10 Social Media Best Practices to Drive Engagement

Today’s students are turning to social media as a primary source of information and influence in their college search. And, if you can get them to stick around, you can double their activity and conversion by:

● Focusing on quality over quantity
● Posting on channels that make the most sense
● Planning and strategizing

Social media may seem simple but there is a science behind it. Consider these 10 best practices to drive engagement and increase funnel conversion:

With students retaining 80%¹ of what they see, capture their attention with 15-30 second video clips and interactive images that end with a clear call to action (CTA). A successful video will provide value through quick and tight messaging that drives conversions. With your CTA in mind, create unique content that leaves your audience wanting more.

Each social platform has unique recommended dimensions and aspect ratios. So whether you are choosing a profile picture or promoting your next event, be sure to check size requirements by device and where it will be shared.

4 out of 5 students rely on social media as part of their college search.² Make sure you are delivering the type of content your prospects are looking for. Elevate your unique college experience story and show students what they really want to see with these top 5 most-watched videos.

The average attention span of your Gen-Z prospect is about 8 seconds.³ When writing your next post, challenge yourself to say what you mean in fewer words. In this case, less is more.

Measure the success of your social campaigns by audience engagement, not how many followers you have. Here are some key metrics you will want to track on:

● Shares
● Comments
● Likes
● Added followers
● Conversions
● Mentions and tags

The best way to gauge what works and what doesn’t in your social media strategy is through A/B testing. Compare two versions of the same campaign to see if you obtain different results. Keep testing until you reach optimal performance.

Don’t reinvent the wheel and repurpose your top-performing social posts. Not only will this save you time but it will also give you the chance to reach prospects that may have missed out the first time around. You’ll be surprised how many stories one video can tell!

Students shouldn’t be guessing how you want them to respond to your posts. As one high school senior stated, he just “looks for the button.” Simplify your CTA and keep it to one per post for higher conversion. And, A/B test different CTAs to see which performs best.

Look at your analytics to determine when your audience is online and post right before these windows. Each platform will have different peak days and times. This is where a comprehensive social media calendar can help you stay organized with your posting schedule.

Use your data to determine which of your social media strategies deliver the best results and set benchmarks for future performance.

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