From Likes to Enrollments: Maximizing Social Media for College Admissions
For most of us – and especially for prospective students – social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn are integral parts of daily life. These platforms are not only tools for personal connection but also powerful channels for building your brand and sharing critical information about your programs. Integrating a robust social media strategy into your enrollment plan provides an irreplaceable opportunity for your team to engage with students with authenticity in spaces they use every day. Here are some ways maximizing social media for college admissions can boost your brand, build excitement, increase prospect engagement, and help you meet your enrollment goals.
Organic Storytelling
Social media is a powerful way to vividly portray your campus life, academic programs, student success stories, and faculty expertise in an organic and authentic setting. Through videos, photos, and written posts, you can uniquely showcase diverse campus experiences and bring to life your programs, campus culture, and alumni outcomes. When prospective students visit your platforms and see unfiltered, real-life student experiences, it helps them envision themselves as part of the community, makes your institution seem relatable and authentic, and motivates them to further engage with the enrollment process.
Put it into practice: Integrate regular student and alumni social media takeovers into your strategy. Select enthusiastic and engaged hosts to share their day-to-day program activities on your official social media channels. Provide clear guidelines on theme, brand, posting frequency, and rules of engagement.
Interaction and Engagement
A robust social media strategy can significantly increase prospect engagement by providing a dynamic and interactive place for both parties to communicate and connect. Real-time interaction allows prospective students to ask questions, build connections with current students and alumni, and even meet future peers in the program. Leveraging the power of social media helps build meaningful relationships and foster a sense of community before they even set foot in a classroom, which drives higher levels of interest and commitment.
Put it into practice: Create a strategic content calendar highlighting exciting student outcomes or faculty achievements. Partnering with current students, ambassadors, or campus micro influencers (link to previous article 128) to encourage user-generated content can be especially effective in helping prospective students see an authentic campus experience.
Institutional Brand Awareness and Loyalty
A robust social media presence allows your institution to build on its brand, increases your visibility, and boosts your overall online presence. Posting consistently and strategically is an organic approach to keeping your program and institution top-of-mind during a prospect’s wildly competitive college search process. Live events, engaging videos, and authentic campus stories showcase your institution’s unique value proposition and help prospective students develop brand loyalty when they may be torn between their top choices.
Put it into practice: Hosting regular Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook Lives featuring your most on-brand students, alumni, or faculty. This gives prospects a unique opportunity to interact directly with your program’s best brand representatives. Providing this chance to ask direct questions builds trust, highlights your institution’s authenticity, and creates brand loyalty. Promote these live streams in advance through your social media channels to maximize participation and reach a broader audience
Maximizing social media for college admissions provides endless opportunities to connect with your prospects – and GPRS can help you find the approaches that work best for your team and enrollment goals. Let’s talk!
