University of Oregon Social Media Audit and Plan

Nici Bentivegna, Sara McCauley and Michael Eiden

J 412 Strategic Social Media - Kelli Matthews

Table of Contents
Listening/Monitoring Research & Report...2
Data Table..2
Slide Deck4
Social Media Audit.4
Platform Comparison.4
Data Analysis..6
Situation Analysis.....14
SWOT Analysis.........16
Audiences/People........16
Goals.......17
Objectives......18
Strategies and Tactics..18
Technology.24
Measurement/Evaluation.....27
Timeline.........27
Budget........28
Works Cited...30
Appendices........31

Data Table
Source

Source
Credibility

Post/Link

Date/Time

Comments

Published
May 28

GoLocalPDX is an
online news platform for
Portland and Oregon,
funded by some of the
citys community
leaders, staffed by local
journalists and
contributed to by some
50 writers from all over
the state.

GoLocalPDX.com

Medium

http://www.golocal
pdx.com/news/ore
gon-universityresearchs-multibillion-benefit-tothe-stateseconomy-and

The Oregonian,
Newspaper

High

UO part of federal Posted

Oregonian Media
study to determine June 10 at Group publishes The
vaccine's effect on 12:05 p.m. Oregonian and
reducing
OREGONLIVE, and is
meningococcal
the online hub for
disease carriers
breaking news,
information and
community
engagement. The
Oregonian provide
hyper-local news to
Portland Metro and
Southwest Washington.

The Register
Guard,
newspaper,
(@registerguard)

High

Vigil planned for

University of
Oregon student
who died at
Wildwood Falls

Addicted to
Quack, blog

High

http://www.addicte Posted
dtoquack.com/201 May 30 at
5/5/30/8688943/40 12:00 p.m.
-years-later-thespirit-of-pre-liveson-in-eugene

Her Campus, blog

High

http://www.hercampus
.com/school/oregon/u
o-university-day-2015

Posted
June 3 at
12:10 PM

Posted
May 17 at

The Register-Guard is
a longstanding news
outlet for Lane County.
The publication
frequently covers UO
related news and
events
Addicted to Quack is a
non-university affiliated
Oregon Ducks Athletics
blog. Quack covers all
UO sporting events and
breaking news.
Her Campus is a blog
run by female student

8:25 PM

journalists across the

nation, covering a
variety of interesting
topics for female
students

FishDuck, blog

High

http://fishduck.com Posted
/2015/06/who-has- June 8 at
it-better-at-autzen- 10:30 AM
students-oralumni/

FishDuck is an
independent Oregon
Duck Sports News and
Analysis blog that
covers Duck football,
basketball and baseball

ABC News

High

http://abcnews.go. Posted
com/Technology/w May 28 at
ireStory/fossils4:07 PM
previouslyunknown-beaverspecies-foundoregon-31378532

ABC is an extremely
reputable news outlet.
They recently covered
a story regarding a
fossil discovery in
which a University of
Oregon professor was
involved

Tech Times,
website

Medium

http://www.techtim
es.com/articles/57
045/20150602/uni
versity-of-oregonin-the-midst-ofgrowingmeningitisoutbreak.htm

Published
June 2,
7:57 PM

Tech Times covers

news on technological
innovation and how
business and
technology intersects,
influences and impacts
different markets and
industries to bring
about cultural
transformation in our
lives, and how that is
relevant in our
increasingly
interconnected world.

Competitor,
website/blog

High

http://running.com Published
petitor.com/2015/0 June 3
6/features/universi
ty-of-oregon-nowoffers-campusrunningtours_129543

Competitor is a website
for everything running.
UO being the Track
Town it was fitting that
Competitor chose to
cover UO's They
covered a story on the
University of Oregon
offering campus

running tour
Portland Business Medium
Journal, Blog

http://www.bizjour Posted
nals.com/portland/ May 27 at
blog/threads_and_ 8:01 a.m.
laces/2015/05/univ
ersity-of-oregontops-the-list-ofbiggest.html

The Portland Business

Journal is an online
publication where you'll
find the latest breaking
business news,
updated throughout the
day, some of this
week's top stories from
the Portland Business
Journal and other
popular features from
the print edition.

