6. Be interesting and be yourself. No-one wants to follow a boring, corporate-sounding account. Use your own tone voice and be your genuine self. Have an opinion! But take note – establishing a presence on social media (not just LinkedIn, but other platforms like Twitter and Instagram) takes time – time to find the right people to follow; time to build up a following; time to find your voice; time to see the benefits. That’s why putting it off for too long is not a good idea. To wrap up, my message is simple. Business Schools – and Business School leaders – need to realise that social media is not just a distraction or waste of time; it’s not ‘something your kids do’. It’s an extremely powerful business tool. Leaders – get up to speed. Curriculum designers – get up to speed. It’s not rocket science!
Getting started: practical approaches to social media As for Business School leaders and teachers – how should they get started? The checklist below outlines some of the practical approaches that leaders can take: 1. Define your goals. What do you want to get out of social media? 2. Understand your community. Who do you need to talk to and engage with? Potential students? Potential staff members? Alumni? Donors? All of these? 3. Follow and listen. Find relevant people (peers, professors, business topic experts) and see how they use social media. Learn from the good ones (and from those doing it not so well). 4. Start talking. Begin slowly, by sharing ‘safe’ material to start with (a college press release perhaps). 5. Gauge the response. See what resonates with people. As you become more confident, you’ll start to find your own, unique voice.
DAMIAN CORBET is a social media strategist, consultant and writer with more than 20 years’ experience in public relations and communications. He founded The Social C-Suite to help senior leaders get the most from social media and thrive in the social age. He is also the author of The Social CEO (Bloomsbury).
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Ambition | BE IN BRILLIANT COMPANY
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