com510 case study
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Friends, Fans, and Followers: A Case Study of Marquette Universitys Use of Social Media to Engage With Key Stakeholders
http://cssc.uscannenberg.org/cases/v2/v2art2/
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To cite this article
Stageman, A., & Berg, K. (2013). Friends, fans, and followers: A case study of Marquette Universitys use of social
media to engage with key stakeholders. Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2, 3-34. Available online:
http://cssc.uscannenberg.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/v2art2.pdf
Friends, Fans, and Followers:
A Case Study of Marquette Universitys Use
of Social Media to Engage with Key Stakeholders
Amanda Stageman
Kati Berg
Marquette University
Abstract
This case study examines social media as a relevant marketing strategy for one
higher education institution. As an innovator of social media strategy for colleges and
universities, Marquette University is showcased because of the schools early
adoption of a social media strategy and its commitment to connecting with key
stakeholders through social media websites. Marquette is one of few universities that
continuously engages in conversations with its followers via social media, active in
10 different social media platforms through which the university engages with
various stakeholders. In this case study, social media use among academic
institutions is reviewed to provide background. Strategy, tactics, and measurement
approaches are explored through one-on-one interviews with members of the Office
of Marketing and Communication at Marquette University. The case study concludes
with an analysis of how social media efforts may directly contribute to building the
Marquette University brand. The insights derived from this case study are useful in
helping communication and marketing professionals in higher education better
understand and apply social media practices to build relationships with key
stakeholders.
Keywords: higher education; social media; managing relationships; dialogue; engagement
Overview
Beginning in 2007 academic institutions started to build a presence on
social media sites as a strategy to connect with current students and to
reach prospective students. For example, Reuben (2008) argues that
Twitter can be used for awareness and branding, promoting your
Volume 2
2013
www.csscjournal.org
ISSN 2167-1974
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
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content, fast feedback, finding new audiences, and marketing all areas
marketers in higher education should have great interest in (p. 5).
Swartzfager (2007) and Wilburn (2008) have suggested additional uses
for Twitter, such as in emergency situations, such as school shootings, or
using it in place of a live chat service for recruitment.
In November 2007, Facebook created the fan pages concept, which
allows users to become a fan of any type of organization or cause, and
many universities jumped at the opportunity to create an official
Facebook presence for their university (Reuben, 2008, p. 3). Participation
in two-way dialogue is one of the distinct features that differentiate social
media sites from more traditional media. Reuben (2008) argues that social
media can assist in clearing up misconceptions and promote unsolicited,
genuine positive feedback, which is invaluable to prospective students and
marketers alike, allowing for more trust than traditional advertising
would provide (p. 8).
A university is a particularly interesting context in which to examine how
social media is used, because, unlike other industries, institutions of
higher education have unique and diverse segmented audiences, including
prospective students, current students, and alumni, and the generational
differences, styles, and needs of each group tend to be very different.
Why a Focus on Marquette University?
Marquette University is among a few academic institutions that have been
recognized for their integration of social media into overall marketing and
communication strategy and innovative use of social media to fully
cultivate impact with key stakeholders (Ward, 2010; Luckerson, 2012;
PRNews, 2012). Not only is Marquette much more active than most
universities using social media (Ward, 2010), it was also an early adopter
in the social media landscape (PRNews, 2012). According to a July 2009
report by the marketing firm Blue Fuego, Marquette ranked 10th in the
nation among mid-sized universities for its number of Facebook fans
(Ward, 2010). Tim Cigelske, Director of Social Media at Marquette
University, notes that social media can be a challenge for universities
because they tend not to be the most nimble enterprises, and university
administration can be distrustful or fearful of new technologies (personal
communication, April 3, 2012). However, Marquette embraced social
Stageman & Berg Friends, Fans, and Followers
Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2 | 2013 5
media as early as October 2008 and uses integrated social media
networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare, Flickr,
Tumblr, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram to connect with students,
faculty, and alumni.
In 2011, Klout, a social media monitoring service, ranked @MarquetteU as
one of the top 10 most influential university Twitter accounts in the
country. Additionally, Forbes.com recognized Marquette University as the
most active Twitter user among colleges and universities, with more than
10,000 tweets, leading all Big East schools in number of Twitter followers,
with more than 12,000 followers (Marquette University in the News,
2011, para. 4). Furthermore, BlueFuego, in its study of more than 2,000
higher education Twitter accounts, characterized Marquettes Twitter
account as very conversational (Type 5), and one of a handful of
accounts that fall in the top 10 percent of the U.S. higher education
institutions for the number of followers, number of accounts followed,
number of updates, and number of mentions (Ward, 2010). Its obvious
that staff members are actively monitoring the account and sharing a wide
range of information through updates, including links, photos, and videos
(Ward, 2010, para. 12).