Slide Deck
To view our slide deck with our monitoring report, please reference Appendix 2.

Social Media Audit

Platform Comparison
Platform Size

Faceboo 347,905
k
Likes

Twitter

Description

Posting Types Key Stat

Audience

Goal

The UO Facebook
page is the most
popular of all their
social media
accounts. They
mainly use it to
leverage people's
interest in
athletics,
specifically
football and other
campus events.

Posts on this
Facebook
page consist
of themes,
such as a
graduation
countdown
for the class
of 2015 and
"Fan Fridays",
relevant news
articles from
outside
sources, and
profile pieces
of students
and faculty

Alumni,
current
students,
prospectiv
e students,
parents
(tends to
be older
audience)

Build
relationship
s and
connect with
prospective
students
and
stakeholder
s

The University of
91.4 K
Oregon twitter
Followers account is the

The official
University of
Oregon

UO sees
Faculty
the most
and
problemati students

Update fans
of the
University of

5
second most
popular social
media account.
The Twitter
account is
informative,
interactive, and
consistently stays
up to date.

Instagra
m

account
retweets a lot
of it's
affiliates in
order to get a
mass amount
of information
about. They
share posts
about
upcoming
events, free
things on
campus that
students can
take
advantage of,
and recent
news.

c
responses
during
times of
crisis or
scandal on
Twitter

The Instagram
account
shares many
of the same
photos that
are featured
on the Twitter
and Facebook
pages. It
features
beauty shots
of campus,
graphics and
The Instagram
flyers about
account for the
upcoming
University of
events,
Oregon highlights Throwback
events happening Thursdays
on campus,
from the
student life,
university's
athletics, and
library photo
accomplishments archives, and
24.8k
of faculty, staff
student/facult
followers and students
y profiles

The UO has many

different "boards"
875
on their Pinterest
Pinterest followers account, which

Currently, the
Pinterst
account is not
being utilized N/A

Oregon with
recent news
and
upcoming
events

Build
relationship
s and
connect with
prospective
students
and
stakeholder
s while
using the
photosharing app
Students, to post
alumni,
beauty
prospestic shots of
e students campus and
and
surrounding
athletes
area
Parents
and
prospectiv
e students

Begin
utilizing
Pinterest as
a social

6
includes
Celebration
Memories, SOJC,
Graduate Profiles,
Freshmen
profiles, and Our
Campus

and does not

have a
specific
posting type.

Data Analysis
Platform 1: Facebook
Summary
These numbers reflect the time period of May 1, 2015 to May 31, 2015.
Change in fan/friend/follower numbers
Total likes: 347, 780 (0.3% increase)
New likes: 3,132 (Average 101 likes/day)
Average Reach (The number of people who have seen your post)

media
platform to
reach out to
a broader
audience
not currently
being
connected
with

Average Engagement
Page Engagement (The number of people who engaged with the page.
Engagement includes any click or story created for the week ending with selected end date):
26,977 (46.4% decrease)
Weekly Total Reach (The number of unique people who have seen any content associated
with your page for the week ending with the selected end date): 324,563 (40.8% decrease)
Audience demographics
Likes by region:
United States: 306,574
Mexico: 9,143
Canada: 1,735
India: 1,703
Pakistan: 1,396
Brazil: 1,283
Indonesia: 1,129

Japan: 1,125
Bangladesh: 1,046
Egypt: 968
35 other countries: 14,588
Likes by demographic:
Age

Male

Female

13-17

5.8%

2.3%

18-24

33.3%

14%

25-34

14.3%

6.9%

35-44

5.5%

4.5%

45-54

3.4%

3.4%

55-64

1.5%

1.8%

65+

1.4%

1.5%

Content Analysis
When to post
Research done on Facebooks News Feed algorithm reveals that engagement rates are
18% higher on Thursdays and Fridays. Engagement rates fall approximately 3.5% below
average for posts that are published Monday through Wednesday, and engagement rates
on Saturday are 18% below average.
When are fans/friends followers online?
Research data reveals that people are there is a spike in re-sharing and posting on
Facebook at noon eastern time, and a similar spike also occurs around 7 PM.
What type of posts get better engagement?
While the right day and the right time are large factors in high engagement rates, it is also
important to make your post interesting. Research shows that photos get more engagement
than other links, videos or text-based updates, and photos account for 93% of the most
engaging posts on Facebook. According to KISSmetrics, a social media analytics company
that optimizes and drives engagement for businesses, photos receive 53% more likes,
104% more comments and 84% more click-throughs on links rather than posts that just
contain text.

