Convocation Case Study - Engaging Young Alumni

Convocation Case Study:
Using creative digital and social
media to engage new grads.
Convocation
Opportunities:
Challenges:
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6000 graduates; one locale
Celebratory season
Creating brand presence
Showcasing campus
Welcoming families/friends
Positive sentiment
Providing support
Very busy
Message absorption
Conservative traditions
Barriers of department silos
Role of AR at Convocation
Staffing/Volunteers
Sharing the experience
Innovating Messaging. Creating connection.
“Millennials prefer to
connect via technology.
They rely on social media
and email for
communicating and
connecting with their
networks.”
Source: Millennial Impact Study, 2013
Convocation Strategy
2013 – 2014
In-ceremony “Welcome” email
Pre-ceremony “Welcome to the Family” video
*Recipient of the CCAE Prix D’Excellence – Silver (Best Alumni Initiative)
2015
Pre-ceremony “Welcome” email
Pre-ceremony “Welcome to the Family” video
#RoadfromRyerson social media campaign
Welcome email
Receive email addresses from Curriculum
Advising after application to graduate
deadline
Segment emails for each ceremony
14 ceremonies. 14 e-blasts.
First touch point of the day
One hour before each ceremony
Drives traffic to Ryerson Alumni social
channels and website
Provides an opportunity to update
information
Promoted use of the #RoadfromRyerson
hashtag
2015 Metrics
46% of recipients opened
10% clicked through
92 visited Twitter
135 visited LinkedIn
280 visited Facebook
290 updated information
“Welcome to the Family” Video
• Promote key messaging
“Stay in Touch. Get Involved. Enjoy the Privileges.”
• Establish message of being part of Ryerson family
• Engage noteworthy recent alumni
• Deliver the message from a relatable voice
• Showcase successful graduate transition
• Create shareable content for web and social use.
• Move away from paper-based promotion pieces
“Welcome to Family Video”
After this video was created, Nneka Elliot joined the Ryerson
University Alumni Association board and Rhiannon Trail is now
an alumni representative on the Board of Governors.
Multiple Stakeholder Collaboration
Pooling Resources and Talent
Campus-wide Activation
Telling the student story
#RoadfromRyerson
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Started as an initial partnership between
Ryerson Career Services, Ryerson Student
Life and Alumni Relations
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Began collaborating to proactively address
increased need for graduating student
transition programming
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#RoadfromRyerson campaign provided a
‘book-end’ to the award-winning
#RoadtoRyerson campaign for incoming
students.
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#RoadfromRyerson launched during
annual Alumni Expo and inaugural Last
Lecture event in March 2015
#RoadfromRyerson
• Alumni Expo/Last Lecture was used to recruit 5 graduating
student bloggers to be the ‘face’ of the campaign
• Students applied by creating a short video speaking to their
Ryerson experience.
• Others were approached based on their organic use of the
#RoadfromRyerson hashtag during Alumni Expo and Last
Lecture.
• Bloggers represented 4 faculties, had diverse backgrounds
and student experiences.
#RoadfromRyerson Bloggers
#RoadfromRyerson - Blogging
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Bloggers were led by Bailey Parnell
and the team from Student Affairs’,
Creative Services unit.
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Each were responsible for 5 blogs,
over a 6 week period leading up to
Convocation.
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Bloggers were encouraged to speak
candidly about their Ryerson
experiences, feelings, anxieties and
excitement about transitioning into
life after graduation
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These blog posts were shared heavily
through Ryerson’s social media
channels across campus, as well as by
bloggers themselves.
#RoadfromRyerson
Website/Blog Success
*percentage of visitors to a particular website who navigate away from the site after viewing the page.
Source: #RoadfromRyerson Final Report
#RoadfromRyerson:
Expanding Reach for Convocation
• #RoadfromRyerson was
adopted across campus as
the ‘Official Hashtag” for
convocation
• 28 official Ryerson brands
used #RoadfromRyerson
• Primary influencers:
Ryerson brands, staff,
alumni and bloggers
Authentic Life Moments
Collating the experience
Tagboard was used to
collate, share and provide
a one-stop platform for
students, alumni and the
Ryerson community to
experience what was
happening on campus.
Usage of #RoadfromRyerson
Over the course of the #RoadFromRyerson campaign
there were:
40+ public Facebook posts*
540 Instagram posts
2326 Tweets
6.1 Million Impressions
Instagram provided the most authentic view of the student
experience, due to less brands using that platform.
*Likely far higher in private environment
Impact of #RoadfromRyerson
Alumni webpage: 18,000 views
(up 118% from previous 2 week period)
Completed contact updates: 252
(Up 61% from 2014. Update page views rose 51% over 2014.)
New followers:
Twitter - 66
Facebook – 246
LinkedIn (Ryerson page) – 1216
LinkedIn (Ryerson Alumni page) - 139
Final Thoughts
The #RoadfromRyerson digital campaign was considered widely as a success.
Going digital created opportunity for:
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Increased team collaboration across campus
Improved convocation experience for Ryerson students and stakeholders
A unified communication strategy across campus
A method for students to share their graduation story and experience
others’
• A starting point for continuous engagement
• Leverage organic, authentic and non-intrusive methods of engagement
• Achieving results in a cost-effective manner
How have you engaged digitally at convocation??
Erin MacDonald
Alumni Relations Officer, Students and Recent Alumni
erinmac@ryerson.ca
@emacyyz