As part of ongoing professional development, it's important to keep up to date and learn from the successes and failures of colleagues in higher education and other industries. I've gathered lists of communities, podcasts, blogs, and conferences I regularly recommend to social media professionals, ranging from free and on-demand, to annual fee-based events. And there are so many fantastic resources, I’ve broken them into two posts so I don’t overwhelm you. First, I’m covering communities and podcasts, then stay tuned for part two: blogs, newsletters, and conferences.
Choose a few of these methods of connection to make sure you have a steady stream of news and ideas to keep you informed and growing as a social media professional.
You know the saying, “it's not what you know, but who you know?”
It's absolutely true in higher education social media. Because so many social media managers don't have peers on campus, connecting with peers across the country and throughout the world is invaluable. Communities allow you to gather inspiration, seek feedback, collect quick answers to questions, understand industry trends, and provide or receive empathy. Whether public (a hashtag) or semi-private (Slack or Facebook group), there's a community for you.
In 2015, Kasandrea Sereno, lead advisor at the University of South Florida, started a Facebook group called #HigherEdSocial. It's now grown to include more than 8,000 members from over 50 countries. Multiple discussions each day include new platform features, suggestions for tackling top topics on social media, celebrations of campaigns across the industry, current events, and general support. Answer a few questions to request to join the group.
Another affiliated community is the Higher Ed Comm and Social Media Slack group, founded and moderated by Jonathan Gabriel. With channels dedicated to each social platform, strategy, affinity groups, conferences, and more, you can easily integrate this community with your daily work if you already use Slack. If you're not on Slack, this community is worth joining to experience. Request to join over 1,200 industry colleagues—they even get together for occasional virtual happy hours.
In addition to receiving answers to your questions, the searchable archive in the groups helps you see what's already been shared about popular topics like approving new accounts, crisis communication, or how folks are using the newest social network. Please, use the search feature. Longtime members will appreciate it.
In 2020, TaQuinda Johnson, Social Media Strategist at Eastern Michigan University, and Jamila Walker, Social Media Manager at Old Dominion University, desired a community for people who looked like them. Immediately turning talk into action, they founded Blacks in Higher Ed Communications, a Facebook group that builds a network of Black communicators in higher education.
The group shares best practices, tips, and strategies in the broad field of communications. You’ll find social media managers, but also public relations, marketing, communication, and design professionals. It’s a safe space for Black higher education communicators to provide and receive support, information, and encouragement. TaQuinda says members “can feel comfortable being their authentic selves.” The group description reads, “It’s ok to be HOT—humble, open, and transparent.”
The group has over 100 members and is open to Black or brown individuals who work in higher education communications as well as their allies who work within higher education communications. Request to join.
Another Facebook group, Higher Ed Digital Community Builders launched as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted campuses to think differently about digital engagement. It's a place for higher education professionals to connect and transform how we build genuine campus digital communities and strategic online engagement experiences. While not limited to social media, the 1,000+ professionals in this community share ideas, participate in panel discussions, and even hold virtual Friday brunch discussions. Request to join the group.
Most hashtags aren't communities, but #HESM (short for Higher Education Social Media) definitely is. Search it on Twitter and Instagram for resources and connection opportunities. If I have a quick question for the entire community, my first instinct is to post a tweet tagged #HESM. There are no scheduled chats; #HESM is 24/7 engagement.
If you want to multitask and get your industry updates while taking a walk, doing the dishes, or commuting, consider subscribing to industry podcasts. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and the publishing cadence of some shows may ebb and flow, but with many of the shows you can count on a valuable archive for your binge listening needs. Speaking of archives, the Higher Ed Live Network released its last episode in January 2020, but the archive is stellar.
These podcasts aren't specific to higher education, but they'll help you stay on top of platform strategy and tactics and gather inspiration from outside the industry. Note they're produced by companies in the social media industry. In most instances, you won't find sales pitches in episodes (other than the sponsor messages). They're truly educational and an excellent example of content marketing themselves.
Our industry has a thriving podcast community. While no active podcast focuses strictly on higher education and social media (yet), it's a regular topic on most industry podcasts. Here I've described some of the longer-running podcasts in detail, as well as provided links to newcomers that started broadcasting in 2019 or later.
Newer podcasts you may want to add to your feeds include:
This isn’t an extensive list, and more industry professionals jump into podcasting each month. If you're connected in the communities detailed earlier, you'll learn about new podcasts.
Also see part two: Blogs, Newsletters, and Conferences; and more on professional development for social media managers here.
You’ll also find these resources in Chapter 20 of our free new book, Fundamentals for Social Media Strategy: A Guide for College Campuses. Download it now for even more details on social strategy, research, and best practices.