For the millennial generation, social media is everything. Chances are your students are using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snap Chat and much more. They are constantly perusing through their newsfeed, checking out what is going on with their family, friends and even on campus.
So what is the perfect way to connect with your student body? Social media of course. And to ensure your content stands out, Rob Thompson, the recreation coordinator at Pacific Lutheran University suggests using a variety of apps.
“My motivation is to always find something different and to make our photos standout,” said Thompson. “Right now colleges have so many programs, there are so many posters and so many social media accounts and your newsfeed is always crowded. I was trying to find anything different.”
Thompson gives us a breakdown of two of his favorite apps.
“Rookies” — This is a basic app where you can take a picture and we use it for all of our intramural championship winners and we usually take a team photo. It easily creates a player card, like a baseball card out of the photo so instead of having a plain intramural photo, this one gets a little more creative with it. You get a throwback to the 90s baseball card collections everyone used to have. It only takes about a minute to create each photo. It is an easy tool to use to pop a little bit more on social media.
“Clone Me” — This is just another really easy app. We use it get some fun photos. It is a short cut for Photoshop. It is one of those really easy tools to make any photos look like there is multiple people play multiple roles in one picture. It is another tool that is simple and anyone can use. It takes less than two minutes to create one photo.
According to Thompson, so far the feedback from the new and improved photos have been positive. “With social media, we have gotten more follow and more likes. It has helped out participation numbers by getting the word out there. Our intramural participation numbers are higher this year than they have been in the past. We have been growing over the past couple of year, but it definitely spiked this year and I think us standing out a little but more than other programs has helped. Apps like this has been the main reason.”
If you are looking to start doing something similar, Thompson suggests staying current with technology. “These aren’t the only two apps we are using,” explained Thompson. “If you are not great with Photoshop, these are such easy tools that help you stand out more. You want to stay current, stay different, be an early adaptor. You can do so much and everyday there is something new.”
