With education funding and endowments at an all time low, competition among colleges to secure attract students in a cost-effective and successful manner is at an all time high.

So how do you connect with you prospective students and keep them engaged? Think promotion and think social media – the two key tools for successful interaction between you and your future student body.

Four Steps for Putting Social Media Marketing to Work for Your College Recruitment:

STEP 1: Build Your Fan Base with Interactive Facebook Promotions:

Turn your college recruiting events into a social media building platform by giving students an Instant Win card good for music downloads, and a chance to win an Amazon Gift card, an iPod, gift certificate to your school store, or other great prizes. To find out what they have won, students must first become a fan on your school’s Facebook page, giving you a direct line to instantly engage and interact with them on an ongoing basis.

You can also build in data capture capabilities that will gather valuable market information that will help you better cater to students in the future, giving you an ever-expanding captive audience that is always just one mouse click away!

To demo our Facebook promotion, join us at RC Strategies Group and click on the “Instant Win” button in the blue navigation bar.

STEP 2: Tap into Viral Marketing Power of Social Media with Refer-a-Friend Promotion:

Once students are in, get them to help further your following with a refer-a-friend promotion that gives both them and their friends a chance to win an exciting prize, like an iPod, laptop or other school-related gift. Instant Win giveaways are a great way to get the attention of the masses, especially when offering something students want, need and use on a daily basis like music, electronics and custom school paraphernalia.

STEP 3: Engage Students, Promote School with Interactive Quizzes/Contests.

Keep prospective students engaged with your school through fun interactive quizzes that test their knowledge about the school’s programs, history and community. These quizzes will give students a short and fun way to interact with the school, keeping them not only abreast, but interested in the programs and activities you have to offer. Draw in the online crowds by offering participation incentives, such as sought-after seats to a school sporting event, tickets to an on-campus play or visiting lecture series, or even a custom branded laptop skin, which will promote campus affiliated events and promote the school brand.

Utilize your potential to get in on the social media revolution by socializing with your students! By keeping your social media involvement interesting, fun and interactive, you will keep your fans engaged and listening — or reading, rather – building long-standing relationships with students and prospectives.

STEP 4: Keep Students Informed with Important Status Updates:

Now that you’ve developed a loyal fan base, maintain that relationship for the future by continuing the conversation. Keep your students and followers connected with frequent status updates via Facebook and Twitter that keep them informed about important dates such as registration deadlines, finals schedules; departmental news such as updated class offerings, faculty profiles and students groups; on campus happenings such as visiting lecturers, events put on by student organizations, school sports scores, and more!

And most importantly, keep it social. There is tremendous power behind social media, but it is only as valuable as it is used. Instead of throwing information at your readers, remember to continue to engage them in a fun and interactive way that helps promote your school and develop ongoing relationships with students. Social media is all about creating relationships. And by utilizing all that social media has to offer, you’ll build relationships that last long past graduation!