Social Media
Strategic Plan
Career Services
Western Kentucky University
Team Leader: Erin Jozwiak
Kelly Almousily, Kim Kubicek, Cherise Mingus
What is Social Media, anyway?
 Social media is comprised of activities that involve
socializing and networking online through words, pictures,
and videos. Social media is redefining how we relate to
each other as humans and how we as humans relate to the
organizations that serve us (Rueben, 2008).
 Social networking is one aspect of social media, where
individuals are in communities that share ideas, interests,
or are looking to meet people with similar ideas and
interests. Currently, the two most popular social
networking communities are Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook
 “Facebook is made up of six primary components: personal
profiles, status updates, networks (geographic regions, schools,
companies), groups, applications and fan pages.
 Fan pages are similar to personal profiles, but can be used by
businesses. They include wall posts, discussion boards, photos,
videos, and many other applications. People who view the page
can choose to become “fans” of your organization, and this
shows on their personal profile page, for their friends to see.
 This creates a viral marketing effect – when one of their friends
sees they've become a fan of another organization that
interests them, they're likely to become a fan themselves”
(Rueben 2008).
Twitter
 "Twitter is a social-networking and micro-blogging service
developed in San Francisco and first launched in October
2006.
 Twitter posts, or, 'tweets', are no longer than 140
characters in length and can include hyperlinks. One
becomes a Twitter user, or 'twitterer,' by creating a
personal account and by posting tweets to a personalized
online news feed, or, as it is more commonly known, a
'timeline' which displays them in reverse chronological
order" (McKneill, 2011).
Why is Social Media important?
 Roughly 50% of Facebook’s 500 million+ Facebook users log into the
site everyday.
 There are more than 200 million active users currently accessing
Facebook through their mobile devices.
 People who use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice as
active on Facebook than non-mobile users. (Facebook, 2011)
 Twitter grew 500% in one year, now with over 75 million users.
 LinkedIn has over 50 million members worldwide. (Hird, 2010)
 In 2010, advertisers spent almost $1.7 billion on social media
marketing in the U.S. (Turner, 2011)
 As the statistics show, social media has grown exponentially in the
past few years. As such, in order to further communicate and
connect with students, it is imperative for higher education and
student affairs professionals to have an online “voice” as well.
Why is Social Media important?
 Social networking can create a sense of community and belonging for
students, alumni, faculty and staff by identifying with the University.
This can lead to decreased anxiety for those new to the University’s
social setting (Eberhardt, 2007).
 It provides a means of discovery, information source and connection
point for staff to understand issues of students and provides a less
invasive way to reach out to them (Eberhardt, 2007).
 Students who may not otherwise enter the office will be able to
utilize the support systems and services available.
Social Media
Strategy
How can we use Social Media?
 We can utilize social media to market not only our
services but also to provide resources that promote
career wellness to our students, alumni, and staff.
 Twitter/Facebook could be used to share “professional
information” to your network (for example, links to: job
opportunities, articles, office hours, conversation topics,
etc.) (Optimal Resume, 2009).
 Social media provides opportunities to reach students
through technologies they use regularly.
 We must stay abreast of trends in technology in order to
stay relevant with students!
Mission and Services
The mission of the Career Services
Center is to assist students and
alumni in identifying and reaching
their career and employment
goals, to help employers access an
educated and highly trained
workforce, and to support faculty
and staff in providing opportunities
to increase student learning and
skill development.
Services Offered:
• Career Programming and
Workshops
• Career Advisement and
Guidance
•
•
Networking Events
Employment
Opportunities and Career
Experience
•
Career Resources
•
Employer Relations
Goals to be met with Social Media
 Assist students in identifying their values,
interests, and career aspirations
 Provide services and resources that support
students in identifying satisfying employment
and graduate/professional school
opportunities.
 Assist students in preparing for employment
through career portfolio and
personal/professional development.
Goal #1: Assist students in identifying their
values, interests, and career aspirations
In order to meet this goal, our center:
 Provides career advisement/guidance
 Administers inventories designed to assist
students in career selection
 Offers information and resources on various fields
in order to help students more accurately weigh
career options
Goal: Assist students in identifying their values,
interests, and career aspirations
How to meet this goal with social media:
Electronic Communications - Career Counselor Chat
 Create a chat room for career counselors to connect with
students in order to provide immediate answers to their
questions and provide useful information in regards to
career exploration. Counselors will rotate on a monthly
basis as to who will be holding the session (once a
month).
 Objective: Provide students an opportunity to "meet"
with a career counselor in the comfort of their own
home.
Goal: Assist students in identifying their values,
interests, and career aspirations
How to meet this goal with social media:
Online Assessments
 Provide links to online personality tests, aptitude tests,
and profiles that highlight strengths and weaknesses.
Students will be able to take the results and discuss them
with a career counselor via online chat or discussion
boards.
 Objective: Students will improve their career decision
making skills by exploring their interests.
Goal: Assist students in identifying their values,
interests, and career aspirations
How to meet this goal with social media:
Exploratory Videos
 Create bi-monthly videos that shadow different careers
and offer guidance on what is needed to be successful in
that field. (i.e. major, personal attributes, etc.) Videos will
be posted to YouTube and Facebook.
