Social Media can make existing Students, your best recruiters!

The fingers now have more power than any other part of our body, thanks to social media tools. When at a campus or mall, the fingers are constantly on the move using some gadget or gizmo; this is changing the way we communicate.

Today I’m going to discuss how the advent of social media makes existing students your best recruiters. Very simply put: word of mouth, perhaps, beats some of the most sophisticated marketing and advertising tools. This combined with students using social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and various blogs to spread their positive experiences make it the biggest influencer as compared to anything else. Also, in conjunction with the organic growth of followers using a service like Nitreo, this could really make a difference to the reach that an institution or an individual has online and can prove that leveraging platforms like Instagram can make a genuine impact on recruitment statistics.

The following are some quick points on recruiting strategies that involve current students-

• Request and encourage students to share their experiences using the institution’s blog. The chances are good that prospects will come across this blog in their research of the institution.
• Have students place links about the institution or the institution’s Facebook page on their personal Facebook pages. Seeing as there are sites like igdm, that allow people to send direct messages on Instagram on their computers, being able to allow students to reach out to more about the institution may be beneficial. Social media has its advantages. With their vast network of connections, marketing of the institution will go a long ways in terms of reaching prospects
• Have them chat with prospects, so that question & answer sessions with students are facilitated,
• Plan for students to interact with prospects during open house events or campus tours. Allow them to follow-up with these prospects via social networks, so the prospects are reminded of their positive experiences at the institution

As existing students share their rich experiences via social media tools, it builds a very strong first impression in the minds of prospective students. This can be the deciding factor when it is time for prospects to complete applications for admission to various institutions. Best of all, these recruiting efforts will cost the institution very little.

In my upcoming posts, I will outline the connection of your CRM system with different social media tools.