1. 7 Incredible Benefits of Social Media Tracy Stewart

2. Overview Learn seven high-impact benefits of using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and other online communities See real-life examples of how you can use social media to increase interest and referrals, as well as accelerate the decision cycle in choosing a college

3. 1.Students Can Experience Student Life through Videos – Accelerate Decision Cycle Spotlight Videos User-Generated 70-79% of Millennials watch video online (Source:Pew Internet Report 2010)

4. “Day in the Life” Video Series JUL 2007 4,594 views 1,851 views 109 avg per month MAR 2008 1,626 views JUN 2010 AUG 2010 JUN 2010 OCT 2010 49 avg per month 308 avg per month 767 views 128 avg per month 357 views 89 avg per month 107 views 43 avg per month Previous “Day in the Life” video content always garnered top views… So, we produced more & views increased

5. UGC #FTW Views of our “Why I Love Regent” contest entries always garner top views: they’re short, genuine & direct So, in 2010, we had another contest & doubled our entries Our first freshman video blog series attracted repeat visits & channel subscribers So, in 2010, we have four freshman video bloggers contributing

6. YouTube as a Community The web isn’t just websites anymore. Our YouTube channel is another web property – aside from our website – that helps to extend our online presence & build awareness & consideration of our brand

7. 2.Generate High-Quality Traffic by Sharing Links to Your Website Mostly current stakeholders stay up- to-date on news & events (like the inauguration of our new President) & other social media activities (like the launch of our new Facebook & YouTube pages, our YouTube video contest & blogger series)

8. 3.Leverage Student & Alumni Ambassadors and Other Influencers - Blogs About 50% of Millennials read blogs (Source:Pew Internet Report 2010) Regent features 88 current students In 2010, traffic from Regent blogs to Regent.edu was 0.27% of total site traffic (or #17 top referral source) Since Jan 2009 & compared to site avg, these visitors spent 24% more time on site

9. 4.Know What Works – Test & Measure Measuring growth in audience sizes, referral volume, referral interactivity, and content interest helps to gauge the effectiveness of your efforts & illuminate calibration opportunities to achieve optimal results Regent reviews social media data at a high level every month

10. Frequency Impacts Growth Launched New Facebook Design & Featured on Homepage Launched New YouTube Design & Content Why I Love Regent Video Contest Launched Life in the UnCommons Content on YouTube Refreshed Life in the UnCommons Content on YouTube Audience Size Facebook Audience Growth Spikes with Campaigns

11. 5.Know What Content Generates Most Interest Social media users follow brands because: 1.They are a current customer 2.They want exclusive deals or offers 3.They want entertaining or informational content (Source: eMarketer Report 2009) Social media users follow brands because: 1.They are a current customer 2.They want exclusive deals or offers 3.They want entertaining or informational content (Source: eMarketer Report 2009) Reasons for Unsubscribing from a Brand’s Facebook Page 34% unsubscribed due to content

12. 6.Know Who Your Audiences Are Regularly reviewing demographic and psychographic make-up of channels helps to inform what content should be shared where

13. Who Interacts With Your Facebook Page? Social media channels offer deep user demographic and psychographic insights – allowing us to identify who spends time on our properties and offer them a more personalized experience

14. What Type of Videos Should You Curate? Regularly reviewing demographic make-up of channels helps to inform what content should be shared where vs.

15. How Often and What Should You Tweet? Regularly reviewing demographic make-up of channels helps to inform what content should be shared where

16. How Can Social Media Increase Conversions? By creating a strategic engagement  information funnel, we drive prospects from awareness to consideration (and from web property to web property) Influence, Engage Inform, Convert

17. 7.Increase & Enhance Your Visibility Social media is the new search engine optimization. A brand-related search will inevitably display social media channels within the first three pages of results. Social media is the new search engine optimization. A brand-related search will inevitably display social media channels within the first three pages of results. PG 1 PG 2 PG 3 Regent utilizes a naming and tagging convention for all social content to ensure top search indexing

18. Wikipedia, a crowdsourced social encyclopedia, offers a unbiased representation of Regent University and drives a considerable amount of traffic to Regent.edu Develop Audience Trust Via Indexed Social Media Audiences generally trust peer-curated content over brand-curated content

19. Search Optimized Social Content and Channels Regent-specific social content – including videos, presentations, forums, photos and blogs – rank highly on Google, Yahoo! and Bing

20. A Measured Approach to Social Media As with any channel, social media starts with gathering insights about your company, customers, competitors, collaborators, & context. This informs strategy. Define goals, initiatives, strategies & tactics. How will success be measured? Then, implement. Define goals, initiatives, strategies & tactics. How will success be measured? Then, implement. Count what matters according to your goals. Close the loop & utilize gathered data to craft wiser strategies. Count what matters according to your goals. Close the loop & utilize gathered data to craft wiser strategies.

21. 7 Incredible Benefits of Social Media Tracy Stewart