Primary Research
For my new idea with Elina, we are making one online platform filled with dozens of helpful resources for students. Our focus will include finance, food security, financial aid, mental health resources, and so much more. Really, this will be a one-stop-shop for students to see what benefits they qualify for. There are so many resources out there for us, but trying to track them down can be incredibly overwhelming.
For our expert interview, I reached out to an Orientation Leader Manager and Social Media Coordinator of the Baruch Advisement Instagram page. Her position falls under the Baruch Department of Undergrad Advisement and Orientation, and she is also a student, so she is very aware of the needs of a Baruch student. Because she leads the Instagram page, which is filled with student resources, I thought it would be a good idea to ask her some questions.
What was your team’s biggest hurdle in trying to attract new students and viewers?
- “The way that we mainly get followers on our page is on the day of orientation, we plug our Instagram. All of the services that we provide on our Instagram page are an extension of orientation information. For students who have questions after orientation, we tell them they can reach out to us through our website, but also our Instagram. We tell them that we are active on Instagram and will answer their DMs. The hard part is getting them to read the content and also getting followers who are already students at Baruch. People are less likely to read wordy posts. They would much rather send a DM and get a live answer instead of going back through the posts. Sometimes, when a student asks a question, we just send them a link to a previous post, which makes it easier for them.
We also stopped making posts with excessive slides in order to increase engagement. Recently, we are making more video posts so that people can go along at their own pace. Also, we keep our posts straight and to the point. We don’t tell students why they should do something, but instead, tell them how to do it.”
How did you attempt to make a comprehensive digital resource center?
- “We believed that social media was the best way to get in contact with students. The reason that we created this was because we realized that students engage with Instagram a lot, so it was best for our department to have a presence on Instagram. It allowed us to get information out there without having students go through many different links. All of the information is in the same place. We are also able to direct students to other departments that are also on Instagram. Social media seems to make everything more interconnected, whereas a website might make things more separate.”
What was the most important change that your team had to implement in order to gain more followers? Was this change difficult to acclimate to?
- “We started the Instagram page a year ago, so the biggest change was just creating it. To get more followers, we implemented our Instagram in our orientation presentation and throughout the day we would tell staff to keep mentioning it. Also, if there were questions that we already had a post on, I would share the post and ask if it answered their question. If they still had more questions, then I would provide a more personal approach. Being able to be live on orientation, I observed what questions were most frequently asked by students. If I sent them a post, and I saw that it was well-received, then I knew to make more posts like that. If it wasn’t received as well, then I knew to avoid them. For example, students loved the videos, so we made more video posts. Also, we got a lot of good feedback on Wellness Wednesdays, where we post quotes from different staff members. At first, we were just so motivated, and our boss let us work on this project ourselves. We wanted to make our department more visible, so we tried all of these different methods to increase communication. We got about 600 followers in our first three months, and we just wanted to make sure that we maintain relevance without becoming a nuisance. We had to create a calendar of when to post information, so although all of the information was relevant, we strategically posted information at times when students would most need it. For example, during registration, we keep our posts very registration-focused. Priority registration begins April 5th, by the way, in case anyone needs to know that.”
Is there anything that you wish you did differently?
- “At first, it was more doing than planning, so I wish we started out the planning a little bit earlier. We ended up posting a lot, and not being strategic about it. Because of this, we had to repost information that students needed at a later time. Other than that, it has gone pretty well.”
What was the most successful project that your team has undertaken?
- “The Instagram page, in general, was the most successful. It was a big hit. We also released a series of newsletters written by our staff. Sometimes we convert the information from the newsletter into posts because some students prefer the social media approach, while others prefer having it in one newsletter. Both projects have received good feedback.”
Make sure to follow their page: @baruch.advisement
The OL manager confirmed a lot of information for me. For example, I knew that students prefer to have everything in one place, versus having to filter through dozens of links. Something I found fascinating was how her team made it a point to collaborate with other Baruch departments that are also on Instagram. This is a great way of conglomerating a large amount of information for a specific audience, even though all of the resources are separate. The expert was very open and willing to answer my questions. Because she is a student herself, she was super engaged and even said that she had fun.
I still believe that this is a good idea to pursue. Students need a free platform that collects various information in one place. As far as I know, there is no single website that hosts a variety of student resources, so I do feel like this is a real problem that needs to be addressed. After my interview, I believe it would be a good idea to maintain a social media presence, as well as maintaining a website. Also, the Baruch advisement page is specific to Baruch resources. For our idea, Elina and I would like to include student resources from many different areas. For example, we want to include free mental health resources, financial resources, information about getting a mortgage, etc.
