Web Strategy and Development Blog

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

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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.

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.

Highlights from Social Media Boot Camp

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Social MediaMissouri State University staff, faculty and student employees brushed up on their social media marketing skills and learned the latest tips and trends for key platforms at Social Media Boot Camp on April 12.

The training, which was hosted by the office of Web and new media, included sections on social media best practices, Facebook, Twitter and key visual platforms.

Social media best practices

Kevin Agee presented on this topic.

Key takeaways

  • Own your content and focus on telling stories that create emotional connections.
  • Write like a person, not an organization. Tag other accounts to spark conversation.
  • Use hashtags effectively and strategically to pull your posts into larger conversations. Official University hashtags include:
    • #GoMaroon (student engagement)
    • #BearGrads (commencement)
    • #MSUBears (athletics)
    • #CitizenBear (public affairs)
    • #BearsHomecoming (homecoming)
  • Consider how images can help tell your story and boost your posts by including multimedia.
  • Understand that customer service is an important part of social media. People will often turn to social media before going to a website or making a phone call, so it’s important to be there to respond to questions.

Download the presentation slides.

Facebook

Courtney Wendel-Stevenson presented on this topic.

Key takeaways

  • While competition has increased over the years, Facebook is still the powerhouse platform in the social media landscape offering the largest and most diverse user base. Americans also spend more time on Facebook per day than any other platform.
  • It’s important for page managers to understand the fundamentals of how Facebook’s news feed algorithm works. To play the game well you need to understand the rules. However at the end of the day, quality content reigns supreme.
  • Event promotion is an area where Facebook shines. Maximize effectiveness with Facebook events by utilizing their full functionality:
    • Invite related pages to co-host events when applicable
    • Provide clear calls to action and links to more information
    • Build conversation about the event over the time by providing updates in the discussion tab

Download the presentation slides.

Twitter

Kevin Agee presented on this topic.

Key takeaways

  • Tips for generating compelling content:
    • Share effective messages consistently
    • Build authority in your area of expertise
    • Partner with other profiles for sharing
    • Show your message (don’t tell your message) with images
  • Focus on connecting with your audiences and telling your story rather than advertising. Have conversations with followers, but try not to be the loudest one in the room.
  • Measuring success is important. Track your progress toward your goals through Twitter Analytics.
  • Experiment with newer Twitter features such as the GIF button, direct video embeds and quoted tweets.

Download the presentation slides.

Visual platforms

Courtney Wendel-Stevenson presented on this topic.

Key takeaways

  • Visual content comes in a variety of forms including photos, infographics, gifs, videos and more. In a world where people are constantly inundated with information, visual content is successful because it attracts users’ attention and helps them more quickly digest information.
  • Instagram is a great platform for visually telling your unit’s story. New trends with Instagram include an upcoming shift to an algorithm-based feed, the debut of 60-second videos and the ability to share landscape and portrait oriented photos.
  • While many platforms are increasing video functionality, YouTube remains the video leader. Videos are a powerful and engaging way to tell your unit’s story. General best practices for videos include focusing on telling a story, keeping videos short and including calls to action early.
  • Social media aggregators and a great tools for highlighting user-generated content and archiving social interaction. Two of our favorites are Storify and Tagboard.

Download the presentation slides.

Learn strategies to maximize your effectiveness on social media at Social Media Boot Camp

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Social MediaSocial media platforms are ever evolving, and keeping up with best practices for each network can be challenging.

Brush up on your social media knowledge and learn strategies to help you make the most of your communication efforts at Social Media Boot Camp.

During Social Media Boot Camp, we will answer questions such as:

  • How can I create meaningful content on my networks?
  • How should I be tailoring content to fit different social media platforms?
  • What are some advanced strategies to increase my effectiveness on Facebook and Twitter?
  • How can I best utilize photo and video content?

Details

Audience

This workshop is open to University faculty, staff and students who currently manage a website, blog or social media account on behalf of their University unit.

Registration

Registration for this workshop is free. Please register online through My Learning Connection.

To access My Learning Learning Connection, log into My Missouri State, navigate to the profile tab, scroll down to the Professional Development section and select My Learning Connection.