 Example: "A day in the life of a photojournalist."
 Objective: Provide students a visual representation of
what different careers involve as well as future
opportunities they can pursue.
Goal #2: Assist students in preparing for
employment through career portfolio and
personal/professional development
In order to meet this goal, our center:
 Offers resume and cover letter assistance
 Holds workshops and programming on a variety of
career-development topics
 Assists students in personal skill development through
interviewing information and mock interviews
 Provides career-related resources including handouts,
a career library, and online references
Goal: Assist students in preparing for employment through
career portfolio and personal/professional development
How to meet this goal with social media:
"Dress for Success" Photo Albums
 Create a Facebook photo album including pictures and
information on how to dress for interviews, job fairs, and
professional events
 Objective: Students can easily flip through an online
photo album for quick, visual information on professional
dress for interviewing. Each photo caption can contain a
"plug" for mock interviews with a career counselor
Goal: Assist students in preparing for employment through
career portfolio and personal/professional development
How to meet this goal with social media:
How-To Videos
 Utilize Facebook and YouTube to create short, one minute
videos on resumes, cover letters, portfolio development,
and interview questions
 Example: Resumes in 60 Seconds; Interviewing in 60
Seconds
 Objective: Students benefit from quick information that is
presented in an engaging and concise format.
Goal: Assist students in preparing for employment through
career portfolio and personal/professional development
How to meet this goal with social media:
Facebook Events
 Create events on Facebook to advertise and market
career-related events and programming.
 Students can easily invite friends, see who else is going,
and conveniently obtain information about the event
through the Facebook invitation
 Objective: Increase student interest and traffic to Career
Services Center programming; serve as a reminder of
upcoming events (via Facebook's event feature)
Goal: Assist students in preparing for employment through
career portfolio and personal/professional development
How to meet this goal with social media:
Creating a Virtual Library of In-Office References
 Our office boasts an extensive in-office library, which is
unfortunately underutilized as students do not take time
to browse in the office.
 Creating an online library through Google Books allows
students to conveniently browse resources online
 Objective: Online library generates interest in our
resources as students can quickly find books they are
looking for before coming in the office to check them out.
Goal: Assist students in preparing for employment through
career portfolio and personal/professional development
For example:
Source: http://books.google.com/books?uid=87713804026216931
Goal: Provide services and resources that support
students in identifying and satisfying employment
and graduate / professional school opportunities.
In order to meet this goal, our center:
 Posts available jobs, both on and off campus
 Coordinates internships
 Advertises summer employment for students
 Holds career fairs for students to interview with
potential employers
 Connects students through networking and
professional events
Goal: Supports students in satisfying employment
and graduate / professional school opportunities
How to meet this goal with social media:
Employment Opportunities Online
 Our center features an online employment and internship
database, with updates that can be posted to Facebook and
Twitter. Examples:
 “New Job posted in 'Healthcare' for part-time office work,
check it out!”
 “Several summer positions for local babysitting available,
act fast and apply!”
 Objective: Students find internships, part-time and summer
jobs, and volunteering and mentoring opportunities for related
experience and to gain practical competencies
Goal: Supports students in satisfying employment
and graduate / professional school opportunities
How to meet this goal with social media:
Utilize Successful Students of the Center
 Past/current students post a blog or feature article on
Facebook. Example:
 "My Internship Experience: A Summer Spent in the
Agricultural Industry"
 "Part-Time Jobs are Juggling Act Between Class & Work:
How I Learned Time Management"
 Objective: Students have access to a 'real' peer perspective,
via an online format, with the ease of access through social
media
Goal: Supports students in satisfying employment
and graduate / professional school opportunities
How to meet this goal with social media:
Career Experience via Discussion Board
 Q&A Event on Facebook Discussion Board, promoted via both
Facebook and Twitter. Example:

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HR Manager answers questions on what they typically look for
Career counselor answers questions on a 'hot' topic, with one new
topic each month
 Facebook Discussion Board:

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Internship questions, answered by students recently completing an
internship
Summer Employment Q&A
 Objective: Students have access to informative discussion boards
and have their questions answered without hindrance
Goal: Supports students in satisfying employment
and graduate / professional school opportunities
How to meet this goal with social media:
Networking via Discussion Board
 Network with students who have worked or are currently
working in a specific company or industry
 Ask questions about the type of work
 Discussion postings allowed for all to see and learn
 View past shadowing opportunities facilitated by the office
for students of the university
 Objective: Interested students gain insight from those who
have first hand knowledge and experience with their
prospective field/company.
Goal: Supports students in satisfying employment
and graduate / professional school opportunities
How to meet this goal with social media:
Networking with Alumni
 Many alumni stop using their school email addresses, but
Facebook allows for contact with these students regardless of
their email address. This would be helpful in following up
about employment opportunities, programming and other
outreach.
 Objective: Students will gain insight from those who have first
hand knowledge and experience as University students seeking
a job after graduation.
Social Media
Implementing
Strategies
Who Will Manage These Efforts?
