Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Using Social Media in Education: 8 Can’t-Miss Tips

Social media has revolutionized the way we connect and communicate with each other. And not just in our personal lives, either. Teachers and administrators have realized the potential of using social media in education.

These days, the best educators are embracing social media’s role in the classroom. But if you feel overwhelmed by the possibilities, you’re in the right place.

This article touches on the many advantages of using social media in education. Keep reading for our top tips, including lesson ideas you can steal and a list of tools that can make your life a little easier — or just get straight to the tips!

Bonus: Read the step-by-step social media strategy guide with pro tips on how to grow your social media presence.

Advantages of using social media in education

How does social media influence education? The biggest advantage is engagement. And, as any teacher knows, engagement is key to student success.

It’s actually pretty simple. When students get involved in their learning, they learn better.

Social media can:

  • Connect students with resources from experts around the world
  • Facilitate communication and collaboration between classmates
  • Provide a platform for sharing information and ideas

Social media is famously great for capturing attention. If you’ve ever found yourself checking Instagram for the third time in ten minutes, you know this is true. And the expanding social commerce space means the impact of social media will only continue to grow.

But integrating social media can help bring your material to life. And, you’ll often find resources that help to illustrate your lessons.

Take the r/explainlikeimfive subreddit, for example. Users share complex ideas and the Reddit community breaks them down. In the example below, a “full class of 11th graders” got a simplified lesson in biology.

using r/explainlikeimfive to to answer questions is an example of using social media in education

Source: Reddit

Plus, most social networking sites and resources are free! This is especially great if you’re an educator with a tight budget for materials.

It’s not just great for students, either. Social media can help build relationships between teachers and students. And for educators, social media can be a valuable professional development tool.

Inviting, rather than resisting, social media into your classroom can have huge benefits. Use it to promote collaboration, share resources and ideas, and provide real-time feedback.

Here’s an in-depth look at what social media can look like in higher education.

How can social media be used in education?

Social media has endless opportunities for educators. As a tool, it can help students improve digital literacy and critical thinking skills. It can also help promote your class, your institution, and yourself.

Here are eight essential tips for using social media in education:

1. Build your social presence with a strategy

No matter what your role or classroom requires, you’ll need to start with a social strategy. Our social media strategy breakdown is a great place to start.

Any good strategy begins with smart social media marketing goals — just don’t try to cover too many bases at once. Here are a few sample goals to help you get started:

  1. Increase brand awareness
  2. Manage brand reputation
  3. Increase traffic to your website
  4. Improve community engagement
  5. Generate leads
  6. Gain market insights with social listening

An educator trying to land their next role may start by building brand awareness. University social media strategists may want to manage brand reputation or increase traffic.

2. Attract new students with a campaign

Once your strategy is up and running, it’s time to do a little reflection. For example, if you want to increase enrolment, you may want to create a campaign to attract new students.

Consider running a campaign to raise awareness of your program a few weeks before it starts. In your campaign, you could:

  • Use scarcity and urgency techniques (“50% sold out already!”)
  • Offer a discounted rate for early bird sign-ups
  • Tease the benefits students will get from the course

MasterClass did a great job promoting Kris Jenner’s guest appearance by teasing content in different ways, including a standard post…

…and an eye-catching Reel.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by MasterClass (@masterclass)

3. Build a community

If you lead virtual classes or have alumni around the world, an online community is essential.

Communities can take many forms, too. Private Facebook Pages may be great for class discussion. Public hashtags can amplify important content.

If you’re focusing on student engagement, a Facebook Group or Page is a natural fit. Here, folks can discuss the course, post questions and comments, and connect over shared experiences.

If you’re building brand awareness, a catchy hashtag can go a long way. Take Princeton, for example; they’ve included #PrincetonU in their bio on Twitter.

 

Princeton's Twitter account includes their branded hashtag in their bio

Source: Princeton on Twitter

4. Broadcast updates and alerts

Some educational institutions have internal communication software. But they’re often notorious for their clunky technology and slow load times. That’s why it’s often much easier for students to check Twitter.

