Australian unis falling behind social media curve

Australian higher education institutions are falling behind the global curve in terms of using social media to engage with students, new research shows.

A study by social media management platform Hootsuite found that only 30% of Australian institutions are engaging a social audience each week.

While globally all of the top universities publish social content up to five times a day, Australian universities are only managing to do so once per day. And 40% of non-university higher education institutions have not published social content for over two months.

Likewise, while eight of the top 10 global institutions contribute to regular public conversations with students over social platforms, only three in 10 Australian institutions are doing so.

“Digital has changed the campus experience for students, and universities need to be able to meet their new expectations. Social media plays a crucial role in uniting the campus, improving student experience and moving the offline campus online,” Hootsuite director of growth and marketing Roger Graham said.

“Most Australian universities have started to engage with students on social, but now is the time to take social to the next level and help institutions revolutionise the student learning experience.”

Hootsuite recommends that Australian educational institutions seeking to build their social media profile take steps including setting cross-departmental standards for social media use. Social media should be used to share campus-wide news, events and culture, and can be utilised to engage with prospective as well as existing students.

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Evgenij Mymrin