The following case study outlines how the marketing and communication
team at Marquette University incorporated a social media strategy that
complements the current traditional communication efforts and branding
strategy for the university and strengthens relationships with key
stakeholders.
About Marquette University
Named after Rev. Jacques Marquette, S.J., a French missionary explorer,
Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit institution located in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. There are approximately 8,400 undergraduate and 3,600
graduate and professional students enrolled with nearly all states and 68
countries represented. Marquette University offers undergraduate
students approximately 116 majors, 65 minors, and pre-professional
programs within eight different colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business
Administration, Communication, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences,
Nursing, and Professional Studies. Marquette also offers 50 doctoral,
http://corp.klout.com/blog/2011/09/top-10-most-influential-colleges/
http://corp.klout.com/blog/2011/09/top-10-most-influential-colleges/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceupbin/2011/10/25/colleges-that-do-the-web-well/
http://www.marquette.edu/social/
http://www.marquette.edu/
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Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2 | 2013 6
masters degree, and certificate programs within its graduate school, as
well as a law school and school of dentistry.
Marquette University was founded on Jesuit traditions and the belief in
Cura Personalis, which means care for the entire person.1 The
universitys mission is the search for truth, the discovery and sharing of
knowledge, the fostering of personal and professional excellence, the
promotion of a life of faith, and the development of leadership expressed
in service to others. All this we pursue for the greater glory of God and the
common benefit of the human community (About Marquette: Our
Mission, n.d.). Marquettes tagline, Be The Difference, represents the
universitys goal to help students and the entire Marquette community
become the kinds of leaders who will make important contributions as
men and women for otherswho will Be The Difference in their
communities (About Marquette: Logo and Seal, n.d.). Marquette
University also uses the tagline We Are Marquette, in reference to both
athletics and a strong and close-knit community of students and
educators.
Marquettes Social Media Background
In addition to its traditional marketing channels, such as television
advertising, printed literature, outreach to high schools, and fundraising
events, the university has embraced social media and fully integrated it
into its marketing and communication strategy as a powerful tool for
communicating with the universitys key audiences. Specifically,
Marquette University maintains multiple official Twitter accounts, one
Flickr account, one YouTube channel, a Foursquare page, several official
Facebook pages, a Tumblr site, a LinkedIn account, a Google+ account, a
Pinterest pinboard and two Instagram accounts. These accounts receive a
considerable amount of participation from online audiences, as
observations in April 2012 revealed while gathering the following
numbers.
The main Twitter account, @MarquetteU, has more than 15, 500
followers; the Marquette YouTube channel has received more than
1
Cura Personalis is a Latin phrase that means, Care for the Entire Person, emphasizing
development of the whole person, working towards justice for all, and a commitment to
public service. It is often incorporated into the mission of many Catholic Jesuit schools.
http://twitter.com/#!/MarquetteU
http://www.youtube.com/user/MarquetteU
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693,000 video views and 535 unique subscribers; the Marquette
University Flickr account holds 68 photo sets with more than 115,000
views of campus, special events, alumni and more; it has the 10th-most
popular university Foursquare profile in the country with more than
50,000 check-ins, 15,700 followers, and its own Be the Difference badge;
and more than 20,400 people from more than 25 countries around the
world are fans of Marquette on Facebook, from Malaysia to Ghana to
Australia, and beyond.
It is important to note that these figures only represent official university-
wide accounts and do not include social media sites that are managed by
individual colleges or programs. It is evident that Marquette University is
extending a major effort and commitment to connect with key
stakeholders through social media websites. For comparison, in January
2010, when the use of Twitter among major colleges and universities
started gaining more popularity, Marquette Universitys Twitter following
was comparable to more well known schools, such as Harvard University
and Boston College, who had Twitter followings of 6,807 and 5,989,
respectively. With 5,534 followers, Marquette University was far
outpacing its regional counterparts, such as University of Wisconsin-
Madisons 2,697 followers, Loyola University Chicagos 1,878 followers,
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukees 1,683 followers, and University of
Notre Dames 1,442 followers (personal communication with Tim
Cigelske, October 26, 2012).