Research also shows that Facebook posts that contain below 250 characters can get users
about 60% more engagement. The use of emoticons in posts also increases sharing and
comment rates by 33%, and increases the number of likes by 57%.
What frequency works best?
It is typically recommended by social media marketing professionals to post 1-2 times daily,
7 days a week. However, it is important that you do not post too often, otherwise your
followers will lose interest. There needs to be a balance between being informative and
being annoying. Studies show that when a brand posts twice a day,
What topics get the highest engagement?
University of Oregon Facebook posts about the football program and other successful
athletics get the highest engagement. Additionally, posts that end in a question for fans to
respond to also see high engagement rates.
Recommendations
Based on research findings, our team recommends that the University of Oregon uses
Facebook to continue reaching out to fans, alumnae and students. Facebook is a great
platform to continue growing Oregons reputation and brand online. We recommend utilizing
Facebook as a forum to share news such as awards that the University or any of its
affiliates have won, highlight the success of the athletic programs, and share outstanding
student work, especially those which contain multimedia pieces.

Platform 2: Twitter
Summary
These numbers reflect the time period of May 1, 2015 to May 31, 2015.

Change in fan/friend/follower numbers

Total Followers: 91,436
Average Daily Growth: 50
New Followers: 1,553

10

Average Reach

Average Engagement

11

12

Audience Demographics
Twitter Users

2013

2014

All internet users

18%

23%

Men

17%

24%

Women

18%

21%

White, Non-Hispanic

16%

21%

Black, Non-Hispanic

29%

27%

Hispanic

16%

25%

Ages 18-29

31%

37%

Ages 30-49

19%

25%

Age 50-64

9%

12%

Ages 65+

5%

10%

High school grad or less

17%

16%

Some college

18%

24%

College+

18%

30%

Less than $30,000/yr

17%

20%

$30,000-$49,999

18%

21%

$50,000-$74,999

15%

27%

$75,000+

19%

27%

Urban

18%

25%

Suburban

19%

23%

Rural

11%

17%

Source: Pew Research Centers Internet Project

13

Content Analysis
What time of day works best?
Twitter is sometimes difficult to gauge what time of day is best to send out tweets, because
many Twitter users are using mobile devices. However, Twitter engagement for well-known
brands is 17% higher on the weekends. Retweets have been shown to be the highest at 5
PM, and click-through rates are highest around noon and 6 PM.
When are fans/friends/followers online?
Twitter users are rarely loading Twitter on their desktop computers, and are more commonly
using it from an app on their mobile devices. Twitter conducted their own study and found
that 181% of users are more likely to be on Twitter during their commute, and users are also
119% more likely to use Twitter during school or work hours.
What type of posts get better engagement?
Much like Facebook, tweets that contain some type of graphic or image are more engaging
for Twitter users. These tweets receive at least double the amount of engagement than a
tweet that contains no image. Tweets with less than 100 characters also get 17% more
engagement. If your tweet contains a link, research shows that 120-130 characters will get
higher engagement rates. Hashtags are also a great way to increase engagement rates on
tweets. Tweets that contain 1 or 2 hashtags get 21% more engagement, but tweets that
have more than two hashtags actually have a 17% decrease in engagement.
What frequency works best?
The best tweeting frequency varies. Most industry professionals agree that 10-14 times per
day is the most effective, and seven times per day on the weekends. These frequencies do
not consider live-tweeting events, for which there is no frequency that works best. The most
important thing to keep in mind is to not overflow your followers feeds with too much
information.
What topics get the highest engagement?
There are no particular topics that receive high engagement rates on Twitter. To keep your
engagement rates high on Twitter, it is important to create content that is relevant and
resonant. For the University of Oregon specifically, there are higher rates of engagement
when discussing the football program and other well-renowned programs that the University
is home to.