If you post class updates on social, your students can check in from their own devices at any time. Social media is a great way for clubs and instructors to keep their communities informed.

You can also use social to broadcast to a crowd if you have relevant information for an entire student body or your broader community.

5. Livestream your lectures

Trying to reach a broader audience or just make your content more accessible? Consider livestreaming your lectures via platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.

Online lectures allow students to access content on their own time and at their own pace. Some students may have difficulty attending classes. In those cases, online lectures can be a lifesaver. And students can review your lecture as often as they need to understand the material fully.

Livestreaming your lecture also allows you to reach a wider audience. Students from other institutions or countries can watch and learn. This open access will expand the reach of your expertise.

The Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania is a good example of this. They post lectures from their distinguished speaker series on YouTube. Here, Dr. Josh Greene, a Harvard professor, speaks to Beyond Point-and-Shoot Morality.

If you’re able to moderate the chat, it’s also an easy way to engage students. Introverted students may find it easier to type a question instead of speaking in front of a crowd. Plus, you can add captions to your lecture, making it more accessible.

6. Focus on increasing digital literacy

Social media is a powerhouse. You can use it to find a job, build your skills, connect with potential employers and much more.

But on the flip side, social media doesn’t forget. Once you put something out onto the internet, it can almost always be found again.

That means digital literacy is more important than ever. Students must learn how to be responsible and effective while using these tools.

As an educator, you can help your students develop the skills they’ll need to succeed.

7. Generate UGC

User-generated content (UGC) is any content created by regular people, not brands. Your students are likely already generating content. Why not encourage them to post on the topics you’re teaching? You could incentivize participation with a bump in grades or as bonus work.

FYI: You’ll have better results if you give your students parameters. Don’t just say, “Post about class, and you get one get-out-of-homework free card!” Instead, create a relevant hashtag for them to use. Or, say, for bonus points on an assignment, they can post a photo of themselves working on the assignment.

Bonus: Read the step-by-step social media strategy guide with pro tips on how to grow your social media presence.

Get the free guide right now!

As always, ask permission before you repost their content. If you’re new to UGC, here are some best practices.

8. Create opportunities for active and passive learning

As an educator, you probably use a mix of active and passive learning.

Active learning requires students to actively engage with the lesson. This may be through discussions, challenges, or debates.

Passive learning requires learners to listen to lessons and absorb the information. Then, they must consider or translate the information. In classrooms, this might look like lectures and note-taking.

Social media poses the opportunity for both active and passive learning. For example, you could lecture your students on the dangers of misinformation on Twitter. Then, task them with finding a misinformed tweet and presenting their fact-checking process. Students will learn to examine data and provide evidence supporting their findings.

The combination of active and passive learning allow students to absorb information and then engage with what they’ve learned.

Lesson ideas for social media in education

Finding meaningful ways to use social media in your classroom can be a slog. So, we’ve come up with a few lesson ideas to help you take advantage of social media’s built-in benefits.

Develop discussion and critical thinking skills

Is your lesson goal to promote critical thinking? Then you might have students tweet their responses to weekly discussion prompts.

Twitter’s character count limit will force students to be concise. They’ll have to identify their argument and communicate it without wasting words.

Photo and video essays

Task your students with creating a photo or video essay hosted on a social media platform. Instagram is great for photo essays, while YouTube or TikTok work for video essays.

Video essays differ from popular short-form social media videos. They’re structured, analytical, persuasive, and often longer.

These essays often have a voice-over element and include video, image, or audio footage. The video should make an argument or prove a thesis, much like a traditional essay.

If your students use TikTok to host them, they may have to create a series of shorter videos that work together. For longer content, YouTube is a better fit.

Photo essays present a narrative through images, creating a form of visual storytelling.

If you ask your students to create a photo essay on Instagram, they’ll have an extra challenge. They have to think about how their photo essays will be interpreted in the grid and as they pop up on a user’s feed.

Community-building

Turn community-building into a lesson. Have your students create a strategy to build a community-based Facebook group.

