Badger Blogger

A Proposal to Get Student Writing for Students

Prepared for: Bob Stewart Prepared by: Ryan Schweppe Date: 2 April 2014

Table Of Contents

Introduction pg. 2 Blogging pg. 2 Student Authors pg. 3 Content Production pg. 4 Content pg. 5 Choosing Content and Methods of Delivery pg. 5 Tracking and Measurement pg. 6 Conclusion pg. 7 Appendix A pg. 8 Appendix B pg. 9 Appendix C pg. 11 Appendix D pg. 14

2 In the digital world we live in today, technology changes rapidly, and with it, so do the ways in which we can communicate in our private and professional lives. For professionals like those in college admissions offices, recognizing and adapting to utilize these new trends in communication in the most effective manner is essential to success. The Spring Hill College Admissions Office currently endeavors to attract prospective student to the school through various routes of communication on the Web. Some of these are the school website, departmental websites, email campaigns and social media. In addition however, there is now the opportunity in content marketing to supplement the current online prospective student attraction tactics with a student written blog. A blog, specifically a student written blog, can generate meaningful conversations that resonate with their prospective student audiences by appealing to their tendency to exercise ingroup bias and abide by the self-categorization theory. Creating and consistently adding to a student blog can establish a vast library of rich content that is diverse in its topics. With this content library, the Spring Hill College Admissions Office will be able attract new students through the delivery of content that is specific and appealing to their defined target persona or profile within the larger audience of prospective students. In addition, by incorporating blog writing into the classroom, students and teachers will be exposed to the writing platform and style that can potentially aid the development of critical thinking and writing skills.

Blogging
A web log or, blog is, in essence, a web-based journal oriented in reverse chronological order that allows people to post their thoughts quickly and easily in an informal, conversational style. These posts are viewable in an HTML browser and can contain text, images, media objects, and data. Blog posts are generally short being made up of around three paragraphs while incorporating inbound and outbound links. In addition to boosting search engine optimization rankings, these links can be used to support claims or give examples of that which is mentioned in any given blog post. The growing blogosphere, a term coined by William Quick describing the intellectual cyberspace that bloggers occupy, has been infiltrated and utilized by many marketing professionals to communicate with a highly targeted and specialized audience. In fact, an infographic supplied by socialmediatoday.com and located in appendix A indicates that 37 percent of marketers believe blogs are the most important type of content marketing. With blog content marketing, you are no longer simply communicating a message to a broad audience as in traditional media. Instead, you are working to capture the minds and hearts of the target audience building their trust and loyalty to the brand. Consider the data published by TMG Custom Media saying that 90 percent of consumers find custom content useful and 78 percent of consumers believe the organization behind the content marketing is interested in building a good relationship. The idea is to provide real value to prospects by anticipating their needs, giving them a reason to interact with you and

3 fostering their loyalty to your brand. The development of loyalty and devotion to a brand is also nurtured by the informal style of writing that allows the author to broadcast some of their personality and open themselves up to a personal connection with the audience.

Student Authors
One component of the Spring Hill College prospective student attraction efforts that could be expanded on and utilized further is communication of the student perspective. More important than simply communicating the student perspective however, is the communication of the student perspective by students themselves. The main reason student authors are essential to the blogs potential value in prospective student attraction has to do with ingroup bias and the self-categorization theory. Ingroup bias is simply the tendency for people to favor their own groups while the selfcategorization theory takes it further saying that individuals are typically more persuaded by messages from their ingroup from their outgroup, especially when the definition of the group at hand is relevant to the attitude issue. To apply directly, prospective students finding useful and satisfying the student written content implies the author and reader share ingroups which are relevant to the attitude issue being prospective students college research and decision process concerning Spring Hill. By including short author biographies featured next to a picture of the author on each post, the identity of the author will be clearly communicated allowing viewers to quickly and easily recognize who is talking to them, immediately making conscious the shared ingroup of the author and reader and increasing chances of persuasion. Ingroup bias and self-categorization theory apply here because current students have a larger chance of possessing characteristics that are mirrored by prospective students, which would then trigger the salience of ingroup interactions, therefore enhancing probabilities of persuasion. These characteristics that could be shared by current and prospective students, effectively joining them into groups, are things such as age demographics, type of high school attended, status of career or program choices, or the types of organizations one participates in. This is opposed to members of faculty or other professionals at Spring Hill College whose ages are spread farther apart, who are a professional instead of a student, and whose experiences in school and other organizations are separated from prospective and current students by a time gap that decreases relevancy. Therefore, information communicated can accurately be expected to be more positively received and resonate in the minds of prospective students more effectively if the communicator shares their characteristics than if the communicator did not share groups with the audience. This positive perception of information received from those of shared groups will also increase the chance of communication receptors, in this case prospective students, to perceive the positioning of the school in a more positive light. Spring Hill Colleges positioning is made up the benefits of the school, as the consumer perceives them. It