Recommendations
We recommend that the University of Oregon considers changing its Twitter handle from
@Univ_of_Oregon to something more simple, such as @uoregon. This change will help for

14

two different reasons. As it stands, the current handle contains 14 characters. If someone
wanted to tweet at the university, 10% of their allotted characters have already been used. A
shorter Twitter handle allows users to include more in their actual message. Additionally, the
University uses the hashtag #uoregon on Twitter. Having a Twitter handle and hashtag that
match creates a more cohesive online identity.
While using Hootsuite to plan tweets ahead of time and sticking to a schedule can prove to
be beneficial for employees, we also recommend that the University of Oregon takes
advantage of live-tweeting opportunities. Providing followers with real-time updates of
events could help increase engagement rates and overall number of followers.

Situation Analysis
Background/Overview
The University of Oregon is a public research university located in Eugene, Oregon. The
University was founded in 1876, and was admitted into the Association of American
Universities in 1969. There are currently 24,181 students, including 3,612 graduate students
and 20,569 undergraduates.
As the University has grown and developed since its founding, the University of Oregon
brand has grown as well. According to the UO branding website:
The University of Oregon brand is not something that marketers or
communicators made. It's something the university itself madethe
students, faculty, staff, alumni, and communityover the course of its
entire history. Our brand is the education we provide, the research we
conduct, the discoveries we make, the environment we inhabit, and
the community we belong to. It's the thousands of alumni whose
legacy we continue, and the thousands of lives this amazing place has
transformed. It's our mission. It's how we treat each other. It's how we
interact with our community, and the world. As communicators, we
don't create the UO brand. We share it. We articulate it. When we're
at our best, the communications we produce convey the UO brand
accurately, honestly, and authentically to our various audiences.
The words we use, the way we visually tell our story to the world, our
iconic logos and approved typefacesall these elements combine to
help communicate our brand. Each is an integral part of our identity.

15

Our voice. Our signature. Even, in a sense, an extension of the

physical university. So its vitally important that we use them carefully
and treat them with respect.
Working together, we can create bold, engaging communications,
build strong bonds with our audiences, and protect our vision and
voice well into the future. The guidelines you'll find on this site are
designed to help you create strong, consistent materials that
collectively tell the University of Oregon story in a way that's original,
memorable, and most importantly, true to who we are. We encourage
you to explore this site. To ask questions, share feedback, and let us
know what we can do to make it better.
The University of Oregon brings this brand concept to all their prominent social media
platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. With a strong following
across these platforms, the University has the capabilities to reach out to a broad audience.
Currently, the official UO Facebook page has 347,905 likes, 91,422 followers on Twitter,
24,597 followers on Instagram and 8,611 subscribers on their YouTube channel. The main
goal of these platforms is to attract potential students to attend UO, and to make serious
content more fun and shareable.
According to an Article3 article, The Role of Social Media in College Admissions, one in
three universities say that social media is a much more efficient method to reach their target
audiences rather than through traditional media. In addition, 92% of undergraduate
admission officers agree that social media is worth the investment of resources such as time
and money.
Social and digital media can easily be monitored and tracked using different forms of
analytics, which allows the University to determine reach and impressions, and also receive
insights into how to better market to target audiences and demographics.

16

SWOT Analysis

Strengths
Typically high engagement rates
with followers and stakeholders
Consistent and regular posts
Across all platforms, UO maintains
a cohesive brand identity
Compared to other PAC-12
schools, the University of Oregon
has a greater amount of
followers/likes

Weaknesses
Twitter account has lowest
engagement rate
Not present on certain social
media platforms such as Pinterest
and Snapchat, which could appeal
to certain audiences not currently
being connected with

Opportunities
The number of social media users
will continue to increase, meaning
UO has opportunity to reach more
people
Create genuine relationships with
all of their audiences via social
media
Create University of Oregon
Snapchat to connect with millennial
generation of current and
prospective students

Threats
Competing universities posting
similar content to attract potential
students
Social media is constantly growing
and evolving; certain platforms
may eventually fall to the wayside
Launching new social media
campaigns can be time-consuming
and expensive

Audiences
Target Audience: It varies by platform and the University of Oregon tailors content on each
platform to that specific audience.
Facebook: This platform tends to skew older and reaches fans, parents and alumnae,
along with current students. Engagement with the posts on Facebook tend to be hit or miss,
but the social media team currently tries to leverage peoples interest in athletics,
specifically the football team, and campus events such as Homecoming.

