Publish Efficiency Report: September Roundup

It’s time for an additional version of the Publish Efficiency Report (PPR), a sequence the place we showcase social media posts and campaigns inspiring us, and discover what makes them so genius. We unpack how your model can use these examples to spark your personal scroll-stopping concepts—whereas maximizing your price range and doing extra with much less.

Again-to-school season is within the air. You possibly can hear it as college students, academics and their mother and father get again within the rhythm of the tutorial 12 months. You possibly can see it in promoting campaigns, with companies providing reductions on provides, meals and clothes. However there’s nowhere the back-to-school feeling is as sturdy as college campuses.

On social, the return to varsity life is marked by move-in day montages and new pupil rites of passages. Capturing these moments isn’t solely pivotal for rallying present college students, but in addition for drumming up pleasure for future college students and alumni.

Right here’s our lineup of greater training establishments curating the right stability of faculty spirit, leisure and educational alternative on social throughout the back-to-school season.

Vanderbilt College: A heat welcome to the “Athens of the South”

Vanderbilt is a prestigious analysis college in Nashville, Tennessee. The establishment is over 150 years outdated with a wealthy, celebrated historical past that’s on full show in the beginning of a brand new time period. Vanderbilt’s social media workforce weaves the school’s previous into their fashionable strategy to pupil engagement and recruitment.

Like throughout move-in week this 12 months. The college shared a spotlight reel of freshman and first-time college students arriving on campus and being greeted by the Vanderbilt Transfer-in Crew. The video exudes a welcoming spirit—the sort of vitality that makes nervous new college students really feel relaxed on a brand new campus. With on-site interviews of oldsters and college students, B-roll, drone footage and uplifting music, the manufacturing high quality is very spectacular and illustrates the campus’ magnificence.

Vanderbilt additionally creates pleasure for his or her conventional Founders Stroll occasion, the celebration of first-time college students formally becoming a member of their neighborhood. On this Instagram Reel, you possibly can see somebody behind the digicam waving a wand and reworking Alumni Garden right into a magical scene, full with twinkling lights adorning the college’s historic elm and oak timber. The remark part was flooded with nostalgic alumni and exuberant new college students.

The Vanderbilt social workforce rounded out their Welcome Week technique with trendspotting activations and lo-fi sequence. Just like the Instagram Reel the place the Class of 2028 jumped on the “Scorching to Go” pattern throughout their class photograph. Or their sequence following freshman as they get settled in on campus.

Vanderbilt’s back-to-school methods are already extensively celebrated. Their Welcome Week 2023 marketing campaign was nominated for the Collaborative Social Media Communications award by PR Each day. Their strategy to social is an extension of different advertising and marketing and recruitment efforts which have resulted within the faculty being named the subsequent “it school.”

The play: From the attractive photographs of their campus to their 100-year-old traditions, Vanderbilt’s dreamy content material is steeped in custom. However in addition they complement the prime quality manufacturing footage with lo-fi POVs from their college students.

Take a cue from Vanderbilt by mixing high-brow manufacturing with genuine movies captured on smartphones. The ensuing mixture permits your facilities to shine, whereas leaving viewers with a heat and fuzzy feeling.

Arizona State College: Giving college students their time within the solar

Located within the Phoenix metropolitan space, Arizona State College (ASU) is without doubt one of the largest public universities within the US. On social, the college leans into pupil life-led posts—particularly throughout back-to-school season.

Like this carousel evaluating college students’ packing necessities with that of their mother and father. The juxtaposition of what college students deem “important” in comparison with their mother and father is humorous and endearing. The submit serves as a chance for ASU to introduce their new class of incoming college students, whereas acknowledging the work their mother and father have executed to assist them get to varsity. Commenters congratulated mother and father and college students alike, noting how relatable the submit feels.

ASU additionally creates informational guides throughout Welcome Week, like this roundup of signature occasions and a complete listing of move-in non-negotiables. As college students more and more flock to school social media channels for need-to-know intel, ASU demonstrates tips on how to meet your college students and prospects the place they’re at.

Throughout Welcome Week, ASU additionally shouted out their college students representing their international locations on the Video games. Which is a style of the regular drumbeat of content material the college publishes celebrating their college students’ achievements all 12 months spherical.

ASU’s Welcome Week activations on social assist enhance and keep the college’s public picture. Based on Sprout Social Listening information on X throughout move-in week (Aug 15-21, 2024), mentions of ASU and #ASUWelcome had been 89% constructive.

The play: Constructing an enriched campus life requires participating your college students. By centering the scholars of their Welcome Week content material, ASU helps potential college students visualize what they might accomplish and what their expertise can be like on the college.

College of Oxford: Pupil-generated content material brings the academia aesthetic to life

Again to high school at Oxford comes months later than different US colleges on this roundup. The analysis college situated in Oxford, England, begins the autumn time period in early October. However that doesn’t imply the globally-renowned establishment isn’t lively on social throughout the summer time months.