Marquette Universitys social media strategy was designed to appeal to
each group of stakeholders, including prospective students, current
students, and alumni. As a result, the university has shaped social media
around the unique needs of each group; for example, a Facebook group
staffed with tour guides for incoming freshman and the Give Marquette
campaign to remind older alumni of their years on campus. Students and
alumni are passionate about their universities and, thus, are more likely to
develop deep relationships with the university that can be cultivated via
social media. Interviews were conducted with key players in Marquettes
Office of Marketing and Communication to gain a better understanding of
the universitys overarching strategy and more knowledge about how the
examples outlined were inspired.
https://foursquare.com/marquetteu
https://foursquare.com/marquetteu
https://www.facebook.com/MarquetteU/
http://www.givemarquette.com/
http://www.givemarquette.com/
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Research
In order to best understand how Marquette University utilizes a social
media strategy to engage with and build relationships with stakeholders,
interviews were conducted with four different professionals who are
responsible for the social media strategy and who have first-hand
knowledge and experience with social media at Marquette University. The
semi-structured interview technique was used, which allows
interviewers to ask a set of basic questions on the interview schedule, but
they are free to ask probing follow-up questions as well, usually to gather
specific details or more complete answers (Frey, Botan, & Kreps, 2000, p.
101). Some of the major advantages of interviews are that they provide
researchers with a depth of knowledge about the respondent, allow for
clarification and follow-ups, and allow the researcher to observe both
verbal and nonverbal behavior of respondents (Frey, Botan, & Kreps,
2000).
The respondents represented relevant departmental positions that have
the most experience with social media at Marquette University, including
the Vice President of Marketing and Communication, the Director of Social
Media, the Director of Interactive Marketing & Digital Strategy, and an
Undergraduate Admissions Counselor. One 45-minute interview was
conducted with each respondent, with the potential for up to 30 minutes
of follow-up via either e-mail or telephone when it was necessary. After
transcriptions were produced of each interview, constant comparative
method was used to determine key themes behind Marquette Universitys
strategic social media plan.
Strategy
According to Tom Pionek, Director of Interactive Marketing & Digital
Strategy, Marquettes social media strategy started with a simple
marketing principle in mind: go to where the audience is. Marquettes
marketing and communication team understood the value of creating
content that the universitys target audiences would find engaging. Pionek
notes:
Our department started to recognize a need for engagement in
social media and it stems primarily from the fact that we knew
our audience was engaged in social media. We decided we needed
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to get engaged and the way to do it right was to have a
communication plan around it. (personal communication, April 9,
2010)
In fact, the marketing and communication team believed that creating
relevant, interesting content for this specific communication channel was
so vital for the success of Marquettes social media brand, that a social
media coordinator for the school was hired in 2008 based on journalism
and storytelling experience, rather than simply having the most up-to-date
technology skills. Tricia Geraghty, Vice President of Marketing and
Communication, explains:
We said from the very beginning, from a strategic perspective,
that the primary skill set we needed in this was not the
technology; it was the person who had storytelling ability and
who knew about content and what would be interesting to people.
We set out to hire somebody who had a reporting or journalism
background or a communications background. We needed them
to be savvy and knowledgeable about how to use new media, but
the trump skill was to be understanding of story and emotion,
connecting people, and building community. (personal
communication, September 16, 2010)
Once the social media coordinator was appointed to the marketing and
communication team, a strategic social media approach was developed.
According to Marquette Universitys strategic social media plan
(Marquette University Office of Marketing and Communication, 2010), the
key target audiences include prospective students, current students,
alumni, and parents. The goals of the strategic social media plan are to
build awareness for the Marquette brand online, to build a sense of
community among target audiences, and to foster word-of-mouth
communication. From a strategic perspective, Marquette seeks to
disseminate information and tell stories via social media outlets, including
Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube, that will engage multiple key
audiences.
According to the Office of Marketing and Communication (Social Media at
Marquette, n.d.), it makes strategic sense for Marquette to be involved
with social media because:
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Good communication practice dictates that we use all methods to
engage our audiences wherever they are.
There are already conversations about Marquette in social media,
and our participation allows us to lead the discussion that defines
our brand.
Social media is an innovative communication channel and allows us
to position the university as an innovator among our peers.
Social media gives us the ability to interact directly with our
audience and connect our audience with each other, which is key to
building engagement.
Social media allows us to drive and harness the power of word of
mouththe buzz factorwhich is perceived as more credible and
authentic than traditional marketing materials.
According to Geraghty, the initial goal of the Universitys social media
strategy was to be an active player in it and build a sense of community,
characterizing more broadly what the Office of Marketing and
Communication is about, with social media as an extension of that
(personal communication, September 16, 2010). However, this broad goal
quickly evolved into a specific, measurable objective: to achieve
interaction with five percent of the audience within a given channel in any
month and to reach 35,000 people on all University accounts. Since the
social media initiatives were very recent and no prior baseline existed, the
social media team created its own baseline and believed the five percent
interaction was a reasonable goal.
