10+ Ways Universities Can Use Social Media Aggregators Effectively

Your university website decides how prospective students perceive your institution. It is their first touchpoint, and the initial interaction sets the stage for all the upcoming ones, like downloading a brochure or applying for admission. 

But here's the truth: old generic university websites with stock images of students, professional shots of campus and blocks of text won't cut anymore. To reel prospective students and parents in, your website should answer their specific questions with social proof.

For instance, an international student browsing your website might want to know if they would fit in. And the best way to assure them of this is by showcasing real-life visuals of international students on campus.

The easiest way to do this is with the help of social media aggregators. Social media aggregators let you embed custom social media feeds into your university web pages. This way, you can cater to every audience segment in the university fabric, from prospective and current students, to alumni and board partners, with the right content.

Want to know exactly how? In this blog, we discuss 10+ ways in which you can use a social media aggregator to build the university brand, maximize enrolments and procure funding. Let’s begin.

10+ ways universities can use social media aggregators effectively

Here are the top 10+ ways in which universities can use social media aggregators to build a strong brand presence and attract and retain top talent:

1. To showcase campus life

With a social media aggregator, universities can give prospective students a peek into the insider life of the campus. Create custom feeds with visuals and student interviews to help them set their expectations straight, build social proof and give them the confidence to enroll in your university. 

Here's an example from George Washington University on how they use Flockler to showcase their campus life. The feed contains pictures and videos of the campus through the seasons, along with interviews of students and alumni. They also display images of legacy and student traditions, such as Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and George Washington Day.

Narratives by alumni and current students give prospective students an assurance of the quality of education and campus life that the university guarantees. Visuals of the campus and celebrations point to the university's unique campus culture, attracting more like-minded individuals to it.

2. To display program/course-related content

Is this course right for me?

What's the learning experience like?

What can I expect from this course?

These are some of the questions that go through prospective students' minds when browsing your program or course page. Adding a social media wall with student-generated content like testimonials and alumni stories or BTS content like course and club activities serves as answers to these burning questions.

The way Columbian College of Arts and Sciences uses social media walls on its course pages is a good example of this. Their social walls include course-related content like visuals from their symposiums, class tours, holiday celebrations, course-related club activities, talks, snippets from workshops, political demonstrations and student achievements.

Here's a screenshot of a custom-made social media wall from their Anthropology department with content from Instagram and Facebook.

3. To spotlight the best performers

Featuring the university's best performers on your website gives them the limelight they deserve and positions your institution as a hub for top talent. It also motivates current students to give their best performance. 

However, don't just limit yourself to displaying academic achievements alone. Showcase outstanding performers from different fields like sports, community service, research and cultural events to promote diversity.

ESB Business School uses a social media wall to honor the achievements of their students. Here's an example from their feed on congratulating their student for winning the GFU Excellence Award by the Franco-German University.

Here's another example from their feed where they showcase one of their community service initiatives, ESB Cycling for Charity, from Reutlingen to Hamburg in 8 days.

4. To aggregate commencement-related activities

A commencement social media wall is a powerful branding asset that impacts the whole university community, from prospective students to partners and board members. When embedded on your website, these walls encourage prospective students to jump on the bandwagon while reminding current students to foresee their own graduation and work towards it.

The wall fosters a sense of community in the minds of stakeholders, like alumni, partners and board members, giving them the trust to invest and donate.

Columbian College of Arts and Sciences commencement page features a custom hashtag social wall showcasing commencement-related activities. They use the hashtag #CCASOnward to promote student spotlights, department-wise graduation ceremonies, graduation reflections and graduation clicks.

5. To create a buzz about your fundraiser programs

Fundraising for universities can be challenging, especially since most donors don't regard it as a traditional cause for non-profits. This means you need to put in extra effort to make donors understand the impact they create when they fund an educational institution.

One of the easiest ways to do this is through a social media wall showcasing different fundraiser programs, the impact they created and donor testimonials. This helps boost donor engagement, driving more of them to your fundraising campaigns.

Here's an example from Central Washington University on how they use Flockler to display a fundraiser social wall on their page. The feed includes information regarding various fundraiser programs like events and teasers, along with donor appreciation posts.

The carefully curated collection of posts blends well with the rest of the website, giving users a cohesive brand experience. 

6. For university leadership branding

One of the effective ways to form a distinct brand identity for your university is through leadership branding. In fact, according to Zeenat Fayaz, Founder of The Brand Education, a branding consultancy for educational institutions in the UK, leadership marketing is the need of the hour, and official stakeholders should get comfortable with putting themselves out.

"I would urge leaders to get comfortable with the idea that they add value and their voice needs to be heard by others within the university because it's important because they drive the university towards something bigger than themselves. Brand is about distilling the essence of your values, embedding them within the university's vision and aligning them to the university's stakeholders." (Source)

Wake Forest University's use of its President as the official spokesperson is an excellent example of this. Dr. Susan R. Wente, the 14th President of the University, has a dedicated page on the university website featuring a social media wall with her feed gathered from her Instagram and Twitter.

The feed sheds light on her recent initiatives, takes on various issues, and lets visitors keep tabs on her recent events. This kind of approach helps humanize the leadership and gain the trust of prospective students, parents, current students, faculty and alumni.

