Raise your hand if you’ve heard of an Instagram takeover before? Social media takeovers are not uncommon, but many higher institutions aren’t sure how to use them effectively. To help you make the most of your Instagram account, we’ll teach you the right way to run a successful takeover. These first-person narratives can be more effective than you realize.
Why Instagram Takeovers are a Good Idea
A social media takeover is a form of influencer marketing that lets an individual take over your account temporarily and share content with your audience. For example, you could ask one of your freshman students to manage your account for the day and upload photos and videos of their “firsts” on campus.
Some of the reasons for running an Instagram takeover are:
- Give students a more authentic experience of your institution
- Create genuine stories and use social media to cross-promote them
- Engage current and prospective students in a unique way
- Show a new perspective that your marketing team would not think of
The Steps to Doing an Instagram Takeover
Just as businesses need to be careful about who they choose to represent their brand, you have to be careful about who represents your school. Posting the wrong content can put your higher institution in the wrong light and deter students from applying. This is why it’s important to follow a few key steps.
Find the right students
Identify students who are already engaged on your social media accounts and enjoying their time on campus. These students are likely to have good things to say about your higher institution and have insight that other students may not have. To find great students for an Instagram takeover, look in the following student groups:
- Campus ambassadors
- Admissions tour guides
- Honor society members
- Social media ambassadors
- Program leaders
Still not sure which students to reach out to? Ask for referrals from faculty and staff.
Meet with the students
Once you identify a student to take over your Instagram account, plan an in-person meeting. Use this time to develop an outline of what the student will do on their day out. While you don’t want to tell the student what to do (the posts should be genuine), you should have a general idea of what the student will be sharing on your channel.
Also, go through your guidelines, such as:
- Behaviors and values in your student handbook
- Not posting sensitive material, such as religious views
- Not posting pictures that violate confidentiality or privacy laws
Promote Your Instagram takeover
Cross-promotion is important for student takeovers. Use your Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat accounts to let followers know what’s happening on your Instagram account. Also, encourage the student to promote the activity on their own social media accounts. The more exposure you can bring to your Instagram account, the better.
Also, be an active watcher of your Instagram channel. Throughout the day, monitor the conversations that are taking place and record progress. As you see what your audience responds best to, you can apply it to future takeovers.
Social media takeovers are a great way to spice up your marketing. The better you plan for an Instagram takeover, the more successful it will be. For more ideas on how to promote your college or university on social media, contact SEMGeeks today.