 Managing our Social Media Strategic Plan will require input
from all staff members, however, regular upkeep (including
inquiry response, discussion board management, event
creation, job posting and so on) will rest largely with graduate
assistants.
 Based on the variety and scope of our social media strategic
plan, roughly 5-10 hours per week will be required to maintain
the plan (Reuben, 2008).
 Graduate assistants will be responsible for managing page
creation, discussion boards, chats with students, event
creation, photo/video upload, and job postings.
Who Will Manage These Efforts?
 The cost for graduate assistants to commit 5-10 hours
weekly would be $625 - $1250 per semester, or $1875 $3750 per academic year.
 When student traffic is lower during the summer, efforts
can be reduced slightly, closer to 5 hours per week.
 Additionally, outside sources will be utilized in the creation
of videos and articles:
 As part of an internship, Communications and
Journalism students can assist in creating videos and/or
writing articles.
 Recruit former students to be “guest” authors of
articles.
Marketing: Getting Students to “Like” Us
Social media can be a very successful tool, however, its effectiveness
relies on students “following” or “liking” the page.
 Partner with other university departments to “like” each other's
pages and “get the word out.” Examples:
 The University main page posts an update about checking out
Career Services.
 WKU Academic Advising and Retention Center “likes” WKU Career
Services on Facebook so students can connect to both.
 On-campus marketing – small giveaways with attached notes
discussing the benefits of liking or following us – “Find us on Facebook
for the latest info on job postings, networking events and career tips!”
 Post instructions on the Career Services main website on how to
access Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Marketing: Getting Students to “Like” Us
Social media can be a very successful tool, however, its effectiveness
relies on students “following” or “liking” the page.
 Publish quality content and don't neglect those who wish to follow
up! (Gunelius, 2011) This will ensure that people continue to follow
our site(s).
 Ask students that come into the Career Services office if they use
social media and encourage them to check out the our pages.
 Add the information to business cards.
 "Tag" fans in pictures taken at events. This will increase views to our
page as the friends of those tagged will view the album, essentially
leading them to the Career Services page (O'Neill, 2009).
Assessment
In order to see how effective utilizing social media is at
meeting our goals, Career Services can:
 Create surveys and conduct focus groups with students
to discuss their thoughts, observations and suggestions
in regards to the social media used.
 Monitor the number of students who "like" us on
Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter as well as insert a
counter to see how many hits the site(s) obtain.
 Administer questionnaires at events asking how the
student found out about it. Example: via Facebook,
Twitter, Website, Friend, Flyer, etc.
Potential Difficulties
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Information Overload: We must be wary of striking a balance between
offering useful, beneficial information and overloading students with
"updates."
Consistency: As information is updated, we must ensure that is accurate on
the various sites and pages that we manage (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, CSC
website).
Loss of face time: The Career Center could lose face time with students as
more services are offered via social media.
Assessment Participation: Student participation in surveys/questionnaires
could be low, making it difficult to properly assess our effectiveness through
this method.
Privacy: We must create an ethical policy that draws the line on what is kept
private and what is not to ensure the protection of our students (Hayes,
Ruschman & Walker, 2009).
Conclusion
 As students change and adapt to new technologies, we must
make continual efforts to connect with them on these levels.
We cannot simply rely on old methods of reaching students
but rather, adjust to meet the needs of a changing population.
 Social media provides an excellent outlet to market and
deliver our services to a large population of students.
 As Student Affairs blogger L.B. Kaliher put it,
“Let us not be restrained by our old practices, but rather
re-invent them in a manner that transforms our student
affairs profession.” (2010)
References
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Ebherhardt, D. M. (2007). Facing up to facebook. Whiley InterScience About Campus September-October, 18-26.
Facebook press room statistics (2011). Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
Gunelius, S. (2011). 10 laws of social media marketing. Retrieved
from http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/16/idUS163103698720110216
Hayes, T. J. , Ruschman, D. & Walker, M. M. (2009). Social networking as an admission tool: a case study in success.
Journal of Marketing for Higher Education.
Hird, J. (2010). 20+ mind-blowing social media statistics. Retrieved from http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/5324-20+mind-blowing-social-media-statistics-revisited
Kaliher, L.B. (2010), Student affairs application of technology. Retrieved from
http://thesabloggers.org/2010/09/student-affairs-application-of-technology/
McNeill, T. (2011, February). Twitter in higher education. Retrieved from
http://www.scribd.com/doc/20025500/Twitter-in-Higher-Education
Optimal Resume. (2009, September 30). Career services and twitter: jump in!. Retrieved from
http://www.optimalresume.com/blog/?p=702
O'Neill, N. (2009). How to develop a facebook page that attracts millions of fans. Retrieved from
http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-page-strategy-2009-03
Rueben, R. (2008). The use of social media in higher education for marketing and communications: a guide for
professionals in higher education. Retrieved from http://doteduguru.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/socialmedia-in-higher-education.pdf
Turner, D. (2011). Social media marketing: sites that benefit most. Retrieved from
http://www.onlinesocialmedia.net/20110118/social-media-marketing-sites-that-benefit-most/