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The last twelve months have seen monumental growth in digital engagement activity at Lancaster University, with new students ever more accustomed to communicating via social media, and increased internal resource being aligned to managing digital channels. Russell Reader, Digital Marketing Manager, Lancaster University, takes a look at how the academic institution is embracing this seismic shift in communications…


>> Russell Reader


Digital Marketing Manager, Lancaster University


16 GRADUATE RECRUITER


Tweet factor Twitter is fast becoming the ‘front door’ to the myriad subjects and services that Lancaster offers, often utilised by prospective students to ask us questions on a whole host of topics spanning everything from our rankings and academic standing, to practical things like the quality of the linen in our bedding packs… There is simply no telling what the next tweet will be about. However, it’s not just prospective students who engage


with us via Twitter – we also speak to current students, our global alumni community, parents, academics, the media, graduate employers, research bodies and local residents – the list goes on. On a typical day, we’ll speak to people from each of these groups. On others, for example on A-level results day in August, the bulk of our engagement was with excited incoming students and their proud parents – and that focus continued for several weeks afterwards too. Lots of enquiries, whether via Twitter, Facebook or other routes, can be answered fairly easily by simply directing


correspondents to the existing sites or sources of the relevant information. Others, however, do require more in- depth knowledge of the University – covering everything from its history and founding principles, through to our course portfolio and current research output across each of our four faculties. It’s no mean feat – only accomplished multi-taskers with a penchant for facts and figures need apply…


True engagement It’s worth bearing in mind that social media engagement is altogether different from social media dissemination. The ‘socialisation’ of our news, events and research content is already embedded into our daily activities to great effect; what might once have made regional press pieces now make for national and international stories thanks to our established social media channels, which help us to reach a far greater audience with our news content. Engagement, however, is about scouring the social web for our brand name and, where appropriate,


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