About the Episode
About the Episode:
Chloe Calvert discusses her experience running the flagship social media channels for the University of Georgia. She highlights the challenges of showcasing the university's community apart from athletics and shares examples of how they feature students in their content. Chloe emphasizes the importance of treating students like focus groups and user generated content, content created by students for students, to produce authentic and engaging material. Chloe also explains how UGA takes a truly integrated approach, with teams for media relations, marketing and brand strategy, creative services, and project management working together to make social first content.
Mentioned in the episode:
Key Takeaways
- Social media management for a flagship university involves balancing athletics with highlighting academic achievements.
- Student-centered content can resonate with a wide audience, including prospective students, alumni, and parents.
- Authentic, real-time content, like hidden camera videos, can drive significant engagement.
- Regularly collaborating with students and utilizing their feedback is key to creating content they actually engage with.
- Even without personal experience using TikTok, social media managers can leverage their team and student insights to drive success on the platform.
Episode Summary
What role did Chloe's degree in social media management play in her career?
Chloe attributes much of her success to her specialized degree in Communications with a dual focus on social media from Texas A&M. She explains how the program's practical case studies and metrics analysis directly inform her work today. The ability to analyze and apply insights from a variety of brands, big and small, prepared her to manage the flagship social media accounts at the University of Georgia (UGA).
What are the unique challenges of managing a flagship social media account at a university known for athletics?
Chloe shares that while UGA’s athletic success, particularly in football, boosts engagement and morale, there’s a misconception that managing the university’s social media is easy. One of her biggest challenges is ensuring that UGA’s strong academics and research initiatives aren’t overshadowed by sports. Highlighting UGA’s top-tier honors program and unique experiential learning opportunities is just as important as celebrating their national athletic championships.
How does Chloe create student-focused content that resonates across different audiences?
Chloe emphasizes the importance of putting students at the center of the content. By showcasing students' real-time experiences during key events like Welcome Week, prospective students can envision themselves at UGA, while alumni and parents enjoy reminiscing. The content created for this effort is real, relatable, and often includes on-the-ground coverage from events like move-in day and orientation. This approach builds community engagement, as students and parents alike see their university experience reflected on social media.
What was the impact of the “hidden camera” content series?
One of the most successful campaigns Chloe's team produced was a hidden camera video during the first week of classes, where students were asked to share their goals for the semester. The unscripted, authentic nature of the content resonated widely, with over a million views across platforms. The standout moment was a student—dubbed “Turtle Boy”—expressing his goal of befriending the turtles on campus. The viral engagement led to a follow-up video and even brand collaborations, highlighting the power of spontaneous, student-driven content.
How does UGA leverage its athletic success to boost social media campaigns?
Although athletics is not the primary focus of the flagship account, Chloe and her team creatively tie athletic achievements into broader university campaigns. The “Game Changers” initiative, for example, highlights not just the athletes but also the students behind the scenes—athletic trainers, band members, and equipment managers. These students, balancing academics and athletics, are celebrated for their contributions to UGA’s success on and off the field. This holistic approach appeals to a wide audience and emphasizes the diversity of talent at UGA.
How does Chloe's team collaborate with students to produce content?
Chloe reveals that a key to their success is student collaboration. Her team frequently conducts informal focus groups, asking students what content resonates with them. By incorporating student-generated content, such as day-in-the-life videos or “Get Ready With Me” reels, the social media team is able to create more authentic and relatable posts. This not only boosts engagement but also allows students to see themselves reflected in UGA’s official channels.
About the Show: Confessions of a Higher Ed Social Media Manager covers the do's, don'ts, and dynamics of the complex and challenging social media ecosystem. We analyze the successes and failures of those in the higher education social space — what went right, what went wrong, and what are the lessons learned. We’ll share actionable steps so you can push past the pitfalls others have faced. No matter if you're on a team of 20 or a team of one, we've got you covered. Confessions of a Higher Ed Social Media Manager is hosted by Jenny Li Fowler and is a proud member of the Enrollify Podcast Network.
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About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Confessions of a Higher Ed Social Media Manager is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows, too!
Some of our favorites include Higher Ed Pulse and Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO.
Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
Element451 is hosting the AI Engage Summit on Oct 29 and 30. Register now for this free, virtual event.The future of higher ed is being redefined by the transformative power of AI. The AI Engage Summit brings together higher ed leaders, innovators, and many of your favorite Enrollify creators to explore AI’s impact on student engagement, enrollment marketing, and institutional success.
Experience firsthand how AI is improving content personalization at scale, impacting strategic decision-making, and intuitively automating the mundane tasks that consume our time. The schedule is packed with real examples and case studies, so you leave knowing how to harness AI to drive meaningful change at your institution.
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