17

Twitter: Currently, the Twitter audience lands in between Facebook and Instagram. It
ranges from current students to prospective students and alumnae. By locating a direct
audience, Twitter can grow its following and create content that is tailored to that specific
audience.
Instagram: The University of Oregon currently targets prospective students on this
platform by posting beauty shots of the campus and historical photos. They post about 5 to
10 photos a week and it is routine to receive 1000+ likes on each one.
Although there is a plateau in followings, the university can increase the number of followers
by creating conversation around major events on campus, such as football, that affect the
Oregon brand.
Millennials on Social Media
Young adults are active social media users. Five out of six millennials in the United States
use social media to connect with companies. According to Pew Research Centers Social
Media Update of 2014, 87 percent of online adults (ages 18 to 29) use Facebook, 37
percent use Twitter and 53 percent use Instagram.
Millennials make up over half of Instagram users. By encouraging people to use creative
visuals to produce content, Instagram provides businesses with the opportunity to build
relationships with Instagram users through photo sharing. According to USC Annenberg, 51
percent of U.S. millennials would share information with businesses in exchange for
incentives. Instagram photo contests can increase businesses popularity through follower
engagement.

Goals
1. Enhance the reputation of the University of Oregon by promoting appropriate
content across multiple platforms and protect the reputation of the university
2. To build genuine relationships with stakeholders by remaining transparent and
answering all inquiries
3. Increase and improve enrollment rates, retention, recruitment and alumni
relations

Objectives
This social media plan is designed to help the University of Oregon maintain a dominant
force on social media and become a forerunner in the minds of prospective students
applying to universities.This objective will be reached by creating content tailored to
prospective students through their different social media platforms such as Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram.

18

1. Increase the number of followers/likes on Facebook, Twitter and/or

Instagram by 10% by January 2016
2. Utilize alternative social media platforms such as Snapchat and Pinterest to
reach audiences not currently being connected with

Strategies and Tactics to support Objectives

Strategy 1: Facebook
Tactic 1: Build an online community and develop relationships with potential
students and stakeholders of the University
Use Facebook Insights to monitor positive and negative feedback on posts
The University of Oregon mainly focuses their social media marketing efforts to
attract potential students. Social media listening on Facebook will allow the UO to
answer inquiries from students who are transitioning from high school to college,
or from another university. This will help to build a relationship, offer support and
connect with students on a different level
Tactic 2: Grow and strengthen the University of Oregons reputation
Ensure UO branding standards are met on all social media platforms
Including the University of Oregon logo on every post will encourage school spirit
and amplify the brand message
Tactic 3: Stay current and relevant
Share Universitys awards, rankings, accomplishments, etc.
Make information and content distributed across all social media platforms
engaging and interactive so audiences feel the need to engage online

19

20

Strategy 2: Twitter
Tactic 1: Increase engagement
Participate in social trends such as #TBT, #FanFriday, Internet memes and
trending topics on Twitter
Develop consistent hashtags to be used to aggregate conversations regarding
the university (#UOGrad15, #UOSpring, #UOInstaTakeOver)
Tactic 2: Build relationships
Monitor and respond to all mentions, comments, shares, etc. when appropriate
Reply, like and retweet students posts
Tactic 3: Increase exposure
Use marketing and traditional media to increase followings
Websites
Billboards
Print ads
Digital media
PR pitches to print, radio, television
Tactic 4: Serve as a resource
Develop and promote key university messages
Use social media as a tool to share content created by University of Oregon
colleges such as School of Journalism and Communication
Tactic 5: Monitor your mentions
Have a strategy that includes response times, how to respond and who should
respond to mentions and inquiries. Having a consistent voice is key to connecting
with your public and audience
Monitor not only the brands handle but important keyword and any variation of
the brand name (ex: #GoDucks, UO, Win the Day)

