the main line canal greenway social media project
TRANSCRIPT
“THE GREENWAY PROJECT”
Enhancing student learning with a social media community development project in higher
education
An Academic-Community Partnership
Presenters:
Tulay Girard and Kristina Snyder
Pennsylvania State University-Altoona
Anchorage, AK May 31-June 2, 2014
THE MAIN LINE CANAL GREENWAY: AN ACADEMIC-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PROJECT Describes the Project
Goals of the Main Line Canal Greenway Goals of Social Media Marketing project Background on development
Includes Literature Review Identifies factors that contribute to the success of social media efforts
Identifies factors that contribute to the economic development of towns
Implementation Process and output Future outlook
GREENWAYS ARE…
Urban, suburban, and rural areas that frame natural, cultural
and scenic features and landscapes tracing old railways,
canals, ridge tops, or stream corridors on both public and
private land.
PITTSBURGH-TO-HARRISBURG MAIN LINE
CANAL GREENWAY™
connects land and water trails following the path of the
historic Main Line Canal.
OBJECTIVES OF THE
MAIN LINE CANAL GREENWAY
Develop continuity and synergy among Greenway clusters
Maximize human and financial resources
Stimulate marketing and promotion
Assist in regional planning
Allow for a single point of contact for municipal officials and funding sources
Educate public
Act as a forum to raise the visibility of projects and the work of the cluster groups.
SOCIAL MEDIA
PROJECT MISSION:
REVITALIZING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF
TOWNS BY CONNECTING THE COMMUNITIES WITH
COMMON INTERESTS IN THE MLC GREENWAY
THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA.
Higher Education
GOALS OF THE GREENWAY
SOCIAL MEDIA PROJECT
Inform public and build awareness
• On-line Marketing
Connect people with interest groups
• Social Media Platforms
Become an informational hub
• Web-site
BACKGROUND OF THE GREENWAY
SOCIAL MEDIA PROJECT
Started with initial meetings with ARCorp
Internships to build a marketing plan and literature review
Intermediate Social Media Marketing course
Sponsor visits to classes
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS OF
REVITALIZATION EFFORTS
Clear Vision
Community Support
Strong ‘Brand’
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS OF
REVITALIZATION EFFORTS
Funding
Assess Needs
Community Leaders
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS OF
REVITALIZATION EFFORTS
Utilize Local Media
“Main Street”
Information
FAILURES IN REVITALIZATION EFFORTS
Lack of Local Leadership
No “Main Streets” to Serve Tourists
Outdated Web-Sites and Social Media
FAILURES IN REVITALIZATION EFFORTS
Not Partnering with Local
Businesses
Lack of Amenities
Lack of Support from Community
SUCCESSFUL
SOCIAL MEDIA TACTICS
Videos &
Pictures
Encourage
Sharing
Events &
Schedule
s
Share
LinksArticles
Contests
&
Specials
MapsEducational
Information
Promote &
Partner with
Retailers
SUCCESSFUL
SOCIAL MEDIA TACTICS
Promote Partners and Similar Organizations
Ask Questions to Encourage Discussions
Encourage Creative ways to Preserve Heritage
Ask for Feedback
Connect with Bloggers to gain Mentions
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PLAN
DEVELOPMENT
Established:
Mission, Objectives and Goals
Successful Revitalization Efforts
Successful Social Media Tactics
Analyzed the Target Market
SWOT Analysis
Analyzed Tools and Platforms
Established Metrics and KPI’s
Developed Strategies
IMPLEMENTATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA
MARKETING PLAN
Rebuild the web site in WordPress
Framework
Images
Content
Traffic
Add a blog
Refresh and update the content
Create social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Meetup)
Optimize traffic and search-ability
OLD WEB-SITE
Outdated
Static
Not User Friendly
NEW WEB SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
NEW INTERACTIVE WORDPRESS SITE
Aesthetically Pleasing
Interactive
Responsive
OPPORTUNITIES CREATED FOR
STUDENTS
Real-time project for SMM Course
Social Media Marketing plans in fall 2013
Implementation in spring 2014
Collaboration (ARCorp, Web designer, Internship
Coordinator)
Conference papers (Mackenzie & Kristina)
Internship (Brittany)
Market Research Project (Kristina & Brittany)
THANK YOU
Acknowledgements:
Mackenzie Sternberg
Brittany Gill
Thomas Shaffer
Kyle Dammann