Let’s Meet on Facebook and Co.

Using social media channels

to promote our universities

and attract students and faculty visitors

Jens Andreas Faulstich M.A.

Deputy Director, Languages / International Affairs

RheinAhrCampus Remagen

HS Koblenz, University of Applied Sciences

faulstich@hs-koblenz.de

1Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales

Internationalisation: My Responsibilities

Part of the management team

Counselling of students and faculty members concerning their

international mobility projects

Transatlantic cooperations (e.g. Summer School Program USA)

Social Media / New Media experience

Various projects to boost the visibility of our departmental Facebook

page

Regular contributions to our award-winning blog “absolutely intercultural”

Occasional contributions to International Instagram account

2Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales

RheinMoselCampus

Koblenz

WesterwaldCampus

Höhr-GrenzhausenRheinAhrCampus

Remagen

Business and Social

Sciences

Mathematics and Technology

Engineering

Institut of Fine Arts – Ceramics and

Glass (IKKG)

Architecture

Business Administration

Engineering

Social Sciences

Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales

Motivation

Languages / International Affairs

as an Example

Key Performance Indicators

Best Practices

Anomalies

Conclusion & Suggestions

Overview

27.03.2019 5

Our university has a

Facebook account –

but it‘s managed by our

Social Media Team.

Should we really

encourage the use of

social media for

international services?

We like the idea – but

we are worried about

the admin work and

privacy issues.

Motivation – some potential concerns

Why our visibility matters for incoming mobility

Northernmost and youngest university campus

in Rhineland-Palatinate

Not as attractive as Berlin, Munich, Cologne…

Service culture and word-of-mouth

recommendations very important

Why our visibility matters for outgoing mobility

Students need to have international mobility on

their agenda from an early stage

Students can benefit from exchange visitors

(language tandem, buddy support system, …)

Long-term preparation includes language

courses, certificates, TOEFL…

6Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales

Integrated communication strategy

Encourage “Internationalisation at Home”

International mobility is recommended, but

not compulsory (except for one B.A. Program)

Involve students in activities that foster

intercultural learning and exchange

Get students ready for study abroad or

internship abroad semesters

Connect them with international students

Communicate scholarship prerequisites early

Spread the word about partner universities

Invite students to our university

Get and keep them interested & connected!7Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales

Information dissemination previously through email and our websites

Smaller bits of information shared more frequently on social media like Facebook and podcasts

Additional platforms like Youtube allow us to reach our target audience in a more interactive way

Experiences from previous students (incoming/outgoing) shared through Facebook and blogs

Loss of control of information dissemination to some extent

How Social Media Changed

our Operations…

Users are exposed to a lot more information

Increased competition with other universities

Need to ensure our offers remain competitive,

and our platforms are interesting and up-to-

date

“Loss of control“ is okay, as long our

services remain excellent –

Power of word-of-mouth

Content produced by other parties about us

still are very positive (e.g. blogs, Facebook

posts)

Information Overload

What we Use

Facebook

Podcast

Blogger.com

Youtube

University website

Who Manages it

Full-time Staff of the department

Part-time Student Assistant

(briefed on our code of conduct

and projected image)

Languages / International Affairs –

a practical example

Facebook is the most frequently used social media platform we manage

Blog visits and Youtube views are less frequent

Podcast attracts a lot of attention, but the audience is very heterogeneous

Insights

Post Reach: How many people saw

our page’s posting.

Engagement: How many people liked,

commented, or shared our postings

Comments: Are they positive?

Likes: How many people liked our page

Shares

Key Performance Indicators - Facebook

Analyse your target group’s social media

behavior

When they are most likely to be online?

In our case, the answer is Tues to Thu,

around 8 to 9 pm.

What type of posts get the most Likes?

In our case, they tend to be high-quality photos

of people with stories.

We try to avoid stock images and copied

content from external sources…

How much can we post before students start

“Unfollowing” us?

We aim for two posts per week…

Best practices and further strategies

27.03.2019 13

Stick to One Style of PostingImportance of corporate culture

Corporate design to identify us

Training staff and student

assistants

Adopt Social Media StyleFB stories are not like press

releases

FB stories are not like Tweets

If possible, aim for a distinct “voice”

Best practices and further strategies

Stories – Emotional cues

Some Good Posts – According to “conventional” KPIs

A post about a Webinar

hosted in cooperation with

USC (Australia) also had…

high Post Reach

and ultimately high

attendance

Successful Marketing

Sometimes, a post

can be doing well –

but the outcome is

less than desirable

Post was advertising

a new course offer in English

“Shares” were not mainly

to our target audience

Currently only 3 students

are signed up in the course

More word-of-mouth

marketing efforts needed

Don‘t be fooled!!!!

Sometimes, a post is not doing well –

but the ultimate goal is reached

Post advertising sign-ups for

Managing Cultural Diversity Seminar

had less Post Reach than other posts

The “MCD” seminar was overbooked!

And Don‘t Despair!

Do not be blinded by “Social Media Fame”

Always check back with real outcomes

to see if your goals are being met by Social Media

Fun posts to keep the following active are

important

Fun posts keep the users engaged

so that we can reap real results from „serious

posts“

Strike a Balance

27.03.2019 19

Avoid stock images wherever possible.

Cut out the parts of the photographs which are not

essential to your message.

Always ask for consent (GDPR!). Add a disclaimer

telling people how to ask for pictures to be

removed if they change their mind.

Put the relevant parts of your message in front!

Hashtags may be effective if you use them

consistently.

#ALifeInASemester

Test your posts on a laptop screen and a smart

phone screen (as they will look different there!).

At our university, smart phones are most likely to

be the device used for viewing our posts…

Get your message across!

27.03.2019 20

Three Posts – Three Functions – One Sender!

Our university has an International Instagram account but it is not managed at our campus

Instagram posts tend to be “lost” after the first few hours in the feed

Older Facebook posts can be revived with new engagement

Interaction on Instagram is more limited than on Facebook

Social Media does not replace core activities

Most of our work still involves customized email communication

Physical on-site visits have greatly facilitated partnerships

Facebook platform cannot gain followers when people don’t know you

This gap still has to be closed through other activities like campus visits to seal partnerships

Some Disclaimers

27.03.2019 22

Exchange Student BlogMany exchange

students enjoy

sharing their

experience and point

friends and relatives

to this blog

Authentic, colourful,

inspiring.

Needs to be

monitored from time

to time (some

students don‘t think

about long-term

problems when

sharing party pics…)

27.03.2019 23

27.03.2019 24

International Website

Most important information

resource for

scholars from partner

universities

colleagues from

International Offices

Responsive Design Features

Emphasis on Photos

Many experience reports and

links to social media

platforms

Part of HS Koblenz website

(may cause problems, e.g.

navigation issues and

misdirected enquiries)

27.03.2019 25

Fortnightly PODCAST

ABSOLUTELY

INTERCULTURAL

episodes on

intercultural issues

experience abroad

award-winning

EDUBLOG

TOP100 Education Blog

1377 page views since

January 2019

Cooperation with Danish

partner institution

TUNE IN on i-Tunes or

enjoy it online!

26Jens Andreas Faulstich, Sprachen/Internationales

Thanks for your attention!

Time for your questions!