Execution
According to Cigelske, the social media efforts that Marquette employs
should always be used as an extension of what the University is already
doing in terms of marketing and communication. Cigelske explains:
One of the most important things to keep in mind with social
media is that it is not something separate from everything else
that you do. While social media acts differentlyits faster than
other forms of communication and it can amplify things and it can
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build a pretty visible communityyou should have the same
goals in social media that you do elsewhere. So basically whatever
else youre doing in different aspects of the business or university,
it should just be reflected in social media. (personal
communication, February 12, 2010)
For example, when Marquette sponsored its annual National Marquette
Day in January, social media tactics, such as a Marquette pride photo
competition on Flickr, were incorporated into an integrated campaign that
used many different branches of promotion. Although social media was
incorporated in the promotion of National Marquette Day, there were also
many traditional tactics, such as costume contests, games, reunions and
prize giveaways around campus. The combination of both online and
traditional promotions helped to create a university event that engaged
alumni and current students, as well as helped prospective students have
interaction with Marquette University. According to Theunissen and Wan
Noordin (2012), Ideally, organizations should foster greater public
interaction using the mass and new media, and have a procedural
approach to dialogue by establishing practices that facilitate the
organization-stakeholder dialogue (p. 10).
Not only does the marketing and communication team seek to create
relevant and interesting content that the target audience could respond to,
they also discussed the importance of creating dialogue. Whether the
target audience is reacting to posted content or reaching out to the school
on their own, allowing the opportunity for open dialogue was another
important issue for the marketing and communication team. Mersham,
Theunissen, and Peart (2009), Henderson and Bowley (2010), and Li
(2010) have all emphasized the importance of fostering dialogue in social
media efforts, as dialogue has become ubiquitous in public relations
writing and scholarship, and even more so in the light of the ever-evolving
Internet and its social media application (Theunissen & Wan Noordin,
2012, p. 5). Mersham et al. (2009) explain, Public relations will be
increasingly about dialogues and conversation rather than traditional one-
way monologues of the past, adapting to the free exchange of opinions
across groups and collectives that previously were merely recipients of
communication messages (p. 10). One specific example of how Marquette
University often creates and fosters dialogue is through viral videos.
Pionek points out:
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Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2 | 2013 12
[The marketing team] occasionally produces content that is
directly for social media, like remixed reactions from social media
into a videowhich I think is just brilliant on extending the
dialogue. You have an event, such as Father Wild retiring, when
the school makes the announcement, we post the video of the
speech. When people react online, [a marketing and
communication team member] takes the reactions and makes a
video, posts [that video], and people react again. Its a great
dialogue. (personal communication, April 9, 2010; see Figure 1)
Additionally, Marquette uses Twitter to foster dialogue and connect
people within the Marquette community. Cigelske explains:
Last summer, people started talking about being excited to get
back on campus or looking forward to coming to Marquette for
the first time. They would send these tweets out saying things
like, I cant wait to be on campus. I started seeing these pop up
over and over again so I started taking screen shots of them. It
was a mixture of current students and new students. I created a
video featuring all of the quotes and called it Welcome to
Marquette. Things like that help to show some sense of
excitement from a big community of people. (personal
communication, February 12, 2010; see Figure 2)
Although social media is often used in combination with other large
integrated campaigns for the University, it should be noted that there are
times when special content is created solely for social media. For example,
specific social media tactics are often posted on various social media
outlets and specialized groups and forums, such as the Class of 2014
Facebook page, in which current Marquette students are able to connect
with and help answer prospective students questions about life at
Marquette. Pionek notes:
In essence, we know that prospective students were going online
as soon as they got their acceptance letter and forming a group
about being the new incoming class at Marquette. I watched that
for two years and inevitably they would end up asking each other
questions that none of them know the answers to. So I pitched the
idea that we should start a group for them, and then we would be
in a brokerage situation where were acting as a bridge between
two people interactingand there is value in doing that.
(personal communication, April 9, 2010)
https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=163604714852
https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=163604714852
Stageman & Berg Friends, Fans, and Followers
Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2 | 2013 13
Fugure 1. Twitter dialogue in response to Father Wilds retirement.
Stageman & Berg Friends, Fans, and Followers
Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2 | 2013 14
Figure 1 (continued). Twitter dialogue in response to Father Wilds
retirement.