4 follows then that if communication to prospective students triggers an ingroup bias, they will receive the information in a more trusting and open way and therefore, the communication will elevate the positioning of Spring Hill College in the minds of prospective students.

Content Production
Essential to the consistent creation and delivery of targeted blog posts is the production and implementation of a content creation plan. All creation and delivery of content for the Spring Hill College student blog will be handled by the students with students producing the content and then later publishing it on the Web. Content creation will be prompted by blog writing assignments incorporated into writing intensive courses across all majors as well as in Communication Arts writing classes such as Media Writing and Strategic Writing. Included in these assignment prompts will need to be information providing some simple strategies in blog writing and search engine optimization (SEO) to give students the best chance to produce a blog that is purposeful and effective in all aspects. Additionally, in order for the student blog to stay effective it must remain current and relevant requiring new posts to be published six to twelve times per month. Content resulting from writing intensive courses outside of the Communication Arts department will concentrate on aspects of the corresponding area of study. This would mean that students in a writing intensive Pre-Med class would create a blog post discussing some aspect of that major, like is seen in appendix B with the blog post titled How to Succeed as a Pre-Med Student. By having blog post assignments concentrating on the area of study in which the assignment was given, content on all of Spring Hill Colleges various majors is produced. Conversely, content created through assignments in Communication Arts writing classes will be prompted to involve components of campus life which students are a part of that fall outside of the Communication Arts major. This will ensure that topics not involving class or studies that instead involve aspects of campus life such as Greek organizations, sports teams, clubs, intramurals, etc. are covered in the student blog. However, it should be noted that it would take time to develop content in all of these areas. Once the content is created, the assigning teacher will evaluate the post for accuracy. When accuracy in content is achieved, the blog posts will be directed to the Spring Hill College Admissions Office to be evaluated in terms of their potential value in prospective student attraction. An Admissions Office work-study employee or intern can conduct the first round of evaluation. After this first round of evaluation has taken place, the remaining blog posts can be passed to the Spring Hill College Web Content Manager for a final evaluation of the contents value in prospective student attraction. With specific blog posts chosen, the input of the content on to the web can then be completed by a work-study employee or intern quickly and easily.

Content
The types of content making up each student written blog need to align with the strategies making up concentrated marketing segmentations segments of one. As each blog post is specialized and written to concentrate on one single component of life at Spring Hill College, they each can be categorized to target single, specific target segments. An example of a concentrated segment of one as it relates to Spring Hill Colleges student attraction is a prospective student who is tentative to attend a small school for fear of missing out on the social opportunities perceived to only be offered by large schools. With the segment identified, we can then decide what information would be targeting that specific segment best and deliver content accordingly. If this were the case, the blog post featured in appendix C, The Badgers: Spring Hills Saving Grace in which a current senior speaks about his reservations in attending a small school which, to his surprise, evolved into a deep appreciation for his social experiences over the course of his career at Spring Hill College. By producing blog posts that collectively can communicate the many aspects of attending Spring Hill College, all niche, or concentrated segments of one can be properly addressed with appropriate and targeted content. These targeted topics will allow Spring Hill College to stand out among other schools in prospective students email inboxes, something that has proven more difficult in the recent past as prospective students have begun to create email accounts devoted solely to the college search.

Choosing Content and Methods of Delivery

Blog posts that are chosen to become a part of the Spring Hill College student blog will be those that accurately discuss or promote positive aspects of the Spring Hill College experience, possess components that persuade prospective students to experience Spring Hill College, and follow best practices of search engine optimization. This type of content aimed at positively persuading prospective students while being optimized for search engines needs to be published on the front end of the student blog website in order for SEO ratings to be optimized. With a high rating in the search engines, the possibility of a student blog being found by a search engine query and directing visitors to the Spring Hill College blog website is increased. In addition, blog posts chosen to be published will also be sent out through social media blasts much like that of the current Spring Hill College news stories. When published, these posts or their links can be sent out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to give them further reach than would be achieved by simply publishing a blog post on the blog website. The reach of the blog posts through social media blasts can also be maximized through hash tags used to categorize blog posts with similar subject matter and associate the blog content with relevant events that are also broadcasted on Spring Hills social media platforms.