21

Strategy 3: Snapchat

The University of Oregon is not currently utilizing Snapchat as a social media platform to
reach their target audience. According to Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia, Snapchat
is where the kids put stuff they dont want on Instagram. A self-destructing photo app that
forces the user to pay attention. Vaynerchuk also says that Snapchat is mainly used by 15to 25-year olds in America, which happens to be the general age range of the University of
Oregons target audience.
Snapchat has become an extremely popular social media application amongst millennials.
This is an opportunity for the University of Oregon to actively engage with current and local
prospective students on a daily basis. Several statistics support millennials and their activity
on Snapchat.

77% of college-aged students (18-24) open at least one snapchat daily (46% for Twitter,
11% for Facebook, and 10% on Instagram)
70% of those students (surveyed above) say they open/post the most snapchats on
Friday and Saturday
67% of college students said they would utilize promotions or discounts by a brand on
Snapchat
81% of college students said they primarily use the Snapchat app (to post or view)
during the later afternoon and into the night
When surveyed what college students primarily use snapchat for the largest group 37%
said they used it for personal creativity

Tactic 1: Increase Snapchat activity

Post stories to the Snapchat feed to show followers campus activity and in depth
looks of various events (i.e., athletics, Greek life events, etc.)
Promote University of Oregon Snapchat on other social media platforms to
increase Snapchat followers and engagement
Tactic 2: Create Snapchat geofilter

22

Develop unique filter that tailors to University of Oregon theme (Snapchat does
not allow brand names on geofilters). This will allow users to share their person
Oregon story in real-time with their friends and followers and increase
conversation about the University of Oregon
Increase activity on Snapchat by developing a geofilter for locals and students, to
engage with the University of Oregon brand

Strategy 4: Pinterest
Tactic 1: Utilize Pinterest to grow and strengthen the Oregon brand
According to the University of Oregon branding website, the UOs web presence
must be a map, tour guide and informational session all rolled into one. The UO
can utilize Pinterest to share information about upcoming applications, fun facts
about the historic campus and share photos highlighting recent events
By following their audience back, the UO can begin building better relationships
with stakeholders and grow the Oregon brand in a positive light. Liking fans pins
and making thoughtful comments can set UO apart from their competition
Tactic 2: Expand audience reach by building a community on Pinterest
According to the Pew Research Center, 21% of U.S. adult internet users are on
Pinterest, which is a significant 40% increase to the year prior. Of these users,
68.2% of users are female, and 50% have children. While the University of
Oregon focuses its social media efforts to appeal to potential students, reaching
out to the parents of those students could help in further outreach
As of January 2015, Pinterest had a total of 44.5 million users. Only 9.1% of
these users are ages 18-24, which generally makes up the college demographic.
56.1% of the total users are ages 35-54. By building a community on Pinterest,
the University of Oregon can cater content to the general demographic that is on
the site and increase their outreach
Tactic 3: Share attractive content on Pinterest to drive traffic to the University of
Oregon website
By posting attractive photos or graphics on pins, Pinterest users are more likely
to click through to the link
Pins should link back to relevant, high-quality content and should be posted
consistently so Pins get seen on followers feeds
Tactic 4: Use Pinterest boards to share optimized and high quality images
that reflect student life at the University of Oregon
According to research done by social media marketing professionals at Curalate,
people respond and engage more with pinned images that have multiple colors.
Images with multiple dominant colors have 3.25 times more repins per image.
Images and photos that are fifty percent saturated have four times more repins

23

than images that are 100 percent saturated, and ten times more repins than
images that are desaturated (e.g. black and white)
Vertical images tend to receive more repins than horizontal images

Strategy 5: Instagram
Tactic 1: Photo contest
Create a photo contest to increase followers and engagement
Use a photo contest specific hashtag for fans and students to use for entry into
the contest
Post the winning photo to University of Oregon Instagram feed
Millennials make up over half of Instagram users. By encouraging people to use
creative visuals to produce content, Instagram provides businesses with the
opportunity to build relationships with Instagram users through photo sharing.
According to USC Annenberg, 51 percent of U.S. millennials would share
information with businesses in exchange for incentives. Instagram photo contests
can increase businesses popularity through follower engagement.

