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Recap: Making Your Statement in a Digital World, Spring 2018

February 26, 2018 by admin

Students dressed in Missouri State shirts taking a selfie with a pink phone

Kevin Agee and Kai Raymer recently presented Making Your Statement in a Digital World. It was a comprehensive training session for Missouri State website, blog and social media managers.

Access the presentations

We presented the Feb. 23 training session in four parts.

  • Brand storytelling (adapted from Ologie)
  • Readability
  • Social media
  • Accessibility

Key takeaways

Brand storytelling

  • Having a brand is a great start. But you need more than that. You need stories to execute it.
  • The problem is most higher ed stories aren’t stories at all, such as …
    • “Your professors will really get to know you.”
    • “You’ll get hands-on experience.”
    • “This is where you’ll discover your calling.”
  • A great Missouri State story does three things:
    • Makes an emotional and rational connection.
    • Builds meaningful relationships.
    • Is authentic.
  • Lead with the most interesting message. Not the most important.
  • Your voice is unique. Say it that way.

Readability

  • For better readability, use concise text and a scannable layout. Keep your message short and give readers an easy way to find the information they want.
  • Newspapers aim for a 7th-grade reading level. So should you. Approximately 70 percent of people read at an intermediate (6th-8th grade) level.
  • Make sure your content looks good on mobile. Current and future students are researching your department/program on their phones.
  • Improve your content’s readability with tools like Hemingway App and Yoast SEO.
  • Better readability gives your message more impact. You’ll improve audience reach/growth, audience action and efficiency (save $$$).

Social media

  • Use Instagram as a window into your department or organization. Strong, high-quality visuals are a must. Tell your story through pictures and videos and allow users to derive meaning.
  • Twitter is best used for conversation, not promotion. Don’t be afraid to let go, have fun, and be transparent with your audience. Customer service happens here.
  • Don’t believe what you’ve heard: Facebook still reigns supreme. Share news, human interest stories and your successes. Deal with negativity in a transparent fashion.
  • Worry not about your number of followers. Want to increase your base? Be good. Deliver interesting content people will want to consume.
  • Aim for the heart with all of your platforms. Be the account that makes people feel like they’ve picked something special to them.

Accessibility

  • Accessibility helps people with disabilities or limited abilities better use the web.
  • There are legal, ethical and beneficial reasons to maintain an accessible website. Accessibility makes your website better.
  • Three staples of accessibility: alt text, headings and descriptive links.
    • Alt text is the text equivalent of a photo. Imagine you were describing the image to someone via text message or phone call.
    • Headings are vital for screen readers and give all visitors an easy outline of your website.
    • Descriptive links explain what the link offers. You shouldn’t have to read surrounding content for context. Don’t write “click here” for your links.
  • Use tools like WAVE and Web Press’ accessibility checker. They’ll find accessibility issues on your website.
  • Follow our ongoing Accessibility blog series for the latest tips and strategies.

Filed Under: Accessibility, Social media, Training, web strategy and development Tagged With: Accessibility, Office of Web and New Media, readability, Social Media, Social Media Boot Camp, Training, web and new media

New opportunities merging education and passion

January 30, 2018 by Abigail Blaes

photo of Abigail Blaes in studio

“So do you want it?” For a moment I didn’t say anything. I glanced between the three other faces looking back at me. Did she just ask what I think she had? “The… the job?”

“Yes.” I couldn’t tell you who in the room had said that. They were offering me the job. I had prepared for this interview for weeks, and it was playing out better than I ever could have imagined. Shocked and humbled, I quickly blurted out my acceptance. With my head still reeling, I stumbled over my words of appreciation and excitement.

The next few moments was a blur of shaking hands and expressing enthusiasm as my three interviewers went back to their day jobs. My feet somehow found themselves planted back in front of the elevator. A woman stepped off the elevator, and I gave her the peppiest smile and “hello!” of my life. I raced down to the ground floor and towards my car, phone in hand poised to call my mom with the news that I was officially employed by the Office of Web and New Media at Missouri State University. Did that just happen?

Nun-Sense

Working for an order of religious sisters for the past three summers in their communications office certainly taught me a great deal. This nontraditional work environment began as an intimidating volunteer opportunity. I was there to get the service hours I needed and then to get out. I stayed for four years. It’s no secret that my appreciation and admiration for this group of women grew as my time with them went on.

There’s a great deal the sisters have taught me:

  • When in doubt of someone’s name, “sister” works just fine.
  • Not all nuns wear the black habits anymore.
  • Buildings and people with history are the most interesting.
  • The morning paper should always be read with a bowl of M&Ms close at hand for subconscious snacking.
  • My best work comes from working on something I value.
  • You can find you lifelong passion in the place where you least expect.

While working for this group of women that I would eventually call friends, I found the career that merges all of my passions in life. I began down a path that led me here.

“Missouri State had become my home away from home freshman year. This new home became my place of education and now my place of work.”

Exploring and expanding

I entered my sophomore year of college with a comforting level of certainty and excitement. I had decided where I wanted to be. After a meeting with my adviser, I proudly opened my Missouri State University portal to see my major newly listed as Public Relations – Pre-admission. The next several semesters of college would only continue to keep me excited and engaged for what the future held.

In my second to last semester at Missouri State, however, I was met with an opportunity I was hesitant to take on. A friend had referred me to a webpage outlining an internship with the MSU Office of Web and New Media. This was too good to be true, right? Scrolling through the page, I could feel the familiar certainty growing in my gut. This should be my next step. I wanted this to be my next step.

I could tell my time with the Sisters was coming to a close, and I was ready for something new and different. Fate seemed to have placed this in front of me at just the right moment. The next few weeks consisted of a whirl wind of activities: an online application, an interview, an offer, and an excited yelling session with my mom on the phone. Missouri State had become my home away from home freshman year. My home away from home became my place of education and now my place of work.

This new opportunity could not have come at the more perfect time in the more perfect place. Even if it was a little unexpected.

Filed Under: web strategy and development Tagged With: feature, job, Missouri State University, Office of Web and New Media, religious, religious sisters, student

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