Stefan 
It is a certainty in the cultural environment we live, that your current students will be talking about their experience with the college or university they are studying with, and they will be posting images and videos on social media platforms. If this user generated content is positive, it can be an excellent recruitment tool that you can’t afford to miss.
As an education agent, you can leverage the positive content your recruited students are providing, by adopting a dynamic and responsive approach. You need to encourage it, respond to it in an enthusiastically manner, making it easier to find on the wide space the social media platforms provide.
User generated content is 35% more memorable and 50% more trustworthy than traditional media, according to a recent Ipsos/Crowdtap survey.
Here are 5 tips you can take home to positively influence your brand:
1. Use Emojis
Emojis are visual, and they are part of a student’s language. According to recent research, if you tweet with emojis, you are bound to receive 25% engagement than without them. Facebook likes increase by 57% and comments by 31% on posts with emojis. Emojis offer a more personal, fun and humorous conversation than just “liking” the comment.
2. Hashtag it
Hashtags are at the base of searchable content, so make sure you come up with a good hashtag that is cool and unformal. If the students get the impression that you are forcing it on them, they won’t use it. Encourage students to use your hashtags and try to promote them everywhere you can, such as physical spaces, brochures, email newsletters and on social media.
3. Be responsive
Out of respect for students, who took time to write the post, take that picture, or tweet, you need to respond timely and thoughtfully.
4. Be thankful
Flowing from number 3 above, make sure you thank the student for posting, adding a personal touch to the comment. If you want to engage in a conversation, you will need to put a bit more effort in, to show that you are genuinely interested in the student’s post.
5. Leverage your influencers
If you really want to succeed in your social media student engagement quest, ask a few of your closest students who are enthusiastic about their experience and are active on social media, to tag their posts with your hashtags. Ideally, these students have quite a following.
Social media can have a great impact on your marketing overall, and thinking strategically about it would bring positive outcomes to your education agency recruitment strategy. As always, the secret is perseverance. Never quit! Keep on moving forward!
