Why Schools need to Engage with their Alumnae on Facebook

The formation of Facebook is what investors like to call a ’disruptive event’ in that it has dramatically changed the way we behave. Facebook has opened up a world of possibilities to development officers in schools. No longer are we restricted by geography, time or networks. We can connect to pretty much anybody on this planet.

Discover Old and New

In the advent of social networks we now have an unprecedented ability to discover people. Whether we are searching for new people or lost contacts, we can identify these people relatively easy with a quick search. Alumnae details (address, email, telephone etc.) often change but they stay updated and consistent in Facebook.  

Influence and Build Your Audience

Facebook is built for sharing. The viral nature of social networks means that influence is inevitable. We find that a quarter of the impressions (the number of times any Facebook user has seen content associated with your Page) that schools receive through Facebook are viral. This is content generated outside your Page about you by real people. We are highly influenced by our peers and if you are not involved in providing shareable content then you a reliant upon 3rd parties. This is a risky strategy if you are not there to look in on conversations and control negative comments.

Connectivity

We are all aware that Facebook has over 900 million active users but many are surprised that just over half of these users actively access the service via a mobile device. This shows the level of connectivity that people have. They are constantly accessible and connected to you. When alumnae are on the go they will be casually checking their feed and if you are not there then they will lose interest. People don’t have much time to worry about remembering what your page address is.

Does your school engage on Facebook? Is Facebook working for you? Lets discuss in the comments!