There may be blog posts containing content that could be perceived as negative toward the college while still communicating some positives. This type of post should not be disregarded simply because of its negative communication. There are cases where there are some negative ideas communicated by the author that are later negated by the overall message of the post like the blog post located in appendix C. Though the author communicates some negative stereotypes of the city of Mobile and of small schools in general, he later expresses how mistaken he was and shows his deep appreciation for his experience. Blog posts of this sort may not be fit to publish on the front end of the blog website, but the post may still have some value in contributing to prospective student attraction. In cases like this, the decision to refrain from publishing the post and instead to keep the post on the back end of the blog website may be made. While these posts will not be visible on the website, this will still allow members of the Admissions Office, especially Admissions Counselors, to retrieve and send out posts through an individual email in the case that they have identified a niche segment of one that the blog post could succeed in attracting. This is ultra-targeted content marketing and it can be most effective in attracting students. It is the delivery of single, targeted blog posts to individual prospective students by admissions counselors that will best justify the creation and sustainment of the Spring Hill College student blog and be the most effective strategy in prospective student attraction. The ability of admissions counselors to identify who their concentrated segments of one are and relay the appropriate and targeted information to them will allow the student blog to flourish in its contribution to student attraction.

Tracking and Measurement

Tracking will be essential to the upkeep of the student blog because it will allow content managers to see what kinds of post topics are getting the most traction and where individual views of each post were referred from; whether it be from search engines, one of the utilized social media platforms, or an email campaign. This information can be acquired by assigning unique tracking URLs for each method of distribution, for each blog post. These tracking URLs provide data on how many views and clicks a post receives and with unique URLs for each communication platform, content managers are able to differentiate the data of each and compare them. In addition to tracking the views of each blog post, by including links to Spring Hill Colleges website and various social media accounts administrators will be able to get an idea of the overall traction the student blog is stimulating as a whole by looking at the interactions that were referred from the blog posts. For this to be accurate however, unique tracking URLs must be assigned to each of the social media accounts and the school website and these same tracking URLs must be used in every blog post.

Conclusion
In order to increase prospective student attraction to Spring Hill College, a student blog is being proposed. This is a venture that the Spring Hill College Admissions office has yet to fully initiate and a perspective (that of a current student) that can be utilized more for its potential in persuasion as indicated by the self-categorization theory and ingroup bias. With the incorporation of blogging assignments into Communication Arts writing classes and writing intensive courses across all majors, the Spring Hill College student blog can be established and sustained as blog posts are regularly produced by authors with different perspectives and topics. Furthermore, with students writing and posting the blogs, little responsibility falls on professors and Admissions Office employees. Overall, a student written blog will produce targeted and custom content that can be integrated to work cohesively with the Admissions Offices current efforts and increase student attraction to Spring Hill College.

Appendix A

Retrieved from: http://socialmediatoday.com/mikevelocity/1698201/blogging-stats-2013infographic

Appendix B

How To Succeed As A Pre-Med Student

Study with someone - With so many terms and concepts to memorize, it is crucial you study with a partner to have quiz and answer sessions. I know there are some who trust themselves and would rather study alone; I used to be one of those people. Im telling you, its really not worth it nor will it serve you better than having a study partner. Plan a time to power down nearly every day Personally, Im a fan of the short, half hour nap every afternoon. It makes me feel much more energized and helps me retain information better. For those of you who dont care for a Badger Snooze, I still encourage you to slow down and give yourself a break at some point in every day; it makes all the difference for your brain. Do NOT pull all-nighters - Not only are all-nighters absolutely miserable, they are simply not good for the studying mind. Without at least three hours of sleep, I cant remember a thing I studied the night before. Even if you procrastinated in preparing for an exam, youre better off only studying a portion of the material and then getting a few hours of sleep, at least you will remember that much for the test. Use the study room at the back of Yancey Hall Its always quiet, there are always fellow pre-med majors, and the biology professors are just a few steps away for questions.