7. To celebrate DEI principles

Even when you talk at length about the principles of inclusivity, diversity and equality on your websites, your prospective international students might still be apprehensive. Moving abroad is a big step, and they need assurance that they'll be welcomed into an environment that respects their religious and cultural identity.

Adding a social media wall with content promoting cultural diversity and inclusivity is a great way to provide this kind of reassurance to international students. Stanford University's Dining and Residential Enterprises social wall is a good example of this.

The wall aggregates content like seasonal food menus, chef spotlights, posts of students hosting families on campus, and invitations for improvement of dining and residential facilities. During Ramadan, they also showcase the iftar menu and timings, making Muslim students feel inclusive and respected.

8. To talk about campus amenities

Prospective students and parents scour through university websites to evaluate each university's potential to cater to their needs. While program and commencement pages demonstrate educational quality, the college amenities page gives them intel on the quality of life a university can offer.

But the near-perfect, professionally shot visuals of campus amenities often create skepticism.

And that's when a social media wall with candid, unfiltered shots of your campus amenities helps you. These posts show how students and faculty use the facilities in real-time, building authenticity and increasing transparency.

Take Loyola Marymount University as an example. Their library page features a social wall with posts about competitions and library resources, funding and support services and candid student content around the library, like a graduation hat decorating party.

This strategic mix of social posts helps them build credibility, foster a sense of community and boost website engagement.

9. To attract international and transfer students

International and transfer students are essential to build a globally aware campus culture and bring more revenue. However, using the same content you use for domestic students to attract international students won't cut the deal.

Their expectations and concerns differ from those of domestic students, and they are more cautious when picking the right university. For instance, for international students looking to study in Canada, the Co-Op program is an important parameter that decides their chances of staying back in Canada after their studies. Mentioning this information is crucial to convey that your university supports your academic and long-term goals.

In addition to giving relevant information, you can embed a social wall on the website to build trust and social proof. Customize the wall with content that caters to a global audience, like international student spotlights, posts about exchange programs, financial aid and scholarships, success stories and international student life content.

Here's a social wall example from the International Students page of ESB Business School. The feed contains a mix of posts from LinkedIn and Instagram featuring various international and exchange students.

10. To promote your university merch page

When promoted the right way, university merchandise is an effective avenue for branding, building revenue and fostering a sense of community in students and alumni. But to really make them tick and generate sales, you need to do more than build a static merch page.

And one of the easiest ways to make your merch page more interactive and compelling is by adding a social media wall to it. Social media walls build social proof as they contain real-life pictures of students, faculty and alumni wearing or using your merch. This encourages more of them to buy your merch and feel connected to your university ecosystem.

Here's an example from Wake Forest University on how they market their merchandise on the donations page. 

11. To drive career support and success

You can offer your students a launch pad for their successful careers with job fairs and workshops and amplifying real-time career opportunities. Partnering with employers and sharing job postings and internship opportunities can keep students informed and engaged with the employment trends in their fields. 

These features not only push students to network and prepare for real-world challenges but also fuel your efforts to build credibility for your university. Success stories and testimonials from platforms like LinkedIn can reinforce the value of placements and your university's role in them. 

Here's an example from Liverpool University on how they use Flockler to display growth and career opportunities-related posts from LinkedIn and Instagram on their social wall:

Here’s a table summarizing the different use cases of a social media aggregator for universities:

How to use Flockler to add social media feeds to your university website?

Flockler is an advanced social media aggregator that lets you gather content from 13+ social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and BlueSky. It enables you to aggregate content into four layouts: social wall, grid, carousel, and slideshow. The tool also offers advanced content moderation features like GardeAI to automatically weed out content that doesn't align with your brand.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how you can add social media feeds to your university website using Flockler:

1. Sign in to your Flockler account, click on 'Feeds' and choose 'Automated Feeds'.

2. Choose the social media channels you want to aggregate content from. Also, pick the type of content you want to include in your feed.

3. Moderate the posts if needed. Flockler also offers GardeAI, an AI moderation tool, to ensure only relevant and on-brand content appears on your feed.

4. Tweak the wall to match the look and feel of your website. Copy the embed code and embed it on the desired university web page.

Ready to take Flockler for a spin? Start a 14-day free trial today!

FAQs

Why should universities use social media aggregators?

Universities can use social media aggregators like Flockler to embed custom social feeds on different university web pages to cater to the diverse needs of their audience. These feeds make your web pages back up the claims your website copy makes, building trust and authenticity. It also helps boost your website engagement as prospective students and parents spend more time on your website interacting with the social wall.

What are the types of content that universities can aggregate?

The different types of content universities can aggregate include campus life updates, best performers spotlights, fundraiser and merch pages, commencement activities, and international student content.

What are the 3 common use cases of social media aggregators for universities?

The three most common use cases of social media aggregators for universities include:

1. To showcase campus life: Use a social media aggregator to collect and display real-life glimpses of the campus students and faculty share on social media channels like Instagram or Twitter.

2. To spotlight best performers: Create a social media wall to give your best performers in academics, sports and other disciplines the limelight they deserve.

3. To display program/course content: Use a social wall to give prospective students a peek into the day-to-day activities involved when taking a particular program or course.