Technology

24

The University of Oregon should utilize Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and
Pinterest to meet the objectives in an effective manner. Facebook is a great tool to use as it
currently has the largest following and the content can be easily shared amongst followers.
According to the Pew Research Center, Most Facebook users are actively engaging with
their networks on the site. As opposed to simply reading or viewing content, 65% of
Facebook users frequently or sometimes share, post or comment on Facebook. Twitter is
an important tool for businesses to utilize as it gives them a chance to connect with
consumers, or in this case current and potential students. The University of Oregon can also
build relationships with its followers by following and retweeting their posts and therefore
retaining potential students as followers. Instagram is the tool that the UO should use the
most to target potential students because according to the Pew Research Center 52% of
teens use Instagram, along with another platform, such as Facebook or Snapchat.

When considering tone, frequency and content style, the University should remain constant
among all social platforms. It is important that the University establishes a set of guidelines
to ensure that all managers are posting content with a similar tone and make sure the
content reflects back to the UO brand.

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Measurement/Evaluation/Recommendations
Overall, our team feels that the University of Oregon has a strong social media presence
that can be improved on through minor changes and additions.
We recommend that the University of Oregon considers changing its Twitter handle from
@Univ_of_Oregon to something more simple, such as @uoregon. This change will help for
two different reasons. As it stands, the current handle contains 14 characters. If someone
wanted to tweet at the university, 10% of their allotted characters have already been used. A
shorter Twitter handle allows users to include more in their actual message. Additionally, the
University uses the hashtag #uoregon on Twitter. Having a Twitter handle and hashtag that
match creates a more cohesive online identity.
With the guidelines, strategies and tactics we have provided for the University of Oregon,
we believe that we have set two achievable objectives, which will help achieve the overall
goals of this social media plan. Our overall goals that we hope to have accomplished are:
enhance the reputation of the University of Oregon by promoting appropriate content across
multiple platforms and protect the reputation of the university; to build genuine relationships
with stakeholders by remaining transparent and answering all inquiries; and increase and
improve enrollment rates, retention, recruitment and alumni relations. Based on these goals,
we developed two objectives: to increase the number of followers/likes/fan on Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram by 10% by January 2016; and to increase use on platforms not
currently being utilized such as Pinterest and Snapchat to reach out to a broader audience
not currently being engaged with.
We will measure our objectives against the number of potential students that applied to
attend the University of Oregon. One of our main goals for the University was to create
content that would appeal to potential students and therefore increase admission rates. The
deadline for prospective students to apply is January 2016, so we can then conduct further
research to measure our objectives.

Timeline
Due to the University of Oregon targeting prospective students via social media, our team
has developed this plan to be implemented over the next six months. During those months,
high school seniors and transfer students will be doing research about the colleges or
universities they would like to attend. The University of Oregons application deadline for
general admission is January 16, 2016.
While the University of Oregon uses an internal communications office to handle all social
media, we believe that hiring an intern could help alleviate the added stress of monitoring

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two new social media platforms. A graphic design intern could be responsible for creating
new Snapchat Geofilters throughout the year. This intern should create a new filter every
few months to update with the changing terms or seasons. A separate intern could be
responsible for monitoring and posting content on Pinterest. This intern should post new
pins 5-10 times a day to ensure that new content is constantly being shared on followers
timelines.
For other timeline purposes, please reference the editorial calendar found in Appendix 1.
This editorial calendar contains themes and post ideas that the University of Oregon can
utilize for the next 8-10 weeks.

