As a social media specialist at Southern New Hampshire University, the audience that I will focus on to help raise funds for St. Jude’s Research Hospital is University’s alumni. From this population, the fundraising is expected to raise at least $10,000.
Data Analysis
The target group will focus specifically on individuals who are aged 30 and above. That is because most of the alumni group needs to feature people who have already found employment or started their own business. Therefore, they will be stable and able to contribute significantly to the fundraiser. Since the focus is to raise a high amount, the fundraiser will not limit those who are in their 40’s or 50’s.
The target audience will feature individuals who graduated with a minimum of a graduate’s degree (“Southern New Hampshire University,” 2021). They are expected to feature those who spent more than four years in the facility. This group will most likely be more attached to the learning institution, thereby encouraging them to be generous in the fundraiser.
The expected income level of the target audience is at least $80,000 per year. A reason behind this consideration is the fact that the fundraiser needs people who can easily contribute without putting their current financial status in jeopardy. They need to make generous contributions and still be able to meet their daily needs over the following weeks.
With regards to the geographic location of the students, the focus of the fundraiser will be on those who are located closer to the university. The idea is to encourage the alumni students to make an appearance. Therefore, those who are within the New Hampshire region will be invited (“Southern New Hampshire University,” 2021). Also, those who are located in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine will be considered.
The target group is expected to be conversant with social media use (“Southern New Hampshire University,” 2021). Fortunately, most of the graduates are already familiar with various social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, and many others. The graduates are also expected to be frequent users of social media. Hence, they should be active participants in terms of personal accounts or even business accounts. They should be present and aware of what is trending on social media.
The outside interests of the target group is expected to revolve around mentoring students and sports and recreational activities. Their personal values should encourage them to want to improve their community by giving back in terms of finances that are needed for development. In this case, they should be willing to help the St. Jude’s Research Hospital.
Evaluating the Landscape
To ensure that the target audience is reached effectively, the current social media landscape will be evaluated. The efforts made by the university over the past years in relation to social media marketing will be considered. In addition, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities will be analyzed before recommendations are given on how to improve. Without an effective social media landscape, it will be impossible to reach the target group as expected.
SWOT Analysis Findings
After the analysis of the social media landscape, the university has strength since it has already established its social media marketing activities. It is evident that the company values social media, technology, and innovation (McKenzie, 2019). That is why it has evolved significantly over the years from the traditional marketing approaches. The University also recognizes that its students are frequent users of social media. That is why measures have been taken to establish the University account in all the platforms that are common among students (Andreeva & Ishmuhametov, 2020). Thus, it is easy to determine where the students will spend most of their time (“Southern New Hampshire University,” 2021). The major weakness is that the University also hosts students aged over 50 years. For such a population, reaching them through social media may be quite challenging as they are expected to focus more on traditional approaches.
With regards to the opportunities identified in the social media landscape, it is evident that the University has a lot of important resources. For instance, most of its staff have an e-commerce background (McKenzie, 2019). This makes it easier for the marketing team to adapt to either the traditional or digital mediums (“Southern New Hampshire University,” 2021). Lastly, there is a threat in the fact that the University not only competes with other institutions that have an online presence but also with the expectations being set by the students in terms of their web experience.
Current Social Media Strategies and Platforms
Currently, the University’s social media marketing focuses on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn (McKenzie, 2019). Others such as Twitter, Snapchat, and Pinterest are found to play a less prominent role. The institution uses these platforms to attract the right students to enroll (“Southern New Hampshire University,” 2021). Also, it is evident that a majority of the students have an interest in YouTube, which is why more effort is being planned on the site as well.
Target Audience for Specific Platforms
The institution uses Facebook and Instagram to attract both new students as well as encourage current students to consider other classes. LinkedIn is used for current students and graduates to invite them to events and even respond to any queries. It is also used for feedback by the ongoing students. Also, non-students can be invited to a one-day event where they attend lectures and other activities on campus.
Typical Triggers and Connection Strategies
The organization will typically use strategies that influence the alumni to want to contribute to the change of the institution and society as a whole. It will seek to remind them of the challenges they experienced while studying, thereby influencing them to want to improve the conditions for current students. Also, by making the graduates feel important and equipped to help the institution, they will be triggered to take action.
Social Media Strategy Proposal
To guide the social media strategy, two SMART goals will be used. The first goal is to create three posters for use on social media by 15th November. The second is to develop two videos for use on social media before 1st December. The social media platforms that will be used include Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn (McKenzie, 2019). That is because these are the platforms that students from the University prefer to use.
Since the target audience features alumni students who are currently working, the social media posts will be made after every one day. The first post will feature one of the posters, followed by a video. A one-day break will be given since the target audience is not expected to spend too much time on social media. Hence, the frequency is meant to ensure that they all get the message, despite the day they choose to log in to their social media (McKenzie, 2019). The tone and personality of the posts need to be professional. That is because the target audience is expected to feature business-minded individuals who are looking forward to giving back to the institution.
This proposal will address key performance indicators, such as ensuring that there are three posters and two videos for the current strategy. It makes it easier to follow the progress in terms of posters or videos that will have been developed at the end of every milestone. Therefore, it will be easier to determine whether or not more effort is needed to ensure the goals are met.
References
Andreeva, K., & Ishmuhametov, N. (2020). Social Media Marketing Strategy. Vector Economy, (12), 12-12. https://doi.org/10.51691/2500-3666_2020_12_1
McKenzie, L. (2019). Marketing for a Massive Online University. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/10/08/how-marketing-helped-southern-new-hampshire-university-make-it-big-online
Southern New Hampshire University. (2021). About SNHU. Retrieved from https://www.snhu.edu/about-us