To be successful, they’ll need to figure out a niche or specific problem they can solve for. This forces your students to develop their problem-solving skills.

Collaboration

Have students build their collaborative skills with document-sharing tools like Google Docs. Groups of students can share notes and collaborate during lessons in real time.

Networking and thought-leadership skills

The working world is becoming more globalized and competitive every day. So, it’s essential to teach students to develop networking and thought-leadership skills.

By creating a LinkedIn profile and connecting with other professionals, students can:

  • Learn how to build and nurture relationships
  • Identify potential mentors
  • Develop a personal brand

Use LinkedIn to show thought-leadership in action. Your students can share resources, request feedback, and post relevant articles and videos.

As students become more comfortable using LinkedIn, they can start exploring. Encourage them to follow other thought leaders and join conversations.

A tool to help you use social media in education

Hootsuite can help make life a little easier. And with Hootsuite’s Student Program, qualified educators even get a deal!

Educators and administrators, here are four features that deserve your attention.

Scheduling capabilities

Scheduling all of your social posts in advance can help you save major time. If you’ve got a lot on your plate — as most educators do — this can be a huge help.

Hootsuite Planner’s calendar view makes it easy to see each post you’ve scheduled across every platform. You can filter posts by account, drag and drop upcoming posts to new times or days, or easily duplicate recurring content — all from one simple dashboard.

Social listening

Hootsuite’s social listening tools help you analyze millions of online, real-time conversations. You can use Streams to track topics that are relevant to your lessons or set alerts for your institution’s name. You’ll see what people are thinking and feeling, and you can use that data to influence your practices.

Analytics

If you’re serious about using social, you’ll want to make time to review your work and make adjustments based on your findings. Hootsuite’s Analytics can help you dig deep into the numbers and show you what’s working and what’s not with your social strategy.

Instagram analytics overview in the Hootsuite dashboard

But analytics can also be a valuable teaching tool.

Understanding data analytics is a huge advantage, especially in our tech-forward age. Learning how to translate insight into action is a huge win. Students who understand how to interpret data are more employable, period.

Access to online courses

Want to take your social marketing to the next level? Hootsuite Academy offers on-demand video training to help you build your skills and engage with your audience. If you’re planning to teach with social media, these courses are a must-have.

Using social media in education has never been easier. With Hootsuite, you can manage all of your social profiles, schedule and publish posts, engage your followers, monitor relevant conversations, analyze results, manage your ads, and much more — all from one simple dashboard. Try it free today.

Get Started

Do it better with Hootsuite, the all-in-one social media toolkit. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.

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The post Using Social Media in Education: 8 Can’t-Miss Tips appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.



* This article was originally published here

Thursday, September 1, 2022

7 Twitter Marketing Features To Increase Brand Awareness In 2022

7 Twitter Marketing Features To Increase Brand Awareness In 2022

Twitter is the favorite virtual place for people who want to take part in public conversations, connecting those interested in the same topics.

Any marketer would be thrilled to learn that their brand is part of some Twitter discussions. When people talk about your business, your brand awareness grows.

Using Twitter features for marketing could help you squeeze every advantage out of this social media platform to empower your business.

Here is a list of Twitter marketing features bound to boost your brand’s performance.

Are you ready? Hop on this ride with us!


7 Twitter marketing features to use in 2022


Top Twitter features for marketing

  1. Twitter Communities
  2. Twitter Spaces
  3. Twitter Moments
  4. Twitter Super Follows
  5. Twitter Blue
  6. TweetDeck
  7. Twitter Analytics

Top Twitter features for marketing


Twitter studies have shown that “just a 10% rise in conversation has led up to a 3% increase in sales volume”. Since it was proved that conversations on Twitter help businesses bloom, you should make the best out of all Twitter native tools.

Here are 7 Twitter marketing features you should use in 2022:

  • Twitter Communities
  • Twitter Spaces
  • Twitter Moments
  • Super Follows
  • Twitter Blue
  • TweetDeck
  • Twitter Analytics

1. Twitter Communities

  • What is Twitter Communities?