10 Balance your study time and your partying time - Obviously studying hard is vital to success, but fun is required as well in order to be well rounded and stay happy. Trust me, no one can go through pre-med without relaxing and letting loose sometimes. Exercise daily - Whether its intramural sports, jogging, yoga, or lifting weights, you need a time to relieve stress and exercise is an extremely healthy way to do so. Ive also found that exercising regularly gives me more energy and helps my brain function. Even after an exhausting workout, I am soon refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day. Worry about yourself - Everyone studies and learns differently, so dont base the amount of time needed to be well prepared on what other people are doing. Delayed gratification - Although its tough, its completely doable and hard work always pays off once the ultimate goal is reached.

Written By: Nick Link Nick is a Premedical student who will attend Louisville Medical School in Fall of 2014. At Spring Hill, Nick has been Captain of the Soccer team and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

11 Appendix C

The Badgers: Spring Hills Saving Grace

Receiving a decent sized scholarship to Spring Hill College, the school that had once rested at the bottom of my list of perspective colleges, instantly became the only school on my list. Coming from an all guy Jesuit school of 1,600 students, the small Spring Hill College of 1,300 students seemed to be, in all regards, a downgrade. But now, as the end of my final semester at Spring Hill approaches, I am able to see how wrong young Nick was in doubting Spring Hill. In the beginning, I hated the idea that I would be going to Spring Hill for college, but that has all changed. As my four-year career at St. Xavier HS was quickly nearing its end, an end in which I would be going to Spring Hill while everyone else, so it seemed, would be going to some awesome state school of 25,000+ students. As dooms day neared, I began to reflect, recalling all of the good times I had in high school, all of the epic stories I would forever tell. Through my reflection, I realized that the memories I was recalling would be the only things from High School that I would remember 20 years from now. These memories were not memories of getting an A in Chemistry, or acing my Calculus test. Although, it is important to do well in school, grades should not be the only thing that matters. These memories that I will forever hold were of the good times I had with my friends; the friends that I would be leaving when I was to walk across the stage in my cap and gown. Friends. They are what really matter, not the classes, the papers, or the exams. You have to relearn half the material in college anyway! Graduation came and went, and summer passed all too quickly. I was not a Bomber anymore; I was now a Badger Not the most intimidating mascot I had ever heard of. I dreaded the day I moved from the up-and-coming city of

12 Cincinnati to become a resident of a city that I only knew for its Leprechaun and those who claim its existence; I was now a resident of Mobile, AL. Trying to make the best of the situation, I made a group of friends within the first couple of weeks of school. I liked them at first, but I slowly realized that this group was not a group that I wanted to be a part of for the next four years, so I separated myself from them near the end of my first semester. I wanted to transfer that winter break, but I decided to give Spring Hill another chance. The next semester I struggled to find a new group of close friends. But as time passed, I began to hang out with some of the guys that lived in my hall. We became closer friends as the semester progressed, and decided to live together for our sophomore year in a poda residence hall that has four rooms on either side of a shared common area. There were 13 of us signed up to live together in the pod. At the time, I was excited, but I still did not think that I was getting the most out of my college experience while at Spring Hill. However, I wanted to give pod living a chance, so I decided to stay one last semester. This was the best decision I think that I have ever made. Pod living was awesome. It was everything I had hoped for, and then some. The 13 of us became best friends, and we did everything together. In our time living in the pod, many memories were made; memories that outshine my most cherished from high school. When people say that college is one of the best times of your life, they arent lying. The 13 of us were students by day, and ragers by night; we were no longer seen as individuals, but as a collective group known by most around campus as Pod 112. Organizing and hosting some of the most innovative parties Spring Hill has seen in years, we quickly appeared on the radar of the RAs and Residence Life Staff, but that did not stop us, it only strengthened the bond of our friendship. Unfortunately, summer came much too fast that year, forcing us to move out of the pod. The 13 of us can all agree, that the year Pod 112 was birthed will be a year none of us will ever forget. Despite the fact that we all were never to live under the same roof again in our time at Spring Hill, Pod 112 lives on today. Although there still exists a pod that bares the numbers 1-1-2, the name Pod 112 no longer refers to one of Spring Hills living areas. Pod 112 defines an indestructible entity that is comprised of 13 parts, bonded together by a friendship so strong, that to this day it remains whole. I am certain that if I had attended any school that is not Spring Hill, a group like Pod 112 would not have been possible. As a Badger, you get to know everyone you go to school with; you will never walk into any building on campus and not know anybody; you are able to eat lunch and dinner everyday with your close friends; you are able to really get to know your friends, and possibly form your own Pod 112. As a Badger, a social life is possible for anyone, whether you are a dweeb or a jock; there is no party you will be turned down from. No other school, is any of this possible.

