POSTED BY Megan-Rose Vince

Looking to unlock people's full potential? Here’s why investing in employee training is certainly something to consider from my perspective, having just completed my apprenticeship with a Distinction.

Hashtags have long been a tool to group content and conversations around specific topics, allowing users to easily discover content that aligns with their interests.

As the academic year unfolds, business schools must navigate the constantly changing social media landscape. It’s essential for these institutions to update their strategies to maximise impact and avoid outdated or ineffective methods. Here’s a look at what business schools should leave behind on social media this year and where they should focus their efforts instead…

Video content has boomed more than ever before, and it’s no surprise! It is an easy-to-digest format that often gives our eyes a break from the overwhelming amount of text we look at all day long.

Social media is central to the way in which young people engage with the world around us. It is essential for your institution to establish, of course, brand awareness and brand loyalty, but one that is of significant importance, is the connection with students. With so many people already active on social media platforms, you need to meet your prospective students, current students, and alumni where they are. An effective social media marketing strategy can be a great recruitment tool, a convenient way to quickly share announcements, an effective way to build a community, and so much more. The possibilities are endless!

While many business schools and universities are excelling with their institutional social media accounts, often the Dean or President focuses on this success, meaning their own individual social media can sometimes be forgotten. Yet, a Dean or a President utilising their social media can be incredibly important for visibility and connection to a wider community.

As an academic at a university or business school, you may spend countless hours researching, analysing data, and writing papers. Is this effort only worthwhile if your work is promoted and distributed to the audience to who it is aimed at? I imagine you’d answer yes to this. Well, social media is an amazing way for academics to publicise their research, the media coverage it gets, and engage with people beyond their institutions and peers.

Did you know YouTube is the second largest search engine next to Google? People upload more than 100 hours of video per minute to YouTube! It’s one of the best ways to communicate to a wide audience, whether you’re promoting programmes or providing information to current students. It is an amazing tool for both your school and your students. How can you use YouTube to promote your university or business school? A short snappy intro video Find your niche Show what you have to offer Be consistent Invest in high quality video Student experience content Keep your comments on Make playlists Embrace your culture Congratulate your students and show off their success!

Hashtags are a feature of social media that can be difficult to understand, use, and keep up with. But, once you get the hang of them, the results are clear to see.

To the Gen Z community, the world of social media and online engagement is part of everyday life and has been for their entire teenage and adult years. It is something that, to a large extent, is their primary form of communicating with each other.

Social media has now become one of the main platforms for people to not only interact with each other, but with brands as well – this includes universities and business schools! However, this comes with increasing pressure for brands to compete with one another. Here are a few ways marketers can successfully use social media, with insights from Meltwater’s State of Social Media 2023 EMEA report. This report shares findings from 750 marketing and communications professionals located in the EMEA region.

The concept of ‘word of mouth’ reviews has changed dramatically now that the internet and social media is an integral part of our lives. Years ago, disgruntled students and applicants would express their dissatisfaction by telling their friends and family. Now, they tell the world via a frustrated tweet, withering LinkedIn comment or damning Google review. The speed at which these comments can be shared means that your institution can suffer reputational damage, even though we know these complaints are usually rare, which is why it is important to manage them with care. So, what can you do? Well, firstly, social media makes it harder to distinguish genuine reviews as some networks like Twitter make it easy for people to set up fake profiles, and the anonymity that people can achieve on the internet makes some more comfortable with losing their sense of decency, respect, and good manners. So what's the best way for universities and business schools to overcome these hurdles when dealing with negative reviews and comments? Don’t try to take the review down Respond to all feedback – positive and negative React promptly Treat the negative review as a lesson to put things right and demonstrate your outstanding service Assemble all of the facts and be fully aware of the details of the complaint before replying Remember to apologise Discuss the problem privately Even the very best institutions get the occasional negative comments and reviews

BlueSky Education has had an incredible year! 2022 was a busy one and we are constantly evolving and growing, with over a 40% increase in clients, and so many other amazing statistics that we’re keen to share with you.

LinkedIn is the place where business gets done online. For your business school, your LinkedIn Page could really be the hub of your institution’s online presence. Of any social media platform, it has the most relevant demographics in terms of users and, being focussed on the world of work and careers, it’s therefore a great platform for schools to engage with target audiences. It’s where you can amplify your brand and culture, carve out thought leadership, stay in touch with alumni, and make meaningful connections with target audiences such as potential students and corporate partners.

Has your institution tried using Instagram Reels?

Is it time for your institution to get on the TikTok bandwagon? TikTok witnessed incredible growth in during the pandemic, as people sign up to the app to join in with challenges, learn dance routines and be entertained in what was a challenging time for us all. So, should your institution get in on the trend and start using TikTok? Here's what you need to know about one of the most popular platforms today.