Engaging to Differentiate
Engagement. What a loaded word that’s become. What was once a revelation of what a new, social world could do for our ability to connect with each other has, over time, turned into an algorithm-driven vanity metric that tells us…well, not much.
So is engagement dead?
No, of course not. On the contrary, we’re living in a world where we’re craving it more than ever. Especially after the last few years. And yet, more campuses than not are focusing on pushing content out rather than pulling up a metaphorical seat at the table to have a conversation with audiences who are waiting at the ready to do so.
We’re losing the ability to engage meaningfully because of our perceived need to engage constantly and at scale. And that’s not entirely surprising when over the years we’ve been told by the same general trends and best practices that our content always needs to be new and fresh and perfect to stand out and show how great we are. Particularly for online audiences.
But those who live in that world day to day know this isn’t true (lookin’ at you, social media managers). I’ve heard time and again how much better the shaky cell-phone video performs than the highly-produced one. How much that comment on a post to your favorite brand or writer or musician means. Because it’s human. Because it makes us feel seen. Because it makes us feel like part of the conversation.
So when you’re spending all your time doing the talking, you miss out on the opportunity to engage in the back and forth. To share the on-the-spot moments. To show others that you hear them; you see them; you care about what they have to say. And, over time, you become just like everyone else. Even when you know you aren’t.
But engaging at scale can start to seem more achievable when you take a step back to reimagine what it can look like.
There’s massive opportunity right now for campuses to reimagine engagement. Especially with the conversations that are already happening about your campus. Our year over year STREAM research tells us that online conversation about campuses is increasing from earned audiences across the industry, whether you’re a small campus with a small marketing team or a large campus with resources at your disposal. Liz spoke recently about the surprising and actionable opportunities this presents for small and large campuses. (If you missed it live, you can still register to get the recording and playbook.)
So when you think about how you want to differentiate your brand, is how you engage with your audiences part of your strategy?
- Are you only focusing on the content you’re pushing out, with no strategy to engage with comments and replies?
- Whose voices are most prominent in your campus conversation? Are you connecting with them in meaningful ways?
- Are there opportunities to nurture relationships with advocates and influencers showing up in conversation about your campus? How can student and alumni voices help tell the story of your brand?
- How might the act itself of engaging more meaningfully in the conversations already happening about your campus differentiate you to the humans on the other side of our metaphorical table?
Engagement isn’t dead. We just need to reset the table and pull up a chair.
