#SnapchatStorytelling

I loved attending a session presented by Yusuf Omar on the effective use of Snapchat at the Mobile Me & You Conference this weekend. 

The conference took place at the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications in Chicago, IL. The conference focuses on mobile-first content in journalism and communications.

Omar is building the world largest’s mobile journalism team at the Hindustan Times, where he empowers over 750 mobile journalists to further the Hindustan Times’ success on small screens.

“Snapchat is becoming the biggest news outlet in the world, and is the fastest social app with more video views than Facebook,” Omar stated.

The future of content will be aggregating thousands of cameras, Omar explained, but Snapchat is already doing it. He also clarified that citizens are the reporters, and Snapchat is curating the content, making them the journalists.

Defining your purpose is crucial, according to Omar. The content on Snapchat must be exclusive and full of personality, giving your audience something that is not offered on other platforms.

He explained that Hindustan Times is utilizing Snapchat to hide the identity of individuals for sensitive stories with topics such as rape and sexual abuse. Victims use the filters from Snapchat to mostly disguise themselves while still giving themselves personality through their eyes and the filters.

He predicts that Snapchat is moving toward using their Discovery platform more, which is a professional segment of the app that delivers polished content from publishers on a daily basis. Making Discovery more open to consumers would allow for new types of content through citizen reporting.

Omar also sees Snapchat excelling at hyper local news, where they can build a story around snaps for a local event. Snapchat is already doing this in some respects, but the opportunity to grow in the area is significant. Snapchat is very secretive about their next moves as a app though, keeping the public mostly in the dark about what’s coming up.

Mobile Conference Recap!

I had the pleasure of attending the Mobile Me & You 2 Conference in Chicago, IL this weekend, learning about the latest innovations in mobile media. Several graduate students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln were able to attend, as UNL was a sponsor of the conference. 

Andy Boyle, of NBC Digital, and Kurt Gessler, Deputy Editor of Digital News at Chicago Tribune, presented at the conference at the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications in Chicago, IL on October 29, 2016. 

Boyle and Gessler presented about how to evaluate your new mobile app or product. “You need to have a plan. What is success? What is failure? How do you define success? Is it traffic? Impact? Money? Ads served? Downloads? Subscriptions?” asked Boyle. He explained that you generally need to know your metric for evaluation first before proceeding. Boyle stated that the ultimate goal for most project-level work, though, has to be impact.  

“Don’t assume you know who the audience is or what type of mobile device they are using,” emphasized Boyle. He gave an example of this when the Chicago Tribune thought they knew their audience didn’t use tablets, only to find out 50% of the app’s use was on tablets.  

Boyle and Gessler also offered more advice to the audience about mobile apps, such as the importance of giving fewer decision options to your audience, and updating your applications and website because the digital space changes so quickly.

They also talked about how crucial it is to offer your craziest ideas first, they don’t need to be grounded in reality. Pitch the ideas and other team members will think how they can build on it. Don’t be afraid to fail due to the risk that management could say “no” to an idea. To avoid rejection, getting buy-in from executives early on can help garner that support in advance.

Boyle closed the presentation with a quote from Bob Woodward on the timely topic of working with management to move ideas forward: “All good work is done in deviance of management.”

Tip of the Day: Layout Layout Layout!

I've had some people ask me about the collages I share on UNMC's Instagram, and how I make them look so clean, without an app's watermark. I use Layout, an app developed within the same family as Instagram! It's FREE, super easy to use, and you can incorporate up to nine photos in a Layout collage. You can move the photos around, flip or mirror them, and add borders (like the collage below), before syncing it with Instagram to share. I would highly recommend it!

