Content vs. Conversation

             What better place to learn how to use social media than in a learning environment such as higher ed.  Although I am travelling two different paths currently, that of an IMC professional and that of an Executive MBA recruiter, the paths thus far have been nicely parallel. As I plod through the Audience Insights course, I survey my students to determine their motivations for returning to school and the resources used in selecting a graduate program. As I develop my skills with Direct Marketing, I plan a direct mailing for a ‘Friends refer Friends’ campaign. The same is true while learning social media use from a business perspective. I have experimented with new platforms for student recruitment and retention.

            The following is an important lesson that I am discovering. ‘Content alone does not guarantee success.’ There is much written about the importance of good content and the frequency and consistency of content posting, but there is little emphasis on the actual implementation of the content plan. How do we get an audience engaged naturally in a conversation about the information we are providing? My current informal research is with the EMBA program’s closed LinkedIn Group.  After gaining membership through direct invitations, my next step was to actually provide content for the students to engage through.  About once every couple weeks, I posted something about the program’s success; new rankings, new donation, etc. As you might expect, there were no comments, shares, or anything else. Content seemed to be falling on deaf ears. Just as no one likes the supposed friend who is always bragging about themselves and steering the conversation towards them. I then ran across a statistic that indicated only 1 in 10 posts should be about us or in my case about the EMBA program. Entirely askew, I changed content to be primarily about topics I thought the students would be interested in; negotiations, leadership, ROI, etc. I now began to see a few comments here and there. The most engaging post to date; however, was initiated by a student about a controversial issue. There were real conversations as opposed to polished politically correct posts. Some were short, some long, few cited references, and most revealed emotion.

            I now believe that in addition to consistently posting good content, I need to act as if I am speaking with students face to face. “Perhaps people also liked to hear something that wasn't polished, edited and produced – a raw form of communication.” (Rose, n.d.) I returned a few days ago from a student residency whereby our online students gathered together for experiential learning. I was filled with rich conversations about pregnancies, and weddings being planned as well as job losses, class struggles, and career promotions. We commiserated about deadlines and expectations and laughed so hard, we cried. Yet, as each of us returns to our designated role of student and administrator, the conversation diminishes. Friendships resolve to professional relations. 

            My plight as administrator and marketer is to keep those same ‘conversations’ going. And I’m referring to those face to face conversations with emotion and interest. Those conversations that talk about how the Negotiations class helped them purchase a new car, or how they had 15 of their classroom peers at their wedding because they had become so close over the course of the program. Those conversations that exude excitement over their success in the business plan competition or their personal struggles with juggling work, life, and now school. Those are the rich conversations that will provide the community support needed by an online student. These are the conversations where the EMBA program surrenders a bit of control, but the conversation is more earnest. The student begins to shape the experience with the brand to some degree to fulfill their personal needs. (Schaffer)

 

            We’ve all seen the blogs that end with a question, “What do you think?” Do they compel you to answer or were you compelled by the previous paragraph that you related to in some way. Did the content make you frustrated enough, proud enough, or make you laugh out loud to the point that you wanted to post a common story or share it with a friend?  These are the real conversation starters that engage your audience. “Our world is shaped by the relationships and conversations we have with other people – by the emotions we feel as well as the information we receive.” (Novak, 2010)

What propels you to comment on a post as opposed to just quickly clicking the “Like” button?

References:

Novak, C. (2010, July 27). Why Conversation, not Content, is King. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from Social Media Today: http://socialmediatoday.com/wordspring/152636/why-conversation-not-content-king

Rose, J. (n.d.). Content vs. Conversation. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from Traces: http://www.t-r-a-c-e-s.net/component/content/article/7-openzone/190-content-vs-conversation
 

Schaffer, M. (n.d.). Content vs. Conversation. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from The Buzz by Mike Schaffer: http://thebuzzbymikeschaffer.com/2010/11/15/content-vs-conversation/