C A S E S T U D Y
University of Arkansas–Fort Smith
The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS) is building its reputation as a regional destination for high-quality, affordable education. There’s a lot of momentum on campus and in the community, but they’re on the brink of substantial changes with a new strategic plan. The Strategic Communications team needs support so they can capitalize on opportunities to really reach, expand, and engage target audiences. The small team needs support to manage their online reputation and help internal constituents advocate and advance the brand.
“I’m such a convert to the importance of listening. It’s helped us turn around major crises and track impact. I have job security for myself and my team because we KNOW how much impact we’re having on overall conversation volume and tone. There are so many opportunities to advance not just social but your entire communications strategy when you’re listening well.”
— Rachel Putman, Director of Strategic Communications
How We're Helping UAFS
UAFS is looking to increase their capabilities in listening and analysis, specifically within the framework of their strategic plan. We’re supporting three strategic priorities for UAFS.
Improve brand awareness, perception, and alignment within the context of the strategic plan. The team is understaffed in strategic areas. This leaves them unable to capitalize on opportunities to reach, expand, and engage target audiences; and lacking bandwidth to effectively manage their online reputation, much less help internal constituents advocate for or advance the brand.
Use online conversation data and storytelling to educate campus partners about the importance of communications and brand health and provide leadership with strategically aligned conversations to inform their decision-making. As with many campuses, decentralized social accounts dilute their message and there’s resistance to streamlining. They also realize there’s significant untapped potential aligning other areas on campus with centralized efforts, resources, and strategies.
Extend their team by outsourcing listening to focus time and energy on strategy and campus impact. Adding analysis support helps Rachel double her team—adding four or five professionals who don’t need any training. Colleagues in admissions and athletics don’t do any listening at all so they’ve added an analyst for these areas of collaboration, plus an analyst to run overall reports and a strategist who quantifies their work and provides strategic direction.
UAFS's Progress
The partnership with UAFS focuses on brand health with three goals.
Student Access, Engagement, and Success
To identify and promote ways students are supported financially, academically, and through hands-on learning UAFS included online conversation from Spanish-speaking students and families. This allows them to capture a broader perspective of their online conversation in alignment with their audiences as an emerging HSI, and they’re already seeing an influx of Spanish results following promotion of their Spanish track new student orientation.
Teaching and Learning
UAFS’s team is small, but they work closely with the enrollment team. The partnership feels like they’re doubling their team and gives them time to focus on strategy and opportunities. A recent strategy session on optimizing ambassadors and influencers helped identify opportunities for their student leaders and recruiters to support online engagement and build community with their prospective students online.
Economic Development, Community Engagement, and Industry Partnerships
To support regional industry and grow the regional economy, the team is committed to finding businesses who use the UAFS Center for Economic Development and Small Business and Technology Development Center to upskill their workforce. There have been several recent gifts and investments that support UAFS’s commitment to this priority. One of them had mentions that were 4% of their total earned conversation. As these investments progress, they’re proactively seeking ways to highlight the long-term impacts in their curriculum and programming, such as through current student achievements or faculty research.
Why It's Working
UAFS better understands their strategic impact and more effectively leverages opportunities that differentiate their campus.
- Every month Strategic Communications is armed with ways their work contributed directly to the strategic plan for UAFS as well as a comprehensive look at areas that might be causing them pain. If something is off, the partnership team sets up alerts so UAFS is notified if there’s a vast increase in conversation.
UAFS is improving their brand strategy across campus and building a shared understanding of their brand value.
- Segmenting their data breaks it into more manageable, usable parts. Adding multiple segments for other areas of campus helps the team’s cross-campus collaborations. The team uses the data from specific tabs for admissions, athletics, brand awareness, and others to inform their work with each area.
- The social media audit confirmed the brand dilution and UAFS was able to invite many of the account holders to the learning session to discuss brand equity and alignment and how everyone’s work contributes to the overall voice and representation of the campus. We’re in the process of working with the team and account managers around campus to determine which accounts meet the brand’s strategic goals.