how big is YouTube?
• More than 1 billion unique users visit each month
• 6 billion+ hours of video are watch each month
• 100 hours of video uploaded to YouTube per
minute
- YouTube.com

- YouTube.com
YouTube is the second
most popular search engine.
- LinkedIn, PCG Digital Marketing and
TechCrunch

Types of Videos People Like
• Tutorials/How-to
• Vlogs
• Interviews
• Top 5, 10 …
• Reviews

The Power of
YouTube
• 75 videos
• 86,346 views
• 156 subscribers

Palmer’s
blogs
http://blogs.
palmer.edu

Palmer blogs
• Palmer Student Blogs
• Alumni Blog
• My Chiropractic Journey
• David D. Palmer Health Sciences Library
• On the Leading Edge of Chiropractic Science
• Palmer Rugby Club

So I need social media, but …
• How will I make time for it?
• How do I manage it?
• Where do I begin?
• What will I say?
SocialMediaTrainingSchool.com

15 minutes on social media
• Check e-mail for new Twitter or Facebook
posts/ messages
• Skim your news feed for posts of interest
• Share or like posts by Palmer College
• Post a photo to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook

Extra time?
• Scan the Palmer main group and campus fan
pages for questions to answer and conversations
to join
• Search for ―chiropractic‖ or other key words to
find potential students
• Post a question of the day/week (ex. How has
chiropractic changed your life?)

How do I manage it?
• Settings and notifications (so that you are
notified via email when someone posts or
comments)
• Social media management system (i.e. Hootsuite
or Tweetdeck, which are free)
• Mobile apps (for iPhone, iPad, Android and
others)

Where do I begin?
• If you’re already on social media, start listening—
watch what people are posting and how they
respond
• If you’re not, sign up
• Contact Palmer’s Marketing & Communication
Department for assistance or to create a plan

What should I say?
• Offer useful information for your audience
• Retweet relevant tweets
• Share posts on Facebook
• Make positive comments on posts and tweets
• The more you listen, the more you’ll know what
people are interested in

Can typed words on a screen
make a difference?
Definitely.

Social media helps people navigate
their way to Palmer

Lucie was going
to be a PT until
she learned
about chiropractic
on Facebook.

Razi first contacted
Palmer via Facebook
while in high school.
She plans to enroll
next year.

Alumni across the globe are mentoring
current and future students through
Palmer’s Facebook groups.

New students are planning meet-ups
with future fellow Palmer students to
get to know each other before
classes begin.

What it’s really all about:
Relationships.

Social Media = Opportunities

Opportunities
• Become part of a community of people
passionate about Palmer and chiropractic
• Find prospects you might never have met in
person or through other means
• Connect with people who can lead you to
prospects

Our involvement tells our audiences that
Palmer is not only the leader, but that the
people at Palmer care about them and
what they have to say.

Thank you!
Navigating the
Social Media Jungle
Minda Powers-Douglas
minda.powers@palmer.edu
Palmer College of Chiropractic
Marketing & Communication
Best Practices Series