Stageman & Berg Friends, Fans, and Followers
Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2 | 2013 15
Figure 2. Welcome to Marquette video featuring tweets from incoming
and returning students excited to start the school year. Click the screen
shot to view the video on YouTube.
In order to help facilitate the student connections, Leah Strong, the
Admissions Counselor who is the primary manager of the Class of 2014
Facebook group, acts as the middleman that connects the current student
to the student that has posted a question or has concerns about
Marquette. One of the contributing factors that help the Marquette Class
of 2014 Facebook group succeed is the strong sense of community that the
groups facilitators try to foster among its members. In addition to sharing
excitement and bonding with other students, this type of open discussion
also allows students, prospective students in particular, the opportunity to
ask questions and hold conversations with individuals at the University in
ways that are not always possible in traditional school visits. (Stageman,
2011).
Evaluation
The marketing and communication team measures effectiveness based on
the level of engagement, or interaction rates, from each post on all social
media accounts. Examples of how the marketing and communication team
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Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2 | 2013 16
measures engagement in posts include sharing, posting, commenting, or
tagging content in each specific social media platform, keeping in mind
how the metrics fit within the bigger context. For example, major campus
events, such as the announcement of a new university president, tend to
increase interaction rates, including likes, comments, follows, mentions,
and retweets, and Marquette regularly exceeds the goal of five percent
interaction. In fact, interaction has been as high as 30 percent during the
height of basketball season.
The university uses Sprout Social to track quantitative metrics. Sprout
Social helps organizations manage their interactions with customers on
social networks. A report of the two weeks leading up to National
Marquette Day (January 29 through February 12, 2012) gives a snapshot
of the quantitative metrics the team uses to analyze and evaluate its social
media platforms (see Figure 3). Although important in terms of numbers,
reliance on quantitative data does pose a limitation. Even though the team
does gather informal feedback, the marketing and communication team
should integrate formal qualitative measures to ensure a more balanced
analysis of its social media activities.
Although the marketing and communication team uses specific goals and
strategies for social media in the strategic planning process, an important
focus for the team is to make sure that all social media efforts fit
seamlessly with any other marketing tactics.
Having a bridge to connect current and prospective students seems to
make a positive impact on students college searching experience.
According to Cigelske:
Weve had more informal feedback from students about social
media. We did something called the Freshman Video Project,
where we gave flip cameras to seven incoming freshman to
document from when they were admitted to when they came to
campus. We then had them share their reflections on video with
us about what worked, what didnt work, what helped them, and
what wasnt so helpful in settling into campus life. They were very
honest. It was a video diary of sorts. Overwhelmingly, what
people said helped [with their transition] the most was Facebook.
It was not just because they were able to quickly get answers to
http://sproutsocial.com/
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Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2 | 2013 17
Figure 3. Social media report from Sprout Social in the two weeks
leading up to National Marquette Day 2012.
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Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2 | 2013 18
Figure 3 (continued). Social media report from Sprout Social in
the two weeks leading up to National Marquette Day 2012.
Stageman & Berg Friends, Fans, and Followers
Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 2 | 2013 19
questions or that they had access to Admissions Counselors, but
more that whatever questions they had and whatever they were
feeling, everyone else was feeling too. (personal communication,
February 12, 2010)
On the University side, professionals from both the Office of Marketing
and Communication and the Undergraduate Admissions Office strive to
fully integrate social media tactics with all of the other promotional
branches used in the universitys marketing strategy. Marketing and
communication team members believe that one of the reasons why
incorporating social media into the universitys marketing mix has been
successful is because the advantages that social media channels offer, such
as the ability to connect communities of people, fit naturally with the
existing Marquette University brand. In order for schools to be able to
successfully use social media to connect with key stakeholders, such as
prospective or incoming students, the characteristics of social media must
first align with what the school is already doing in terms of marketing and
branding. The success of Marquettes social media strategy, measured by
the schools ability to engage with social media users and promote school
pride, has been recognized externally and endorsed by multiple media
outlets for learning to leverage the benefits of social media (Davis, 2012;
Lepi, 2012; Top Colleges, n.d.). As a result, Marquette’s Foursquare
profile has become the 12th most popular among universities with nearly
2,000 “friends,” according to FanPageList.com (Top Colleges, n.d.). It was
also named one of the top five Pinterest accounts in higher education by
edudemic.com (Lepi, 2012) and recognized by the Milwaukee Business
Journal as one of the top 20 social media brands in the area (Davis, 2012).
However, not everything Marquette does is a huge success. For example,
this past spring the marketing and
