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TRAINING: FACEBOOK ALUMNI ONLINE 'CONNECT & ENGAGE' COMMUNICATIONS MASTERCLASS
HOW TO USE FACEBOOK FOR YOUR ALUMNI NETWORK ASSOCIATION TO 'CONNECT & ENGAGE' FORMER PUPILS / GRADUATES
ABOUT THE FACEBOOK COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHOP TRAINING
 A year or two ago you might not have been familiar with Facebook despite the fact that the network already had millions of UK members with as many as 95% of UK students at Universities, Colleges and Schools using it. Now following massive media coverage and dramatic growth it is likely you are one of nearly 20 million people in the UK with a profile and probably you have already made tentative steps towards using it to find, connect with and engage your alumni.
There is no question that Facebook is now an essential tool for Alumni Relations and Alumni Advancement and should be at the core of any alumni membership management strategy implemented by Schools, Colleges and Universities, Associations or Clubs that want to maintain links with and between current and former students, staff/colleagues, parents and friends.
CUT TO THE CHASE FAST
Whether you are new to Facebook or have just started using it you will find this intensive 3 hour Facebook Workshop timely and helpful, helping you to get to grips with all aspects of Facebook and identify how to utilise it for the benefit of your alumni network association.
Scroll down this page to read all about the Workshop or click on the sub-headings below to be taken to a particular section:
[READY TO BOOK? Please click here to go straight to the "BOOK HERE" section. AVAILABILITY - we currently have some availability on all dates.]
WHY FACEBOOK?
The case for exploiting Facebook as a key channel in your alumni membership management strategy is compelling. According to Facebook's own published statistics (1 July 2009) the social network has more than 200 million active users (approximately 10% of whom are resident in the UK) and the average user age continues to get older too, with more than two-thirds of Facebook users now outside of college and the fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older.
 Importantly, for viral marketing opportunities, the average user has 120 friends on the site. With 100 million of them logging on at last once a day the network is extremely active with 5 billion minutes spent on Facebook each day (worldwide) and more than 30 million users updating their statuses at least once each day. More than 8 million users become fans of Facebook's Pages (part of the Facebook advertising solution) each day and if required the network offers simple, straightforward access to current students, staff and parents and former students, staff and parents not only in the UK but worldwide, with the ability to target by location, demographics, interests etc.
This ability to target highly active current pupils and students and alumni on the social network according to a collection of different criteria is hugely valuable and one of the main benefits of this platform, along with the ability to set-up Groups and Fan Pages, compared to others like MySpace, Bebo and Friends Reunited. There are a number of ways to identify and reach your alumni and to virally promote your alumni association through the Facebook network and most of it is available free, including Event management functionality.
With 18.5 million UK users (45% male, 55% female) the potential reach is obvious and the success of many networks in achieving real growth and being more effective and relevant in serving their alumni through a greater presence on Facebook serves to underline the importance of utilising Facebook's functionality and Facebook Applications for your alumni relations.
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WHY ATTEND THE FACEBOOK ADVERTISING & MARKETING MASTERCLASS WORKSHOP?
At this intensive 3 hour Facebook alumnionline Masterclass Workshop we will brief you fully on why Facebook represents a relatively low cost, highly targeted and trackable way to target, reach and engage your future and existing alumni and we will show you how to do it appropriately, efficiently and cost effectively through Facebook solutions and applications.
We are convinced that if there is one online social network that every Alumni Secretary, Manager and/or Director should be totally familiar with and using day to day it is Facebook.
Any alumni association that is not fully utilising Facebook risks being left behind as its members ...old, new and prospective... use the old alumni network less and less or ignore it completely in favour of a fully-featured, ever evolving online networking tool that efficiently and effectively connects them day to day, immediately and at no cost with old school friends, family, colleagues and social and business contacts... Facebook!
Time spent on Facebook day to day by Alumni Secretaries, Managers and Directors is not time wasted... the number of members of Facebook has more than doubled in the last year and the way that Facebook has been created and structured means that it works extremely well as a resource and tool for alumni associations with easy search by full name and access to networks, groups and pages for each institution, employer and club.
There is no better tool for alumni associations and those involved in Alumni Relations and Alumni Advancement, fundraising and development than the Internet... but the Internet is also the greatest threat to those institutions and alumni associations which do not understand and embrace it.
The launch of the Friends Reunited website in 2000 was the wake-up call... but a revolution is now underway... the real challenge to the role of the traditional alumni association, and the ability of Universities, Colleges and Schools, Associations and Clubs to serve as the main facilitator for alumni relations, is the rapid adoption by millions of people of "Social Networking" sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and LinkedIn... (and coming soon is the 3-D Internet with Virtual Worlds and other new channels!)