If you have always imagined a space where you can talk about your favorite matters with people online, Twitter made it real.

Twitter Communities is a feature available on Twitter on which you can establish strong connections with people who talk about the same topics as you do.

Sharing thoughts on a certain subject and discovering people who get you for you is extremely satisfying.

When you know that some conversations are not meant to reach everyone on Twitter, you can only Tweet your Community. By joining a group on Communities, you develop a small new world around a common topic.

And what unites more people than having the same interests?

  • How to use Twitter Communities for your brand?


Twitter Communities works by having a moderator per community. This Twitter user chooses the focus and establishes the Community rules. Then they invite people who have shown interest on Twitter in the same topic.

Communities are places where the theme and tone is established by the members of a community.

7 Twitter Marketing Features To Increase Brand Awareness In 2022

You can use this Twitter marketing feature to create different Communities focused on topics for your followers depending on their interests. This is how you can keep them engaged with your business’ content while also increasing brand recognition.

To join a Community, you need to have a public account.

When starting to use this Twitter feature, choose your audience by tapping or clicking on Everyone (this will be sent to your followers) or the specific Community (if you are a member of more than one Community, you will see a list of the ones you belong to under My Communities.

If a member of the Community breaks one of the rules established by the moderator, then the user may leave the Community or even the moderator can remove them.

That is why it is important to also pay attention to Twitter Rules.

Building a Community can help prospective clients and existing customers to connect more with your brand’s philosophy.

By feeling closer to the ones who have developed the business, users’ interest in your brand will increase.

2. Twitter Spaces

  • What is Twitter Spaces?


If you feel like writing Tweets all day has lost its human touch, you can now use audio on Twitter.

Twitter Spaces is a feature that encourages users to develop live conversations. The best part is that anyone can join Twitter Spaces as long as they have a Twitter iOS or Android account.

However, to build a Twitter Space you need to have at least 600 followers in order to create audio chat rooms.

A Twitter Space can have up to 13 people, where one of them is the host and there can also be two co-hosts.

The creator of the Space is the host who establishes the rules and themes of conversation. The two co-hosts are the ones with which the moderator talks to, and there are 11 listeners who attend the live talk.

  • How to use Twitter Spaces for your brand?


Do live audio conversations ring any bell?

That’s right!

You can easily hold webinars and even podcasts by using this Twitter marketing feature.

7 Twitter Marketing Features To Increase Brand Awareness In 2022

Anyone can listen to a Twitter Space, even if they are not listed as a guest. Spaces are available for all users.

To start a Space on Twitter, you can go to the Compose button from the Home menu and long press it. Then tap the Spaces icon displayed on the far left.

You can invite listeners by DMing them the link to your Space or simply Tweeting it.

When the Space starts, the host can send requests to listeners and establish who the speakers are. You need to tap the people icon and add the co-hosts or speakers.

Allow microphone access (speaking ability) to speakers by turning Allow mic access on. Once you start, let the conversation flow, following your chosen topic to accustom your followers’ needs.

7 Twitter Marketing Features To Increase Brand Awareness In 2022

During your webinar, your followers (listeners) can learn more about the human part of your brand, your services and products, and their utility.

The great part about this Twitter marketing feature is that you can record and also schedule a Space. This way, you make sure you reach a lot more Twitter users.

You can use this in-build audio chat room on Twitter to solve customer problems, do Q&A sessions with your clients, and offer product demos.


More and more people use Twitter Spaces to get inspired in real-time and take advantage of the cultural discussions that appear around a big event.

  • Who can see your Spaces listening activity?


Twitter Spaces are public, just like Tweets. Therefore, anyone can see your Spaces, and your presence and activity are also public.

If you want to manage who can see your Spaces listening activity, here is what you should do:

First, go to your left navigation menu, click the more … icon and go to Settings and privacy. Under Settings, go to Privacy and safety. Then check Your Twitter activity, go to Spaces.

There you can choose who you allow to see your Spaces listening activity, by toggling the on and off button.