Fruit vs. Med Students: A Comparison Story on Different Types of Social Media Managers

I formally began my career in social media by interning at an advertising agency. I worked over 40 hours a week managing the social content for my client, Cuties Clementines. At least eight people were working on the client team at any given point, and most of those individuals worked on social content. My position was a catch-all "Swiss Army Knife" role, serving as a project manager for Cuties' social media content, monitoring Cuties' social platforms, listening to the social conversation, engaging with consumers, shooting photos, writing copy, etc. I loved the variety that every week brought. We were expected to develop original content daily for Cuties' Facebook and Twitter platforms, which usually required a significant amount of time to concept the ideas and design them. Our main target audience was moms, buying healthy foods for their kids. Working in an advertising agency on a national client like Cuties was stressful at times, but it was so much fun. We were moving so quickly, constantly brainstorming new ways to engage moms with the brand, whether it was through recipes and crafts involving Cuties, or Twitter Chats or contests.

Working in higher education social media now at the University of Nebraska Medical Center has been just as enjoyable but significantly different. As the Web Content/Social Media Specialist, I am responsible for the social media strategy, content, and execution for all of UNMC's primary social platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Instead of working on a team of 6-8 people on social media content, I am now primarily working alone, with an intern. Being fully responsible for UNMC's social presence, as well as social listening, monitoring, engagement, paid content, etc. can be a lot to juggle, so it's important be organized, self-motivated, and capable of brainstorming without a team around you. Since I'm no longer producing content based on a product, like clementines, my role as a strategist is different as well. Social media is more of a public relations initiative at UNMC, continually engaging with our community and informing them about the great things happening at UNMC.

How have your experiences in higher education differed from outside academia? What has helped with your transition? Let me know in the comments below!

Tip of the Day: CANVA

Have you heard of Canva? It's this week's Tip of the Day because of how easy it makes your life as a Social Media Manager! Check out all these design templates available to you, and it's all for FREE! So many design templates and various scenarios ready to be tweaked to meet your needs. You can also customize the fonts and colors to match your brand standards. Using Canva is very user-friendly. Don't have the time or skills for Photoshop or InDesign? Have no fear, Canva is here! You can set up an account and use all of the capabilities for free, and purchase stock photography for only $1 per photo! This is truly a lifesaver for those working in social media, when our social media plans call for well-designed graphics so regularly. Check it out! canva.com

#IamUNMC: A Community Hashtag

Incredible work happens everyday at UNMC. But, it can be challenging to replicate the excitement I hear and see daily on campus through social media.

When I became the Web Content/Social Media Specialist and began managing UNMC's social media presence at the beginning of the 2015-2016 academic year, I wondered how I could engage students to be loud and proud on social media about the UNMC experience.

The answer: An on-going community hashtag campaign, #IamUNMC.

Whether students are studying in a lab, working on a group project, or skating on the ice rink, including "#IamUNMC" in their Twitter and Instagram posts has become a great way for students on all of our campuses to let their UNMC pride shine. An on-going community hashtag like this is a great way to curate social content about your school.

College of Dentistry student Olivia Rauschenbach said #IamUNMC is a fun way to connect with students on other UNMC campus. "It's encouraging to relate via day-to-day activities with students who, like you, are pursuing their dreams in the medical field."

The impact is best seen in the volume of #IamUNMC posts. I love checking out the photo stream at unmc.edu/iamunmc where all the posts are displayed, with photos shared from Hawaii to the New York City marathon!

College of Allied Health Professions student Lauren Akahoshi said the photo stream also said the photo stream also provides prospective students with a peek at campus life. It "adds so much more liveliness to the UNMC image. It shows that UNMC is much more than just medicine and school. There are so many other things that happen here on a daily basis."

Using #IamUNMC also gives students a sense of unity, recognizing that they are a part of something greater.

College of Nursing student Lyndsay Thornton said she values that cohesiveness. "I've bounced around many schools obtaining pre-requisite courses, so I've never had the feeling of belonging anywhere. UNMC and this campaign make me feel like I finally belong to something!"

The Do's and Don'ts of Facebook

Facebook can be a complex world to navigate for higher education institutions. Here are some tips I've learned since leading the University of Nebraska Medical Center's social media presence over the last year. What tips do you live by when managing Facebook for your institution? Share in the comments below! 

We are live!

