Establishing an Alumni Association’s

Brand on Social Media

   

Rebecca Vander LindeAlumni Communications Coordinator

&Traci Crockett

Director of Alumni CommunicationsAmerican University

About American University

•  Private, coeducational, liberal arts institution in Washington, D.C.

•  12,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states

•  115,000+ alumni in 140 countries

•  Politically active student body1

•  88 percent of undergraduates participate in an internship

•  1,904 students major in international studies—the largest U.S. undergraduate program, and AU is a top producer of Fulbright scholars2

1.  Princeton Review, "The School with the Most Politically Active Students? American University," IN Blog (blog), 08 24, 2012, http://in.princetonreview.com/in/2012/08/the-school-with-the-most-politically-active-students-american-university.html.

2.  "Top Producers of U.S. Fulbright Students by Type of Institution, 2012-13," The Chronicle of Higher Education (blog), 10 28, 2012, http://chronicle.com/article/Top-Producers-of-US/135454/.

Social Media

alumniassociation.american.edu/socialmedia

ESTABLISHING  A  BRAND  

Brand elements

Facebook

   

Facebook Cover Photos

   

Cover photos throughout the year reflect our brand and our office’s major initiatives.

Facebook Chapter Pages

Similar but distinct branding for chapter pages.

Twitter

LinkedIn Alumni Group

LinkedIn University Page

   

Flickr

Blog

Social Buttons

Social Media Content Strategy Overview

Develop a distinct voice and tone and use it across all social platforms.

•  Our tone: conversational, upbeat, casual but professional

Find topics that resonate with your alumni base.•  Alumni events•  School news/updates•  Alumni in the news•  Anniversaries•  Nostalgia and traditions•  Universal student experiences•  Images of campus

Don’t just post. Engage with alumni on social media.•  Ask questions•  Interact with and respond to alumni, when appropriate

   

State of the Union

   

CREATING  SOCIAL  TRADITIONS  

Twitter Town Hall series

   

Sweethearts

Incorporating social media in established programs

Incorporating social media in established programs

Tweeting from Events

SOCIAL  MEDIA  AMBASSADORS  

Social Media Ambassadors

Participants in the Alumni Social Media Ambassador program help generate positive buzz about AU and the alumni association online.

•  Like, comment on, share, and retweet posts from alumni social media.

•  Tweet from alumni events and encourage others to do the same.

•  Post photos from events on Facebook and Twitter.

•  Participate in and promote online alumni events like Twitter Town Hall events with President Kerwin.

•  Encourage their alumni network to follow alumni social media accounts.

•  Initiate and join discussions on the AU Alumni LinkedIn group.

GroupTweet.com

Twitter Town Hall

The town hall gives social media ambassadors a chance to interact with the president.

Our social media ambassadors participate in our Twitter Town Halls as part of their volunteer duties.

Sharing personal experiences on Facebook

COMMUNITIES  

Affinity Groups

National Coming Out Day Twitter Party

AU Pride Facebook Group

ROI for social media staff time

6,555 likes +4,835 [381%] since May ’12

195 unique alumni like, share, or comment on a post each week

3,632 followers +1,791 [197%] since May ’12

41 retweets or mentions per week

16,114 members +4,806 since May ’12 228 new members per month

3,174 photos 87,922 lifetime photo views

Questions?

twitter.com/AmericanUAlum

facebook.com/AmericanUAlum

American University Alumni

flickr.com/AmericanUAlum

Contact Us

Traci CrockettDirector of Alumni Communications

crockett@american.edu @tracicrockett

Rebecca Vander LindeAlumni Communications Coordinator

vanderli@american.edu@rfvanderlinde

THANK YOU!