  • What is clipping?


Clipping is a Twitter feature that allows moderators, co-hosts, and listeners to clip 30-second recordings from recorded Spaces.

The advantage of this tool is that you can easily Tweet that recording to all those interested in the same topic. In case they want to listen to the whole talk, you can offer them the link.

However, you should know that the host of the Spaces can deactivate the clipping function. Currently, creating a clip is available only on iOS and Android.

3. Twitter Moments

  • What is Twitter Moments?


Have you ever tried to tell a story but realized that a Tweet is not enough? We all know that no great story is that short.

Twitter Moments was especially designed for all those users who have more to say.

A Twitter marketing feature called Twitter Moments is here to encourage you to let your imagination run free.

You can create a Twitter Moment by developing a series of Tweet conversations on the same subject.

7 Twitter Marketing Features To Increase Brand Awareness In 2022

Moreover, you can build together with your followers a story made up of several Tweets and comments that support the same powerful message.

  • How to use Twitter Moments for your brand?


When deciding to create a Twitter Moment, you need to make sure you have a great topic in mind that will determine users to engage.

Develop a Moment in which you tell your brand story, but make it emotional to draw people’s attention.

Or maybe you have a great customer story you want to share with your audience. Choose your subject appropriately and let inspiration guide you through.

However, a Twitter Moment that has a focus, funny insertions, and a direction will certainly win over users’ hearts.

Make sure you follow the Twitter guidelines when using this feature.

To create a Twitter Moment, you have to go to the “...” button on your navigation bar and tap on Moments. Then click the Create button to start developing a new Moment.

Choose a title for your Twitter Moment and add a brief description to suit your topic. The next step is to import Tweets that match your subject.

You can choose how to import Tweets from the following types of Tweets:

  • Tweets I've liked: All Tweets that you've liked.
  • Tweets by Account: Use the search bar to search for Tweets to include from a Twitter account.
  • Tweet Search: Use the search bar to search for a specific Tweet by using a hashtag.

Then select a Tweet by clicking Add. Then you can set a Cover image for your Moments by clicking the camera icon. You can also add a photo from a Tweet URL that is not included in the Moment.

Click the Add button from Tweet URL and paste the URL of the Tweet that includes the photo you want to add.

When you are ready to go live with your Twitter Moment, click the Publish button and you are all set.

Don’t forget to Tweet your Moment at the end to make sure it reaches as many followers as possible.

You can use Twitter Moments to let your audience know about the latest company news or an event recap to highlight the success it registered.

4. Twitter Super Follows

  • What is Twitter Super Follows?


There is a saying we want to believe is useful: Keep your followers close, and your Super Follows closer.

The new Twitter feature allows you to create a Super Follows database in which you can include all those loyal followers that never missed a Tweet.

Through this Twitter marketing feature, you can offer your biggest fans bonus Tweets created especially for them.

The social media platform developed this feature in September 2021.

Due to Super Follows, you can easily select your biggest fans and offer them Super Follows subscriptions for $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 per month.

This way, your brand will benefit from the Super Follow subscriptions of your audience, gaining more money based on the content it produces.

  • How to use Twitter Super Follows for your brand?


If you are wondering how Super Follows work, here is what you need to learn.

People on Twitter can pay Twitter to Super Follow your account. The Super Follows will receive access to exclusive content for a monthly fee.

When users from your Super Followers list reply to you, you will see their Super Follow badge, and it will be easier for you to connect with them.

To become an eligible Super Follower, you need to be at least 18 years old, have at least 10,000 followers, and have tweeted at least 25 times in the last 30 days.

This Twitter marketing feature can really help your business thrive since you will have the chance to be closer to those followers who proved their fidelity.

The Super Follows feature can help you increase brand awareness since more and more people will be able to learn more about your business due to the extra infos they can get.

It’s a win-win situation since you can make money as you provide exclusive content for your Super Followers.

Use this Twitter feature for exclusive announcements, subscriber-only conversations, early previews, and unfiltered thoughts.

5. Twitter Blue

  • What is Twitter Blue?


