Old School Goes New SchoolOne College's Experience Developing a Multi-Dimensional, Collaborative Plan to get the Biggest Bang Out of

its Communication Efforts

Genevieve HowardCollege of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

University of Missouri

First, we ask questions…

Who is our audience?What is our goal and purpose?How will we measure our success?Who will communicate?How will we communicate?

?

Who is our target audience in the alumni community?

• Shared University and College• Different Identities for Different

Departments• Age Range • Comfort Level with Technology

What is our goal and purpose for communicating?

• Increase Support for College (interaction with current students, volunteer time, financial gifts)

• Increase Attendance at Events• Help Alumni with Careers and Other

Needs• Build Reputation of College

How will we measure the success of our program?

• Visibly Increased Support for College (volunteer time, financial gifts)

• Increased Attendance at Events• How to measure career advancement and

reputation?

Who Will Communicate with Alumni?

• University, College or Association• Individual College Staff or Faculty• Current College Students• Other Alums

How Will We Communicate with Alumni?

• Web site• Online Magazine• E-newsletters, E-mails • Social Networking Tools• Twitter• Other (blogs, podcasts, videos)

Web site

Our alumni are interested in:

•Research going on in the College•Stories about students

•Class notes

•Events• Upcoming• Photos from previous

•Stories about other alumni

What works best on a Web site for alumni?New SchoolFriendly Sense of community Photos, VideosInteractive

Old SchoolFormal InstitutionPlain TextOne-way Conversation

Show faces, not buildings

• News, Research, Alumni and Future Students sections of Web site• Faculty and staff e-newsletter• Facebook alumni group and Twitter

Use good stories as many places as possible.

One story will be linked from

Online Magazine Companion E-mail Piece

E-newsletters and E-mailsExample of e-mail sent to alumni showing the students who benefitted from the alumni scholarship fund. E-mail included invitation to an upcoming alumni event.

BlogsWritten by students about study abroad, career services and life on campus.

Social Networking and Online CommunitiesOur Facebook Group

E-mail invitation to join Facebook sent to new graduates

More to explore• LinkedIn

Example of University of Missouri alumni groups in LinkedIn

• Photos: Flickr• Video: Youtube, Vimeo • Twitter

Issues to Consider

• Difficulty of measuring ROI with online communication and social networking

• Realistic expectations for time and labor, long-term maintenance

In ConclusionTalk with your audience. What do they

want?Move toward your goal.Check your progress.Assign people communication roles.Choose appropriate methods of

communication for your college.

Thank you!

Genevieve Howardhowardg@missouri.edu