Budget
While many social media marketing tools and platforms are free, there are some aspects
such as man hours and campaigns that will require monetary resources.
Here are some things that the University of Oregon should consider when planning a
budget:
Paid advertisements on social media
Promoted or boosted posts on both Facebook and Twitter
These Facebook posts are relatively inexpensive and typically prove to be
effective. Once you choose which post and content you would like to
boost, users are able to specifically choose the audience they would like it
to reach. Options for audience include location, age, gender and interests.
After selecting the specific audience, users can choose the budget and
duration they would like to spend on the post, starting as low as $5. Posts
are automatically boosted for one day, but users can select up to 7 days of
boosting. After selecting the maximum budget, Facebook will provide an
estimation of how many people the post will reach.
Content development
Graphic design, video production, etc.
Search engine optimization algorithms
The University of Oregon should anticipate spending 5-10 hours a week preparing and
uploading content across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Snapchat will not
require as much time as it is user-generated content. There may be additional hours for
responding to comments, inquiries or other fan posts.
Our team estimates that the University of Oregon should spend up to $100 on promoted
Facebook posts when the content is important and relevant enough. Posts and content that

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should be promoted could include but is not limited to: information regarding applications,
testimonials about the University, awards or recognitions the University receives.

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Works Cited
"Boltbus - Student Campaign." Behance. N.p., n.d. Web.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/675293/Boltbus-Student-Campaign
Snapchat Holds Potential for Brand Engagement with College Kids - eMarketer. (2014, March
27).http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Snapchat-Holds-Potential-Brand-Engagement-with-CollegeKids/1010712/1
Kilner, Diana. "3 Big Reasons Universities Need a Social Media Monitoring Tool | DIGIMIND
Social Intelligence Blog." DIGIMIND Social Intelligence Blog. DIGIMIND, 10 Feb. 2014. Web. 08
June 2015. <http://digimind.com/blog/social-media/3-reasons-schools-need-smm-tool/>.
Lenhart, Amanda. Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015. Pew Research Center.
April 9 2015. Web. http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/
Viner, Steve. "Social Media Statistics: How College Students Are Using Social Networking -."
Study Breaks College Media. N.p., 07 Feb. 2014. Web.
<http://studybreakscollegemedia.com/2014/social-media-statistics-how-college-student
s-are-using-social-networking/>.
Wagner, K. (n.d.). Study Finds 77% of College Students Use Snapchat Daily.
http://mashable.com/2014/02/24/snapchat-study-college-students/
iMarketing Factory. The Importance of Twitter for Small Businesses. N.p., N.d. Web.
http://www.imarketingfactory.com/twitter/

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Appendix 1: Editorial Calendar

Outlined below is a basic version of an editorial calendar for the University of Oregon to
follow. This calendar is designed specifically for Facebook, but can be altered for Twitter or
Instagram. By following this guide, the University of Oregon can boost their online presence
over the summer months and therefore increase the number of followers. Although this is a
basic outline, the University can follow the simple themes in order to maximize efficiency on
social media.

Week
6/297/5

Theme

Author

Possible Content

Distribution

Notes

City of Eugene

UO SM
Saturday Market, Fifth StreetFacebook- links, Fourth of July week, could
Market, Spencer Butte
articlesinclude things to do for the
holiday in Eugene

7/6-7/12

Academics

UO SM Summer classes, professor

FacebookFirst week of IntroDUCKtion
profiles, quotes, photos,
Majors/minors offered
testimonials

7/13-7/19

Student Orgs

7/20-7/26
Throwback Thurs

7/27-8/2

Environment

8/3-8/9Campus photos

UO SM Fraternity and Sorority life

+ registration, club sports,
AHPR/AHA

Facebookvideos, links,
infographics

Connect student
organizations with
introDucktion

UO SMHistory of campus, Eugene,

FacebookThrowback Thursday can be
asking questions about photos, videos used to invoke feelings of
memories or experiences
nostalgia for alumni or other
people who have an
emotional connection to the
University. It can be a way
to start a conversation
online about positive
memories and experiences
UO SM Information about campus
Facebookarboretum, environmental photos, articles
orgs on campus

UO SM

Beauty shots of
campus/Eugene/PNW

FacebookPosting photos of campus is

photos,
an easy way to attract
panoramas,
prospective students.
videos Images receive the most

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engagement on Facebook
8/10-8/16

Admission

8/17-8/23

Athletics

UO SMEarly admission information

Facebook- links to
and deadline, class of 2018
Oregon
info such as average SAT
admissions
scores, high school GPA, etc.website, student
photos
UO SM
Football season approaching,
information about tickets,
highlight videos of past
season

Facebook- all
media

Summer session
commencement

Football season begins

September 5

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Appendix 2: Slide Deck

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