In Kirby's last two posts on our blog and in his new white paper (download here), he's been covering what colleges and universities can do to improve communication through the use of new technologies. In this post, I want to suggest another tool that institutions of higher education, or any institution that relies on donor or engagement, can use to improve that engagement - social CRM.

You might think at first that social CRM seems like a strange fit for higher ed, especially given CRM's origin in the corporate world. But social CRM is really just about improving engagement with any audience and gaining a deeper understanding of that audience's makeup, opinions and desires, all of which are critical to maintaining good student, alumni and donor relations. The tools that are available today can provide incredible value and greatly streamline your institution's communications engine.

If you're new to social CRM and still trying to get your head around what the term means, see my white paper or earlier posts on this blog. Basically social CRM refers to a strategy, a process and various forms of technology all aimed at gathering data from online conversations among a consumer group (i.e., students, alumni) and delivering that data in meaningful ways to shape strategy and tactics on a variety of fronts - from recruiting to student retention to donor cultivation.

A typical social CRM strategy for a university might feature a hosted community allowing students, alumni, faculty and staff to interact with each other, exchanging insight, impressions and opinions and forging stronger bonds with the university community. Data from community interactions, both through the hosted community as well as various external channels - posts, tweets and mentions on Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels - would be collected. This data can be sorted and analyzed to discover opinion trends, such as how your alumni feel about the new sports mascot, and communications preferences, such as a preference for online communication over print or a widespread desire to receive fewer fundraising calls. This information can be easily shared with key decision makers across the university to shape overall strategy for the institution as well as greatly sharpen the effectiveness of your marketing communication. Social CRM technology thus leads to better information and an improved information flow, reducing data silos and lowering costs.

As you know, your students and alumni are willing to share their ideas and everyone wants to feel that their voice is heard. Through social media and other channels, your constituent populations are already making their opinions known, but are you gathering that information and making the most of it? Are you offering a central point for sharing that also contributes to improved engagement and participation among your students and alumni? A social CRM solution can do all of the above and at the same time provide you with the best and most up-to-date information about the people you are trying to reach.