Students will attend your institution, and many of those students will love it. But some won’t. So how will all of those students, regardless of how they feel about you, talk about you during and after they’re enrolled? And even prior to that – before enrolling in your institution – where will they seek information about you online? How are they making their decisions about where to go? One of the most frequent ways they’re doing this is by informing themselves via all of your digital channels, which, in turn, are made largely up by what others have to say about you. There are two categories to what’s called the social consumer.

The Social Researcher
Smart. Savvy. Resourceful. Relentless. These are words that might describe the social researcher. These individuals scan the entire social landscape looking for everything that has been said about your institution. From social networks like Facebook, to more personalized search websites like Cappex, to more general review websites like Unigo, these prospects are out to learn and digest as much as they possibly can in an effort to make an informed decision. This is where your digital strategy is so important. To make sure they’re seeing the right ideas about you, take care of your networks as a whole.

Your online presence is who you are. From an online perspective, all that these students have to go by is what they see and what they hear from others. We all know that opinions from those that are trusted are most valuable, but what you might not realize is the researcher doesn’t necessarily need to actually know those people first-hand. There are multiple ways that researchers can identify (or perceive, rather) a like-minded person in the online space. This is something you can’t necessarily do anything about, except for just trying to personalize the experience on any given site when you’re given the opportunity.

Finally, remember to Google your institution name to see what comes up. If there is less-than-great information on the first page of results, do your best to change it!

The Social Sharer
When an experience is positive with your university, there isn’t a better feeling in the branding world than having one of these folks say something great about you. Generous. Honest. Detail-oriented. Motivated. Opinionated. These are words that might describe the social sharer.
Good or bad, these folks are willing to share thoughts about your university. They’re willing to post on your Facebook Wall. And best of all, they’re willing to recommend your university to others. The statistics show (there’s an infographic to come) that more and more people are taking action and sharing.

According to the infographic below, only 20% of online consumers are considered “high sharers.” High sharers are brand loyal, own multiple Internet devices, recommend products, and are younger. That probably sounda little like your target audience.

Make It Easy for High Share Activities
Offer sharing options. The obvious ones are Facebook (the ability to share posts) and Twitter (the ability to retweet). There is much, much more than that. Participating in review communities online. Working with a directory, such as Peterson’s, to make the most impact you possibly can (prospects are known to share these profiles with others for quick reference).

Whatever unique inititatives you come up with, be sure that sharing with others is an integrated, key part of the experience. Make it automatic whenever you can. In a world where Facebook is connecting and integrating with services left and right, sharing will be commonplace and built in to the DNA of the web itself.

Definitely check out the beautiful inforgraphic below courtesy of data from M Booth and Beyond. Click the image to see the larger version.