Meaningful content is essential to reach students and boost college enrollment. But, coming up with creative social media post ideas can be challenging.
Over half of potential students check out your school on social media. So, it makes sense to leverage social media platforms and make a plan. (See our blog “Top 5 Social Media Marketing Tips to Boost College Enrollment on a Budget“ for more on simple social media marketing strategies).
But strategy is just the first step. You also need relevant and exciting content to show students why they should come to your college. Below are some innovative and budget-friendly post ideas you can employ to attract new students.
1. Showcase Your Big Wins, a Choice Social Media Post Idea
From a new, state-of-the-art technical building to one of your science faculty members publishing a paper, post about your big wins. It will boost your reputation and showcase your assets while communicating your mission and values at the same time.
Perhaps your school’s biggest win is how you are serving the community during difficult times. From pictures of your food bank to highlighting some of your popular services, let future students know how you can help them.
2. Success Stories to Inspire
Like your big wins, your success stories can showcase your students, faculty, and staff’s accomplishments, up close and personal.
Alums Show Potential Students the Path to Success
Share the story of an alum who went on to start his own business, and future students can picture themselves following that path, starting with your college. Plus, alumni are likely to share that story on their feeds, garnering new interest in your posts from their networks.
Current Student Stories Build Community
Celebrate the accomplishments of a current student, and you’re building a community while inviting new members to join. The featured student is also likely to share that post, encouraging their social networks to check out your college.
Faculty Stories Highlight Excellence in Education
Faculty success stories are a hit with students and parents alike. Consider highlighting the fantastic teachers at your college who are dedicated to their cadets’ success. Posting about your instructors boosts school spirit and motivates staff while showing the quality of the education you offer.
3. Actively Engage Your Feeds
Shares, likes, and comments all improve your posts’ visibility. Hosting polls, contests, and giveaways are super fun. And, they’re also a positive way to boost engagement, extend your reach, and spread the school spirit.
Giveaways: a Win-Win When It Comes to Social Media Post Ideas
Giveaways encourage followers to tag their friends to win fun school spirit swag. It’s fun, low-cost, and a win-win for everyone.
4. Virtual Events for College Enrollment Success
The number of fun and exciting online events you could host is limitless. What about livestreams of enrollment help from fellow students to start:
5. More Virtual Events to Welcome Potential Students:
- Offer a virtual tour with a simple cell phone or GoPro streaming video, or try a Zoom slideshow tour.
- Go live with info sessions on Facebook and Instagram, where students can ask questions.
- Host a webinar and focus on students with particular interests from English to biology.
- Make some of your classes available to the public on social media so potential students can sit in and get a taste of your college.
Highlight Your Events on Instagram
Help students find your events by posting them to your Instagram stories and then saving them to your highlights. Check out the social-savvy Saddleback College:
Virtual Events to Showcase Virtual Campus Life
From virtual conferences to online dance parties, here is a list of events to show off your virtual campus life:
- Host a virtual spirit week with some fun online events and contests.
- Dress like a past decade on throwback Thursday. Or, host pajama Friday. Be sure to have students post pictures to your school’s hashtag. And bonus if you have a giveaway for the best dressed!
- Zoom up an open mic for poetry and music.
- Speaking of music, why not try a virtual choir:
Online events are fun ways to show off and build community at the same time, giving new students a taste of your school. And, you’ll have an option to record the event and post it on your social media channels.
You can even divide recorded events into smaller videos for bite-sized content you can drip over an extended period. Not a bad way to get extra social media milage out of your virtual events.
Key Takeaways for Social Media Post Ideas to Bolster College Enrollment:
- Showcase your big wins to boost your reputation and show off your most significant assets.
- Success stories can inspire new students to picture themselves at your college.
- Keep your feeds engaging with polls, giveaways, and fun contests to increase your reach.
- Virtual events can help new students connect to campus life online.
We hope some of these ideas were helpful and that you were inspired by our creative community college partners’ posts. And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out part one of this blog series for more on simple social media marketing strategies.
Also, be sure to check out our ultimate social media guide — Sustainable Social Media Marketing Strategies for Higher Ed: How to Keep Your Content Fresh and Flowing!
Do you have a social media tip or campaign you’d like to share? Let us know on our Facebook or LinkedIn page, and show off your social media smarts.
Do you have a question about social media or marketing? We’re always happy to help! Set up a free consultation, or visit our services page to learn more!
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