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One of the most valuable resources for colleges and universities today is the former students that share an affinity for their alma mater. Alumni can do many things for a school, including word of mouth marketing and, of course, fundraising. In order to keep former graduates involved and connected to your school, you must find a way to engage them. Social media is a powerful and easy way to do just that. Let’s look at some examples.

Provide them with career resources.

Social networks like LinkedIn are excellent resources for job searching, and your alumni are probably already using the popular platform. Why not create a group for the alumni association where members can engage and network with their former classmates, share job opportunities and leverage their connections to further their careers?

Bridge the gap between the past and the present.

Alumni love to share their knowledge and expertise, and who better to receive that information than the students who are currently enrolled in your university? Social media is certainly a great tool to help former classmates stay in contact, but it’s also a great way to connect previous graduates with current students so they can collaborate and learn from one another.

Encourage alumni-generated content.

Your school’s former graduates have likely gone on to do great things and excel in their chosen careers. Why not tap into this rich knowledge base by asking your alumni to craft and contribute their own content? Whether it’s an informative blog post, a well-written white paper or a complex research study they’d like to share, this type of arrangement benefits everyone involved. The school gets to showcase its star former students, alumni receive exposure and the entire audience can enjoy the valuable content provided.

Promote alumni networks.

Within the alumni community, there may be many sub-divisions that have formed their own groups and individual networks. Get the word out about these groups by leveraging your school’s social channels, like Facebook and Twitter. The increased exposure will help grow these smaller networks and, as a result, will help strengthen the bond between the alumni members and their former school.

Consider developing a private social network.

Some alumni prefer to keep their information and networking activities a little more private than what most of the existing social media platforms allow for. That’s why many colleges and universities are opting to invest in developing their own private social networks where alumni can feel secure connecting and collaborating with one another.

Of course, these are just a handful of ideas to help you boost the engagement with alumni via social networking. Ready to get started? The best place to begin is with a quality content management system that features social media marketing tools that are built right in. From there, you can begin building out and growing a strong and dedicated alumni network. Simply complete the form below to request a free demo today.

TAGGED: Tags: alumni, engagement, social media