Campus collaborates to learn about social media

Nov. 9, 2016 | Social Media |

The office of University Communications and Marketing hosted the second social media workshop for University social media managers Oct. 24-26. Approximately 50 people from various disciplines participated in the event.

“Social media is such a vital part of our communication strategy for Harding, and we wanted all of the participants to gain an understanding of the important role they play in this,” Jana Rucker, vice president for University communications and marketing, said. “Social media helps us communicate the amazing things Harding is doing and strengthens the ties with our communities and the Harding family all over the world. Our reach and the awareness of Harding is exponentially greater because of their contributions.”

Director of Digital Media Hannah Owens said she began planning the event in the spring and wanted to provide social media managers an opportunity to learn more about tools to further advance the goals and objectives of offices and departments as well as develop new ideas for social media use across campus organizations.

“As managers of this communication tool, we all have a significant responsibility when it comes to promoting Harding University,” Owens said. “This event allowed people to learn some tools to help them do that better and to get ideas from and collaborate with others on campus who are doing it well.”

The workshop focused on differences in social platforms, how to use them and success stories from other University social media experts with an emphasis on social strategy. On Tuesday, presentations were given by various departments about their use of social media.

Patti Summers, administrative assistant for the Waldron Center, attended the workshop to learn how to incorporate social media to help build the presence of the center, which was created in August.

“We are in the process of developing our campus identity,” Summers said. “Social media can be a minefield, and the Waldron Center wanted to take advantage of Hannah’s expertise to help us incorporate best practices and exercise wisdom as we polish our brand.”

Logan Light, director of campus life, Brian Harrington, director of the center for professional excellence, Sarah Bobo, young alumni associate in the University Advancement office, and Ashel Parsons of the International Programs office were among the presenters. President Bruce McLarty also discussed his use of social media and how he learned to use it to connect with students.

“It was encouraging to see the faces of those running the campus social accounts and to hear about their stumbles and successes.” -Patti Summers

“An energetic social media culture campus-wide has real benefits for each department when there is an event that needs to be widely shared,” Summers said. “It was encouraging to see the faces of those running the campus social accounts and to hear about their stumbles and successes.”

Jeff Montgomery, director of photo services for the office of University Communications and Marketing, presented strategies for taking photos to post on social media. Dr. Jeff Mercer, dean of the College of Pharmacy, said this part of the workshop was most beneficial to him.

“I learned about multiple approaches to social media and strategies we can use to actively engage our target audiences,” Mercer said. “Jeff Montgomery’s presentation changed the way I view pictures that are used to highlight social media.”

The workshop also included breakout sessions where participants engaged in discussions of several topics such as Twitter, Instagram, blogs, analytics, common challenges and various questions about social media. Owens said she is planning for another workshop for next year to help further develop skills of each area of campus social media.

“There are a large number of social channels competing for our attention and the attention of our audience,” Owens said. “How do you streamline all the content you want to share in a strategy that helps you achieve your goals and reach your desired audience? That is what I hope everyone came away with.”