With tuition fees increasing up to three-fold last year, it is no real surprise that enrolment numbers for higher education have fallen. What the sector didn’t envisage was just how big this fall would be and especially its effect on smaller learning providers. As predicted, there have been fewer people opting for higher education studies and those who have enrolled chose the more established learning providers. As a result, some smaller ones have experienced up to 30% reductions in student numbers. They are also predominantly teaching-based, so the falling enrolment numbers have a bigger financial impact on them than it would on their more research-based counterparts. These reductions have been exacerbated by the recent changes to immigration rules governing overseas students and for the first time in 16 years, there has been a fall in overseas students applying to study in the UK. So how can these learning providers survive in an age where fewer domestic students are enrolling and we are seeing a drop in international student numbers?

The need to change and adapt has never been greater. Technological solutions could not only provide better and more efficient means of targeting prospective learners, but also enable an increase in the cohort of potential learners. Innovative learning providers are advertising on social media to better target potential learners. One work-based learning provider, Paragon Skills, based in south-east England, is utilising Facebook advertisements to target learners of a certain age, interest, demography and qualification to increase their learner numbers. By advertising on social media, providers can specify their required target audience, how much they want to spend on a particular sector and establish the exact size of any potential audience of interest.

Another example of how higher education providers are using technology to promote themselves online is the development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). A number of world-renowned providers are utilising MOOC platforms such as edX, Coursera and others to offer free courses to audiences across the globe. This gives participating learning providers the chance to generate greater interest in their more established and paid-for courses. Providers in the UK have long used Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) platforms to supplement their traditional teaching. However, the step up to using these web-based technologies and platforms to offer online complete courses and qualifications has its challenges.

How can social media help me market my university?

The last few years have seen university marketing departments battle to keep up with an unprecedented level of change in the way students are attracted and retained. As social networking has become the most popular way for people to connect with each other, higher education professionals have quickly had to come to terms with the marketing power and potential of Facebook, Twitter and other communication platforms that their target audience uses daily.

Tom Mitchell, e-communications officer, Jisc, says: “I established and subsequently developed the social media channels at the University of Gloucestershire, just as Facebook and Twitter took off as viable business marketing tools back in 2008. Despite a certain level of resistance in the sector to platforms that were seen as, at best, trivial, and at worst, severely detrimental, we created a successful and organic social media presence. It quickly became an integral part of the university’s marketing output and has carried on growing to this day. Almost all universities and colleges now have a marketing presence of some kind on Facebook and Twitter.”

The question is, how can universities get the most out of social media and ensure that they are continuously reaching out to students in the way they expect to be reached?

Separation

Facebook and Twitter are two separate platforms and should be treated as such. There are various platform-syncing services around, designed to update your Facebook and Twitter feeds simultaneously, but the reality is that this can lead to problems. Firstly, Twitter updates allow for a maximum of 140 characters so need to be brief, succinct and with a clear call to action if necessary. They can incorporate abbreviations and a less-than-perfect use of the English language, while including relevant #hashtags in order to get more attention.

Facebook allows for much longer updates, including the use of paragraphs. Grammar is expected to be perfect and abbreviations shouldn’t really be used. Photos, web links and event details can all be incorporated to enhance the aesthetic and functional quality of the post. And hashtags don’t (currently) exist on the platform.

So posting on Facebook and syncing it to Twitter is likely to create an incomplete tweet that doesn’t include a call to action or the key information that you are trying to convey – just the first few words and a link to the rest of the post. And reversing the process can lead to a Facebook post containing #hashtags and @mentions – totally irrelevant for the platform. It’s good to get your message out on both platforms at the same time, but be sure that your message is tailored accordingly and appropriately.

Images

A good photograph will always get attention on social media platforms and the quality of an image can often grab people more than the story or the post itself. Bear this in mind when composing your posts. If you are posting information about a course, attach a good, relevant photo. An update on a member of staff could be accompanied by a picture of them. General news or information about your university is a perfect excuse to show off some of the best sunny exterior shots you have in your library – users notice photos more than just text and are more likely to engage and share, thus spreading your message (and the name of your university) further.

Events and groups

Utilise the events functionality of Facebook whenever you can. If you are preparing for a particularly notable open day, are featuring a prominent guest speaker or are running any kind of event open to the public, create an event and populate it with a good quality photo, key information and links. Then publicise it, not just on your Facebook page, but also on Twitter and associated webpages (or any other kind of PR) – more attendees means more impressions and a greater reach for your event.

Likewise, it can be beneficial to create groups under your university banner. In June, try making a Facebook group for freshers arriving in September and publicise it on your website and any communications that go out to the incoming students. They will have the summer to join the group and begin discussion with their fellow new arrivals – creating an enhanced pre-arrival experience.

Listening

It is likely that your university is mentioned far more regularly than you might think across social media platforms and you really should be listening for opportunities to engage. By using dashboard tools such as HootSuite or TweetDeck you can be alerted to these mentions as they happen and respond accordingly.

Perhaps a potential student has mentioned that they are coming to your open day – tweet them, say you hope they get what they need out of it and to get in touch if they have any questions afterwards. Or maybe someone has posted a celebratory tweet saying they have been offered a place at your university – congratulate them. It’s all simple stuff but can help contribute to a friendly, welcoming and engaging reputation.

You can also listen out for mentions of the kinds of services and courses that you offer. Run a CIM professional programme? Set up a search for anyone mentioning CIM or marketing courses locally and respond appropriately if you can help.

Mentions and tagging

Your tweets and Facebook posts are often likely to refer to other entities including partner universities, individuals, news sources or funders. In these cases, it can be beneficial to ‘mention’ or ‘tag’ the Twitter or Facebook account of the entity, rather than just typing their name. This will ensure that they are notified of your post and increase the likelihood of retweets, leading to a greater reach. It also builds a sense of online goodwill – demonstrating to others that you are willing to connect and help drive traffic to them; something that is likely to be reciprocated.

What’s at stake if higher education providers don’t market themselves effectively?

A recent report entitled An Avalanche is Coming: higher education and the revolution ahead by the Institute of Public Policy Research warns that it's ‘adapt or die time’ and that these providers must change to survive in an era driven by globalisation, technology, rising student expectations and competition for funding.

This very strong statement demonstrates the need for universities to ensure they are ahead of the game when it comes to attracting new students.

Follow @Jisc on Twitter and join jiscsocial on Facebook for regular updates and examples of social media best practice.