| campaign for Charter College. The
campaign includes an extensive Facebook page that will help to integrate
students, graduates, faculty, and prospects into the school’s
online community.
ESM is working hard with Charter College to create a Facebook presence
that helps to centralize the school’s ten campuses. Charter
College offers career-focused education in Business, Healthcare,
Criminal Justice and Information Technology, and has campuses in
California, Washington, and Alaska, as well as a virtual, online
campus. With such a diverse population, Charter College needed a
way to bring everyone together and create a sense of community.
Social media, especially Facebook, is one way that ESM is helping
them do that.
“We’re working hard to make sure that the Charter College
page includes something for everyone. This Facebook page is going
to include a lot of innovative techniques that we’ve designed
specifically to meet Charter’s unique needs,” explained
Andy Kelley, President of Effective Student Marketing.
One feature of the Charter College Facebook page that is unique
to the school is the “Current Students” tab. Charter
College works hard to showcase successful students on a special
website called Charter Success. This website includes campus news,
photos, and short stories about students who have worked hard during
their time at school. ESM worked with Charter College to create
a special tab on the Facebook page that highlights some of the most
important events and stories from the Charter Success website, creating
a constant stream of positive stories for the Facebook page.
“The Charter Success website is a huge part of the school’s
culture, so we knew that we had to include it on the Facebook page.
Creating a special tab where we can post articles and an events
calendar has worked really well so far, and we’ve seen a lot
of positive responses from students on the page itself,” Kelley
said. “Of course, the students wouldn’t be where they
are today without the support of the faculty and staff. And that
is what the faculty tab is for – to showcase these positive
role models.”
The Faculty tab on the Facebook page will be a place where faculty
and staff can post articles they have written, awards they have
won, or announce other professional accomplishments. This tab will
keep the faculty involved in the online community, and show students
and prospects the quality of the staff.
These new features are just some of the ways that Effective Student
Marketing is helping Charter College build a successful online community.
ESM is also working to help build a better customer service program
for the school, through interactions on the Facebook wall. For example,
when a student posts a comment about an issue he or she is having,
ESM works directly with Charter College to develop a customized
response that can help to resolve the situation by putting the individual
in touch with the appropriate person at the school. This helps build
trust and a sense of community between the school and the individual,
and it all takes place in a public space, where future students
can see how calmly issues are managed.
“Since people are going to be talking about the school online
anyway, we think it’s important to show that Charter College
is listening and responding to any comments or questions their audience
may have,” explained Kelley. “We’re helping them
create a company-wide social media campaign, and in turn, customer
service policy.”
ESM is a full-service social media company, and manages every aspect
of the Charter College page. Through communication with the marketing
department, campus presidents, and other staff, ESM is able to build
an effective social media community for Charter College, bringing
together all ten campuses. ESM has also built Facebook applications,
created online contests and landing pages, and used Facebook to
generate leads for several other schools with various programs,
including Cosmetology, Healthcare, Business, and Massage Therapy. |