Before the existence of Super Follows, the first ever Twitter subscription was Twitter Blue. Twitter Blue is a feature that adds complementary data to the Twitter experience.

Among the available new characteristics with Twitter Blue, you will get:

-Bookmark Folders - This feature helps you to better organize your saved content

-Undo Tweet - It is helpful in case you have a writing error or typo

-Reader Mode - This is great for a better reading experience when you want to keep up with longer threads.

-Discover new Labs - Here, you can see more 10-minutes videos

-Customize your theme and Twitter icon - You have more theme options.-Top Articles list - This can help you be up to date when it comes to the latest news in your area of interest.

  • How to use Twitter Blue for your brand?


To use Twitter Blue, you have to first navigate to the Profile menu on your app, select Twitter Blue and then select the blue button Subscribe for $/mo. The monthly fee is $4.99.

The last thing is to follow the in-app purchase instructions for iOS and Android, and you are all set. Now you are a Twitter Blue Member!

This Twitter subscription allows you to customize your Twitter experience. This way, your brand will have access to features that other brands know nothing about.

Being better organized with Bookmark Folders, it will be easier for you to categorize your content, favorite Tweets, and more.

Moreover, you can pin customer DMs to better manage your discussions with clients. Also, the Top Articles list helps you be informed at all times, finding out first about the latest updates and products in your industry.

6. TweetDeck

  • What is TweetDeck?


If OCD is your middle name, then this Twitter feature will be exactly what you are looking for. Being well-organized is the new black.

TweetDeck also offers users the possibility to develop Tweet collections and schedule Tweets.

This is a free Twitter management feature that saves you a lot of time and provides you with dashboards.

By using TweetDeck you can also effectively collaborate with your marketing team.

7 Twitter Marketing Features To Increase Brand Awareness In 2022

TweetDeck allows users to have a unique experience by looking at more timelines at the same time in a single interface.

This Twitter marketing feature includes several other features, like managing several Twitter accounts at the same time.

  • How to use TweetDeck for your brand?


To learn how to use TweetDeck, you need to access http://tweetdeck.twitter.com and log in with your Twitter account.

After logging in, you can connect more Twitter accounts to your TweetDeck account and watch their timelines simultaneously on the same screen.

Using this Twitter feature will help your marketing team become more productive and better organized.

You can develop a dashboard with all your scheduled posts, while you can also split your content into categories.

Your marketing strategy will benefit a lot from a feature that backs up a great business plan.

With just a few clicks, you will have everything in order, and this will save you from all the stress and trouble of losing important data.

7. Twitter Analytics


Twitter native analytics provides data about your brand's progress on Twitter, delivering data like engagement, views and impressions.

7 Twitter Marketing Features To Increase Brand Awareness In 2022

All these social media metrics can help you develop a better marketing strategy to pave your road to success.

The Twitter analytics in-built tool is free and offers marketers the opportunity to evaluate their work on a specific time period.

By monitoring your Twitter KPI, you will get insights bound to help you develop content that suits your audience’ needs.

In case you need to oversee more metrics, you should know that they are not all provided by the native app.

That is why you should consider checking a third-party analytics tool, like Socialinsider, to complete your Twitter performance report.

Final thought


Over the years, Twitter has implemented numerous features that felt like a first-aid kit for marketers.

Twitter offers users the chance to experience features that can elevate marketers' business strategy.

All the above Twitter characteristics and apps allow marketing teams to better organize, keep in touch with their clients and become more creative with their new campaigns.

Having a wide variety of marketing features to support all your efforts can clearly encourage you to move forward with confidence.

Hopefully, our list of Twitter marketing features is helpful and you may consider that you’ve unlocked a new world full of possibilities.

Related articles:

  1. Social Media Analytics - A Complete Guide
  2. 10 Strategies That Will Help You Increase Your Social Media Engagement
  3. How to Create Social Media Monthly Reports for Your Clients (+Free Templates)
  4. [What Data Says] Social Media Reach Statistics And Insights


* This article was originally published here

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