- April 7th: Mark Rothbaum, VarsityOutreach.com

April 7th Twitterview with Mark Rothbaum
  Co-Founder, Varsity Outreach

Here’s the transcript of the whole interview:

image  eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach #eduweb Hi Mark! how are you today? Looking forward to today’s twitterview? 

image  VarsityOutreach: Excited to be here chatting with you #eduweb

image eduwebconf: #eduweb Mark, why don’t you share with us how you got into HE n then a little bit about @VarsityOutreach

image VarsityOutreach: I spent several years working at the intersection of technology and admissions while running CollegeToolkit.com

image VarsityOutreach: As part of CT, we were one of the 1st orgs to build a college-related app on Facebook. That led to the creation of Varsity Outreach #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: I’ve spent a lot of time learning the ins and outs of Facebook, not just apps, but understanding groups, pages, and profiles #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Varsity Outreach helps schools build communities on Facebook for prospects and admits. We work w/ colleges and grad schools #eduweb

image eduwebconf: you’re a great resource then, since Facebook seems to be almost the #1 app to use @VarsityOutreach #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Thank you. We’ve learned a lot building our Community Platform, talking to schools, and watching how our Apps are used by students #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @Varsity Outreach do u or ur staff have a background working in HE, to understand the inside point of view of admissions? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: We don’t get as many ?s as we used to about FB vs. MySpace or the potential demise of FB for the next big thing…. #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: We don’t have any direct experience in admissions, but we worked w/ several schools when building our platform… #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: It was an iterative process. We put up straw men for admission offices to respond to and then made changes based on this feedback #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach what do u see as the biggest challenge now in HE using social media? does it depend on the size of the school? #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach ... or staff? budget? administration understanding the importance of it? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Great question @rockingm I think location is going to be a big deal going forward. I don’t know who the ultimate winner will be… #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: ...but definitely some cool potential apps. In admissions, I could see location-aware campus tours being an attention grabber #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Facebook is going to be introducing location into the platform shortly #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Resources are always a limiting factor. You can’t chase after every shiny new toy… #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: ... but FB offers a unique opportunity to reach so many students in one place #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: I think this is where having a strategy comes into play. It’s important to be realistic about what you can dedicate to FB #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach from your experience so far with HE, what % of schools r using FB to their best advantage? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Where else can you potentially reach 2/3 of college-bound HS students? That’s a big opp to completely ignore #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach Would you say that every institution should use FB? admissions, alumni, athletics? key departments? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Also, the more you define your goals up front, the more you can focus your efforts #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: I think it’s important for these groups to have some presence on FB so they are part of the conversation #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: How a school achieves this may vary. Maybe it’s a single school page (if you’re a smaller school w/ limited resources) #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach can u mention a school that is doing an excellent job using FB in Admissions? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Or maybe you have groups for incoming classes, Pages for schools w/in a college and for sports teams #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: I think Texas A&M does a particularly good job of tapping into the excitement of their fans. #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: They’re fans are rabid about sports and about the school, and they give them good content to engage them #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: I think you want to think about providing content that serves as a springboard to conversation #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: I also really love the Picture of the Day that Ohio State does on their Page. They get lots of likes and comments on these #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach great ideas about the groups for different classes and pages for schools, etc. How could a school use FB to ...#eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: These schools do a good job of being catalysts… getting the conversation started. Giving people something to respond to #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach…engage those rabid sports fans, not only w/FB, but integrated with other mktg channels? Did Duke, Butler do it? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: That’s a great point. I think an opportunity that schools are missing is to tie offline and online #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Think about things you can do to get people you meet in person to become fans. and how to get fans to have-real world interactions. #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Maybe it’s taking pictures on a campus tour and then telling these students you’ll be posting them in your FB App or on your Page #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: With one of our schools, students are actually setting up in-person get-togethers through the Discussion Boards in NYC and DC #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach integrated marketing, if at all possible, should be practiced; don’t forget traditional mktg channels…#eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach ... online mktg isn’t the only thing to do to engage ur audience; people still want “normal” communication #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Right, FB is unlikely to completely replace other forms of marketing. But it can be a powerful tool nonetheless #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: It can also help you better leverage resources… Maybe you can’t make it out to some part of the country… #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach all great ideas! tying in pictures, even videos, from live events, to your FB presence, all elements of branding #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: ... you could use a tool like Savor Chat to facilitate a group chat among prospects w/ FB accounts from that area #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach ... would that be using the new FB location feature? for the Savor Chat? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Especially when you think about budget cuts that many schools have faced or are facing… #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: ...FB may be a more cost-effective tool for reaching students than a series of postcards or viewbooks #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: One thing I do want to say. Doing social media and social networking right is not free… it costs time and effort #eduweb

