ACUHO-I News Blog

At first, beer pong and Twitter may seem to be unrelated. But in this story, they get intertwined.

A student affairs pro was in Target, doing what we all do there–probably buying more than he planned– when he noticed a back-to-college display. Of beer pong supplies. Red Solo cups, ping-pong balls, and the table. All that was missing was the beer.  Disgusted, he took a picture, and posted it on Facebook. It was discussed, re-posted, and Tweeted by a colleague of his, Cindy Kane. She called Target out, using their Twitter username, and directed them to a blog post she wrote about it:

She got no response from Target.

Another student affairs pro, Eric Stoller, gave it a try:

No response.

Then Shel Israel, author of Twitterville, a book about business on Twitter, offered to assist Target (hint: REPLY), and Eric Stoller re-tweeted this.

Silence.

This post is how worlds collide; Target, beer pong, social media, and public relations, all coming together for this teachable moment.

As Israel puts it on his blog:

“Social media, it seems to me, is not an app. Nor is it a channel, or an outreach program. It is a communications tool set. The tools are not what is vital to the emerging modern enterprise. The communications is.”

Twitter is about communicating, and that word implies a back-and-forth exchange. Many companies seem to view social media as a way of broadcasting their message, but forget that it’s also a way to interact with consumers. Interaction takes more work but it’s a critical part of the process, and the impressions this makes on consumers can be huge. Obviously, there’s only so much Target can manage over Twitter, but as Kane put it:

“The Target corporation has 29,213 followers so I am quite sure they have a long column of @ Mentions. However, 65 mentions on the same topic should probably be worth noticing, even if over the weekend. This is a great example of why any organization should be monitoring their online brand. One response to my tweet at some point today may have helped to quell some of the dissatisfaction.”

If, as a company, you open a line of communication–such as Twitter–then neglect to respond to comments directed your way, the resulting annoyance is worse than if the Twitter option hadn’t been offered at all.

What communications options do you have for your students to “talk” with you, and how do you monitor these accounts to ensure prompt responses? Are there communications methods you haven’t adopted (or have abandoned) because you felt you couldn’t maintain a “presence”? Let us know.

Ever challenged with a new project – creating and implementing a style guide, recruiting new professional staff, or launching a branding campaign – and knew you remembered hearing about another institution that did something similar?

The ACUHO-I Marketing and Communications Committee recognizes the need for resources to be your fingertips. Fellow professionals and their experiences are invaluable resources. The ACUHO-I Online Resource Library will provide just that; a showcase of successful communication strategies among its members. Our hope is to share examples of the following types of publications: view books, brochures, on-line promotions, media advertisements, direct marketing collateral and much more. Each example, whether a design or campaign, can be labeled under specific topic areas such as staff recruitment, room selection, branding documents, job descriptions, and marketing campaigns.

Everyone has an experience to bring to the table. We need you to provide examples of your publications, campaigns, media strategies and more. If you have examples (and we know you do!) that you think would be helpful to your fellow professionals, please submit to the online library. The submission form can be found here. Please submit your submission form and electronic publication sample to mccresource@gmail.com. If you are submitting multiple publications, please submit separate e-mails for each piece and/or campaign. The deadline to submit material is March 1, 2010.

We look forward to reviewing your submissions and appreciate your time in providing details of your work and/or campaigns.