{"125391":{"#nid":"125391","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Got Social Media?","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGot Social Media?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhether you get it or not, social media is here to stay. The real question is \u2026 are you leveraging it effectively to engage your target audience? Given that the social media revolution is the biggest change to communications since the printing press, we should understand how we can embrace social media instead of running from it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd this can mean different things to different organizations depending on their communication objectives and target audiences. Some traditional brands (e.g. Ford) use social media exclusively to launch new products and this strategy is working well for them \u2013 it\u2019s a great fit considering their audience\u2019s preferences for product information and the undeniable fact that word of mouth and testimonials help sell products. In fact, some companies are dedicating entire advertising budgets to social media. While I personally (and professionally) think that is putting too many eggs into one basket, there are a few considerations we should entertain as we embark upon the social media highway.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFacebook Fan Pages\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne study conducted by McCorkindale, DiStaso \u0026amp; Fussell-Sisco, \u0022How Millennials Are Interacting with Organizations on Facebook,\u201d states that 69 percent of millenials rarely visit Facebook fan pages (i.e. Facebook pages belonging to organizations). Yikes, that means that college students aren\u2019t visiting your Facebook site? Not exactly... while millennials can sniff a sales pitch a mile away, they are inclined to like organizations which fit into the following categories:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESororities and fraternities\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENonprofits (including religious orgs)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESports teams\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELocal organizations\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECollege organizations\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBands\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd if you are able to offer a promotional item or a service discount, then your chances are even greater of being liked by this much sought after group. Click here to read the article by Ragan.com \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ragan.com\/Main\/Articles\/44683.aspx\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.ragan.com\/Main\/Articles\/44683.aspx\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EContent is Still King\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYes, some old school rules still apply in this rapidly changing digital world. Like a social media plan (we\u2019ll save that discussion for a later date), it is extremely beneficial to think through your content. Is it timely? Is it compelling? Will it engage your audience and inspire them to perform a desired behavior? If not, move on. It is far better to have less but high quality content than to have content for the sake of having a lot of content. Believe me, I am just as guilty as anyone for slapping up a posting and hoping it sticks. But the real meat of the matter is whether you inspire folks to take action \u2013 purchase tickets, register for an event, etc. There is more to measure than likes and fans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYou Don\u2019t Have to Do It Alone\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDid you know that the Division of Student Affairs has more than 8 departmental Facebook fan pages, 7 Twitter accounts, 3 YouTube sites and 3 Link-In accounts. And that doesn\u2019t even account for interdepartmental program sites. But the point is - you are among good company in exploring the potential of social media at Georgia Tech. As part of their strategic plan, the Office of Communications and Marketing is developing a social media plan for the Institute \u2013 one after which we can model our own social media plans. For now, I offer you the following listing of Facebook fan pages. If you have a Facebook site for your department, visit other fan pages and become a fan or even post a comment. It is a great way to cross-pollinate with like-minded organizations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Georgia-Tech-Student-Affairs\/155266897508\u0022\u003EDivision of Student Affairs\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/crcatgt\u0022\u003ECampus Recreation Center\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Georgia-Tech-Career-Services\/363586652173\u0022\u003ECareer Services\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GTinvolved?ref=ts\u0022\u003ELeadership \u0026amp; Civic Engagement\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Georgia-Techs-Womens-Resource-Center\/91269466681\u0022\u003EWomen\u2019s Resource Center\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ferstcenter\u0022\u003EFerst Center for the Arts\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Get-Ready-To-LEAD\/134031969968666\u0022\u003ELeadership Education and Development\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Georgia-Tech-Parents-Program\/162301427139490\u0022\u003EParents Program\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn a closing note, I invite you to view a recent presentation, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/comm\/toolbox\/education120411.html\u0022\u003EGetting the Word Out in Web 3.0\u003C\/a\u003E, given by Richard Warren of What\u2019s Up Innovation. Pretty informative presentation delivered during a Brown Bag series hosted by the Office of Communications and Marketing. Visit the Communications and Marketing Educational Resources page \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/comm\/toolbox\/education.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/comm\/toolbox\/education.html\u003C\/a\u003E for a full listing of Brown Bag presentations.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhether you get it or not, social media is here to stay. The real question is \u2026 are you leveraging it effectively to engage your target audience? Given that the social media revolution is the biggest change to communications since the printing press, we should understand how we can embrace social media instead of running from it.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Social media is here to stay."}],"uid":"27164","created_gmt":"2012-04-20 16:03:39","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:04","author":"Rachael Pocklington","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-07-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-07-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"125381":{"id":"125381","type":"image","title":"Social Media","body":null,"created":"1449178604","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:36:44","changed":"1475894749","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:49","alt":"Social Media","file":{"fid":"194499","name":"social_media.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/social_media_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/social_media_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":13403,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/social_media_0.jpg?itok=jDcx2gmU"}}},"media_ids":["125381"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ragan.com\/Main\/Articles\/44683.aspx","title":"Article by Ragan.com"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/comm\/toolbox\/education.html","title":"Communications and Marketing Educational Resources"},{"url":"http:\/\/studentaffairs.gatech.edu\/","title":"Division of Student Affairs"}],"groups":[{"id":"1269","name":"Student Life"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERachael Pocklington\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications Manager, Division of Student Affairs\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:rpocklington@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Erpocklington@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["studentaffairs@vpss.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}