Live video streaming has become a hugely popular piece of social content among organizations in 2016, especially at higher education institutions. The opportunity to share what we are doing with everyone we know right now through video is unprecedented, but was a matter of time when observing the digital landscape. The personable connection that we are able to establish with an audience through this format is incredible. From Q&As to events, the possibilities with live video are endless and so valuable in order to connect to our communities.

When Periscope launched last year, it caused large and small businesses to consider how to integrate live video into their social media strategy. Facebook Live then launched last spring, which has greatly increased the amount of users and uses for live streaming. The circumstances we are live streaming have evolved too, starting from the top, down. This weekend I watched Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg live streaming from his backyard, where he was grilling ribs with friends in anticipation of the Presidential Debate. I expected him to have a distinct purpose for the live stream, some announcement or conversation planned. I was surprised to discover that he didn't have a hidden agenda, he was simply live streaming to showcase the variety of situations users can connect with others through streaming. After introducing his dog and friends, rotating his ribs, and giving shoutouts to commenters around the world, he signed off to eat before the debate. This Live Video garnered over NINE MILLION views. Granted, 82 MILLION people follow Zuckerberg on Facebook, so nine million views on his live video doesn't seem as extreme in perspective. But as Zuckerberg noted, "THIS is what Facebook Live Video is for!" Which caused me to reflect, is it? What is, and what isn't, live streaming for? Does it depend on the live streamer, and the audience? 

I have live streamed several different scenarios at the University of Nebraska Medical Center through Periscope and Facebook Live Video. Periscope worked well at first, especially because it integrates into Twitter so well, but because our community is more prominently on Facebook, Live Video was highly anticipated. Once the feature was launched, Facebook announced that it would give priority to Live Video, an added incentive to use the platform over Periscope and Twitter. Our first Live Video on Facebook was our Match Day ceremony in March, which reached 50K people, with almost 5K views. With less than 120 medical students matching at the ceremony, this live stream was a success as we were able to reach a large amount of people and keep their attention for an average of almost five minutes.

Most of our following Facebook Live Videos has been at events on campus, but there are so many situations where live video could fit into the social strategy for higher education institutions. Today I live streamed at a grand opening ceremony, using the Switcher Studio app for the first time. This app allows you to switch between multiple camera angles on several devices, enhancing the viewing experience without adding large production costs on your part. The user experience is a little confusing, but once you get it up and running, it’s very effective to fully capture an event from various vantage points. All devices must be on the same WiFi network in order to work correctly, and the app has to be purchased beyond the seven-day trial. Instead of the default square frame offered by Facebook, Switcher Studio streams your full frame in landscape model. I would definitely recommend it if you have the time to test it out beforehand! 

How are you effectively incorporating live streamed video into your social media content at your university? What were the results? Tell me in the comments below! 

Socializing Your Campus

At its core, social media is used to help individuals virtually socialize with their community. At UNMC, I wanted to find an efficient way to engage our community, while also encouraging them to socialize amongst themselves. Enter Humans of UNMC. Inspired by the popular blog, Humans of New York, Humans of UNMC seeks to tell the stories of individuals in our community through a single quote and photo. While not a original idea on social media, this concept was original for UNMC, as I strived to focus more on the personal stories that make us all human, moreso than their scientific research or studies. I boost each Humans of UNMC feature on Facebook for $10, giving it the literal boost that it needs to reach much of our audience. The content has performed very well for how easy it is to produce. Each Humans of UNMC feature reaches at least 6,000 people on Facebook, averaging 200 likes each and a dozen comments. 

Asking questions about the person's life, asking them to reflect on their happiest moment, or offer a piece of advice, has really resonated with the UNMC community, as many find the stories shared to be very relatable. This series doesn't identify the individuals by name, so it's up to the community to recognize the individuals themselves. This has caused many people to call the person out by name with words of encouragement or congratulatory remarks. No other social media series at UNMC has caused this much socialization among the community, and I'm excited to continue to listen and share their stories in the future. See more Humans of UNMC features by searching #HumansOfUNMC on Instagram or Facebook. 

How can you integrate a series like Humans of UNMC into your social media plan at your university? How can you easily produce social content like this, that also strongly focuses on the humans of your organization, rather than just the accomplishments of those humans?