13

Being a Badger means something at Spring Hill. We do not have a football team, or a big city bar scene, or even a prominent Greek Life. But, this means nothing. When there is a Badger soccer game or rugby game, over half the student body will be in attendance, tailgating, and showing Badger Pride. Every baseball game, there are Badgers lining the wall of the field, talking smack to the other teams, bleeding their Badger blood. On the weekends, all types of Badgers can be seen raging, whether it be that one nerdy Badger that sits behind you in Calculus, the hipster Badger that likes to wear funky clothes, or even the sporty Badger clearing his or her mind after a tough practice, you will see Badgers raging. Spring Hill may only consist of 1,300 students, but all of these students are Badgers, and they show their Badger Pride at any event, no matter what it is. As my four-year career at Spring Hill College is quickly nearing its end, I do not possess feelings of regret. Although sadness is with out a doubt present, it is nothing but a shadow to the fulfillment I feel when I look back at the friends I have made in my time here. My college life has been lived out to its fullest extent. The memories that I so cherished in high school fail in comparison to the multitude of memories that I am taking with me from Spring Hill. Being a Badger has allowed me to form friendships that most schools are unable to facilitate. My close friends, Pod 112, have been a huge influence on the person I have become, and I am positive that this friendship would not have been possible at any other school. Spring Hill may not seem like a catch to most, but most dont know anything about being a Badger.

Written By: Nick Friedmann A Senior Computer Information Systems Major from Cincinnati, OH. Nick is looking to to go into pre-sales at a software company producing ERP solutions and data management.

14 Appendix D

9 Top Past Times On The Hill

One of the most common questions Im asked when people are contemplating Spring Hill College is, what kinds of things do people do when theyre not in class? So in response, Ive put together this list of some of the things Spring Hill Badgers do to get away from class and let loose a little. Enjoy! Playing Golf - Yes, we actually have a full 18-hole championship golf course and driving range up here on The Hill. Just pay the modest student fee of $5.50 and walk on; youll almost never need a tee time. Intramural Sports Whether youre a recently retired sports star looking to stay competitive or someone just looking to have some fun with friends, there are teams for you in any sport. Philanthropy Events Philanthropy is something that Spring Hill College prides themselves on and we know how to have a good time doing it. With events like Lambda Chis Watermelon Bash for the North American Food Drive, Tri Deltas Score a Cure for St. Judes Childrens Hospital, or Delta Gammas Anchor Slam doing Service for Sight, there are events almost every week where you can participate in service while having a blast. New Orleans Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, Jazz Fest, what else is there really to say. New Orleans is simply an atmosphere you have to experience, and its close enough to make into a day trip.

15 Beach Trips Ok, this may weigh more heavily on a guy like me coming from St. Louis in the Midwest, but there are fantastic beaches like Dauphin Island and Orange Beach only 45 minutes to an hour away from school. While its hot (most of the year) groups of students head down to the beaches almost every weekend, especially for concerts at The Wharf in Orange Beach. Trips Downtown - These are a bit of a Thursday night tradition here at Spring Hill. Its on these nights that students start to unwind from the weeks work and make the short trip downtown to the restaurants and bars where Badgers are packed in from wall to wall. Attend Badger Sporting Events Whether its mens or womens basketball, volleyball, baseball, soccer, or rugby games, youll always see a full crowd of students showing their badger pride and supporting their comrades in sports. Mobile Bay Bears Games Badgers have made such an impression in the stands of our Minor League Baseball team that they have recently began having Spring Hill nights where admission is cheaper for Badgers. CPB Events The Campus Programming Board consistently organizes great events for the students to participate in for next to no cost like Mardi Gras Ball and Deep Sea Fishing trips during Red Snapper season. These are opportunities that no Badger likes to pass up. Campus Parties Something I obviously cant fail to mention are the weekend parties. When Fraternities and Sororities are not having destination parties off campus, there are always people in the apartments and various other buildings on campus ready to party. Best of all you will find this is a place where no one gets turned away from a party or gathering, all come and all are welcome.

Written By: Ryan Schweppe A Public Relations & Advertising Major and Psychology Minor. From St. Louis, MO, Ryan has played baseball and been an active member of Lambda Chi Alpha at Spring Hill.