On October 3, 2010, Ice Miller attorneys Mike Wukmer and Eileen Moore presented “Social Media Best Practices: Promoting and Protecting Your Institution” at the 2010 Central Association of College and University Business Officers (CACUBO) annual meeting.  A panel of representatives from various educational institutions joined Ice Miller in a discussion on how colleges and universities are using social media, related risk management issues and best practices related to social media.  Panelists included:

• Kathleen Donohoe, Associate Director, HR Strategy, Planning and Policy at the University of Michigan
• Jeff Fanter, Vice President of Communications and Marketing at Ivy Tech College
• Bob Golobish, Vice President for Marketing and Communications at Marian University
• Tom Taylor, Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communications at Ball State University
• Todd Wilson, Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications and the University of Southern Indiana. 

          The panelists shared their experiences and advice on using social media to promote their schools. According to Donohoe, the University of Michigan has found ways to use social media as an effective tool for prospective students.  Fanter discussed Ivy Tech’s recent “Why Ivy Tech” scholarship contest, which encouraged students to post YouTube videos on why they should receive a scholarship.  The student whose video received the most views received a $5,000.00 scholarship – roughly the equivalent of a semester at Ivy Tech. 

          One common theme throughout the panelists’ experience was the need to monitor social media used by and on behalf of the university or college, and the effect on the school’s budget.  As Wilson explained, social media has raised questions of the most effective way to allocate both time and staff resources in addition to strictly financial resources. Some schools, like Ball State University and Ivy Tech College, have used student interns to create and monitor content as well as increase the school’s social media presence.  For example, using summer interns, Marian University was able to increase its number of Facebook fans three-fold in less than two years. 

          The panelists also focused on their schools’ guidelines of the uses of social media.  The University of Michigan has both guidelines for staff members using social media as well as a separate policy for student athletes blogging for mgoblue.com, a site dedicated to Michigan athletics.  Ball State University, which recently hosted a conversation with David Letterman and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, also has social media guidelines  which set forth the school’s institutional policy on the use of social media by students and faculty.  Other schools, like Marian University, have an overarching student code of student rights and responsibilities that covers all kinds of activities and communications while not specifying or limiting to guidelines to social media.  While facing ongoing concerns regarding privacy and other legal issues, each panelist agreed that social media was an effective tool for correcting misinformation, responding to criticisms, or communicating in a time of crisis.

          For more information on best practices for promoting and protecting your institution through social media, contact info@theiceloop.com.

Business schools around the country are adding courses on social media to their MBA programs.  According to a July 26, 2010 Bloomberg Businessweek article, Harvard Business School and Columbia Business School are among at least six MBA programs that have added courses in Internet marketing and social media strategy over the last year.

The courses are a logical addition in light of the recent hiring of employees dedicated to improving major companies’ Internet and social media strategies.  The Bloomberg article states that companies including Sears Holdings, Panasonic, Citigroup, and AT&T have recently hired social media directors to develop and manage marketing strategies that include the use of online and social media resources.  John Gallaugher, associate professor of information systems at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, explained to Bloomberg Businessweek that “[i]n the realm of technology it’s possible for us to teach our students a tool that their bosses don’t have, and they can provide that added value from day one.  Social media skills are the ones that can set them apart.  Those are the skills that employers are looking for.” 

The Bloomberg article cites some of the courses currently offered for MBA Students.  Boston College’s program (as profiled by Bloomberg Businessweek) will offer “Social Media & Web 2.0 for Managers” in the fall.  Columbia offers four separate Internet marketing classes for its students, including “Social media” and “Media and Technology,” which will be offered for the first time next spring.  Harvard’s program introduced a course called “Competing with Social Media Networks” last fall.  Students are eager to develop valuable skills in social media: 172 students (three students for every available seat) are enrolled in the Harvard course, according to the Bloomberg News article.

For more information, contact theiceloop@icemiller.com.

A recent article on the Marketing Pilgrim Web site (link HERE) caught my attention, as it was one of the first concise articles I have read regarding the positive impact for businesses based upon their corporate/branded social media networking sites. As referenced within the article, market research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies surveyed more than 1,500 consumers, with the results showing that the consumers were more likely to purchase and recommend brands that they personally follow on Twitter and Facebook. According to the statistics shown in the article, 51 percent of consumers surveyed were more likely to purchase a brand since becoming a fan/follower of the brand on Facebook, and 60 percent were more likely to recommend the brand to others based on their Facebook followings. Results for Twitter were even more impressive, as 67 percent of consumers following the brands on Twitter were more likely to purchase, and 79 percent were more likely to recommend the brand. So – is your retail business taking advantage of these free social media mechanisms?