They not too long ago participated within the “no one will bear in mind” pattern, and gave it their very own cheeky spin—poking enjoyable at how a lot older their not-so-new school is in comparison with the US.

Oxford additionally posts idyllic photographs of their campus. Just like the magic of outdated cobblestone buildings illuminated by moonlight and the tranquil heat of an early morning dawn reflecting off their Gothic rooftops—descriptions of a college that will come straight out of a novel.

Oxford has a social sequence the place their college students take viewers on digital campus excursions. The stops on the excursions embrace “quintessential Oxford issues” like attractive libraries, large chess units and a fantastic corridor stuffed with classic portraits.

We stay up for following Oxford carefully throughout “Freshers’ Week 2024,” a welcoming celebration for freshmen college students that features a truthful, dinner, orientation and extra.

The play: When consuming Oxford’s social content material, the parallels the college makes between academia core—the web aesthetic—and their very own pupil expertise are apparent. It really works as a result of it feels true to the college’s legacy because the second-oldest in steady operation.

What makes your college distinctive? Whether or not it’s your structure, well-known landmarks or traditions, these must be on the heart of your social technique.

NYU: Taking a chunk out of the Large Apple

When you consider New York College (NYU), phrases like expertise, ambition and concrete atmosphere come to thoughts. These are apt descriptions—the college makes use of that terminology by itself admissions web page. On social, this NYU ethos involves life.

All summer time lengthy, NYU has showcased the spectacular accomplishments of their college students in numerous intern applications. Like this Reel of a pupil intern on the American Track Archives. The documentary fashion of the video makes it really feel elevated {and professional}, and provides the intern an opportunity as an instance his preservation experience and the fascinating work he accomplished. The sequence demonstrates the various doable internship alternatives and profession paths accessible to NYU college students.

Because the countdown to Welcome Week drew nearer, the college printed day by day countdown posts hyping up spots in NYC and round campus. Additionally they printed a Summer time Stroll sequence, the place their workforce took viewers on scenic excursions of the most effective walkable spots close to NYU. This sequence incorporates a few of the most well-known buildings on this planet together with charming native spots—one thing most “school cities” can’t provide.

When move-in day lastly arrived, the college shared a video of scholars asking their mother and father for his or her last phrases of recommendation. Whereas the video was lighthearted, it additionally conveyed the immense love and pleasure these mother and father really feel towards their kids, and the way a lot they need them to profit from their time on the prestigious faculty and in NYC.

NYU has remained within the high 10 of the Desires Faculties listing printed by Princeton Assessment for the previous three years. The listing compiles pupil and father or mother picks—proof that the college is rising in esteem. The thrill surrounding NYU on social helps raise total sentiment.

The play: When life provides you a Large Apple, you possibly can’t sleep on it (that’s the saying, proper?). As NYU proves, leaning into the distinctive benefits of the atmosphere your college is a part of delivers an X-factor that’s tough to compete with.

#RushTok Highlight: College of Oklahoma’s Kappa Kappa Gamma

Maybe probably the most chronically-online back-to-school traditions is RushTok, the nook of the web devoted to Greek life rush week. Throughout rush week, sorority and fraternity hopefuls take part in a sequence of occasions like home visits and philanthropy occasions, in hopes of being chosen and initiated right into a brotherhood or sisterhood.

RushTok is well-known for OOTD movies dissected by commentators like NFL performs and over-the-top, nicely orchestrated dances meant to entice folks to hitch a sure sorority. Throughout each content material sorts, the project is evident: Look polished, match your fellow sisters and have an unmistakeable rush aesthetic.

Which is why the College of Oklahoma’s Kappa Kappa Gamma theme of “blue” took the web by storm. Of their video, the extensive and wild interpretation of the theme left commenters shocked. “I’m equally terrified and proud,” commented one person. One other added, “The Avatar took me.”

However most of all of the sentiment was constructive and supportive, with many saying they might contemplate speeding the sorority sooner or later.

The play: Why mix in when you possibly can stand out? Simply because there’s a components for greater ed establishments, golf equipment and societies, doesn’t imply it will probably’t be rewritten.

A+ recruitment methods should embrace social

That concludes this month’s installment of the PPR. Keep tuned for subsequent month’s version, the place we’ll function our lineup of our favourite vacation campaigns. Within the meantime, bear in mind these key takeaways:

On the lookout for actionable recommendation to construct an engaged neighborhood, foster relationships with present and potential college students and unify your college’s voice and model throughout departments? Take a look at our interview with Gettysburg Faculty.

And should you see a social submit or marketing campaign that deserves to be highlighted, tag us @sproutsocial and use #PostPerformanceReport to have your thought included in a future article.