imageVarsityOutreach: Savor Chat allows you to host group chats among FB users. It’s a 3rd party application that anyone can use #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach Explain what is not “free”? Would you dedicate a new hire, even PT, for this role? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Again, this is going to come down to the school. I think it’s a good idea to have a point person who, at the very least,... #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: ... can coordinate efforts and is aware of all the different tactics you are using to reach your audience, avoiding duplicate effort #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: To do well on FB, you need to dedicate time to fostering a community, to building relationships, to creating conversation #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: You can NOT take a “If we build it, they will come” approach #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: FB fosters conversation. If you don’t respond to your audience, the conversation is likely to die #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach Glad you mentioned “building relationships”, because that’s what’s it truly about, no matter what mktg method…#eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach…you’re using, from prosp students 2 donors 2 prosp staff/faculty, the HE inst. is/needs 2 build relationships…#eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: I remember when I was deciding between colleges, it was the people I met at Penn that made the difference for me #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach What was it about the people at Penn that really shaped your thinking? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: I felt like I could relate to them. I could see myself at the school, interacting w/ these people in the classroom and outside of it #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: FB helps students have some of these interactions. Sure, in-person mtgs are always better, but not always possible #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach how can schools measure their success with FB? are there online apps to help? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Well, w/ our App, we build metrics into it. U can see who’s using the app, who visited on a given day. All this data is exportable #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: You might try & measure responses to calls-to-action, using Google Analytics code into your links to see how many ppl clicked #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: It’s not easy, but you could copy the names of your Fans / Gp Members and compare to your applications / deposited students #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VaristyOutreach cool! that is important today, beyond the website metrics that HE tracks. #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach just a couple more ?s for you before we end it today #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Determining whether your Fans / Gp Members actually end up applying or enrolling in your school. Again, this can be a lot of work #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach where do u find the person/staff in HE who takes care of the social media? Mktg? IT? PR? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: You might try seeing how events promoted on a FB Page perform relative to events not promoted on the Page to determine impact #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: The more you understand the goals of your FB presence, the easier it will be to pick metrics… #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: ... they may not be perfect, but they can give you some data to work from #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: There’s no single person at most schools. As of now, there tends 2 B a person in each dept/office that is the “social media expert” #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: It really varies from school to school who is in charge. For admissions, sometimes they’re in admissions, sometimes in mktg or IT #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach can u discuss the challenge of dealing with environment where they have less control? n how does an intrapreneur…#eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach…challenge that environment but still be successful in launching a school’s online presence? #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: If you can solve a problem or address a pain point, then people will recognize that. We believe our FB App gives schools… #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: ... more control over their FB presence & better access to metrics, while giving prospects the ability to build relationships #eduweb


image eduwebconf: @VaristyOutreach Well, Mark, we’re toward the end of our time; thank you 4 taking the time today 2 do a twitterview with us #eduweb

VarsityOutreach: For schools with a less coordinated effort, the biggest challenge is finding the person in charge, whose life you can make better #eduweb


image eduwebconf: @VarsityOutreach We’ll see you in July at the conference in Chicago and look forward to seeing n hearing more about FB! #eduweb

image VarsityOutreach: Thx. It’s been my pleasure. Hopefully, my 0.02 were useful for some folks. Any “listeners” should feel free to contact me #eduweb

image eduwebconf: @VaristyOutreach thanks again! see you in the Windy City! This twitterview transcript will be posted at eduwebconference.com soon. #eduweb