 With social networks like Facebook it is also easy to misjudge the best approach, with various etiquette and behavioural pitfalls that at best put off potential members and at worst damage your network irrecoverably. Understanding the community dynamics of the network and the communications channels available, what communications activity will be considered acceptable by your target audiences and what will not, is very important for successfully positioning your association.
We have created our 3 hour intensive alumnionline masterclass workshop to explain how you can effectively target your current and former pupils/students, staff, parents and friends within the Facebook network and enjoy the same success as other associations and organisations which have achieved their highest conversion rate on Facebook compared to other communications campaigns.
We aim to explain Facebook in terms you understand, in a language you know and a context that is relevant to your role and organisation.
By the end of the Facebook workshop:
- You will know enough to brief colleagues about Facebook and its functionality and solutions and to develop a strategy to utilise them for your alumni network.
- You will have enough information and knowhow to maximise your association's presence on Facebook and grow your network and improve levels of participation, attendance at events etc etc through the platform.
- You will be able to integrate your use of Facebook with your existing online and offline alumni relations activity as effectively as possible, minimising duplication and wasted resources.
Information will be clearly presented in a non-technical way in a context relevant to those attending, using case studies and examples.
We have kept the Facebook alumnionline Communications Masterclass Workshop price as low as possible, we are limiting the number of people attending and we are using a specialist Computer Training Centre to provide a high quality "hands on" training environment.
The price for attendance can be as low as £75+Vat (for "Early Bird" bookings) and includes:
- Your place on the Facebook Alumni Relations Masterclass Workshop,
- Tea/Coffee and Pastry (AM) or Fruit (PM),
- A copy of our Facebook 'Connect & Engage' Guide,
- Certificate of Attendance,
- Access to further materials, case studies and tips and techniques on our website (the normal cost of membership of the OMTAC Client Area is £195+Vat per year).
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WHO SHOULD ATTEND THE FACEBOOK WORKSHOP?
The workshop will be of particular interest to:
- Alumni Secretaries
- Alumni Officers / Managers and Alumni Directors
- Alumni Representatives and Alumni Association Committee Members
- Fundraising Officers / Managers and Fundraising Directors
- Development Officers / Managers and Development Directors
- Senior School/College/University Management
- Head Teachers and Principals
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WHAT WILL BE COVERED IN THE FACEBOOK MASTERCLASS?
We will give tips and techniques for alumni associations large and small - Facebook may be useful to your alumni network in one or more ways including:
- Finding "lost" alumni
 Building contacts with existing students, staff and parents- Connecting with and engaging alumni, friends, prospective donors and former staff and parents
- Growing a sense of community amongst the whole alumni and themed groups (by year, profession, region etc)
- Monitoring and collecting news
- Distributing news
- Promoting new initiatives, reunions and special events
- Managing events
- Undertaking research
During the workshop we will address all the key Facebook functions and techniques:
- Setting up an account
- Creating your profile and using privacy settings
- Using a personal profile for alumni purposes
- Targeting prospective members
- The right approach and appropriate positioning
- What are Facebook Applications and how can you utilise them
- Facebook Pages
- Facebook Advertising
- Facebook Connect
- Optimising your communications activity
- Tracking and analysing your return on investment with Facebook
- Using your website, RSS and other communications activity with Facebook, integrating campaigns, avoiding duplication of resources etc
Throughout we will examine how member associations and networks, educational institutions, companies and organisations are already using Facebook, and how you can learn from best practice.
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WHO WILL LEAD THE WORKSHOP?
The 'Facebook Alumni Relations Masterclass Workshop' training will be will be lead by Matthew D'Arcy, Managing Director for OMTAC Ltd.
Matthew will draw on his broad experience of the worlds of Education, Alumni Networks, Social Networking, Professional Networking, Marketing and the Internet to present a relevant, informative and dynamic Workshop with useful, practical advice and examples from considerable research he and his team have undertaken on the use of Facebook by networks, institutions, companies and organisations of all sizes.
Matthew has worked in a number of industry sectors, from website development to online marketing and ecommerce, from recruitment to hospitality and event management, from education to alumni membership services, from retail to consultancy services, from FMCG to brand development and distribution. Please click on the link for more about Matthew.
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FACEBOOK WORKSHOP INFORMATION - DATES & BOOKING
We are offering a choice of dates between now and December 2009 for our Facebook alumnionline Communications Masterclass Workshop which will take place in Central London.
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Various discounts are available, with places costing as little as £75+Vat.
Please click on the link for full booking information - including dates, timing, venue and pricing - and to make your booking.
If you are also interested in attending a masterclass workshop on one or more other key online marketing platforms/channels please click on the links below:
- SEO Alumni Relations Masterclass Workshop Training
- Audio/Video/Pictures Alumni Relations Masterclass Workshop Training
- Twitter Alumni Relations Masterclass Workshop Training
ANY QUESTIONS? CONTACT US
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to email us by clicking here or call us on 0845 058 39 85 (Local Rate Call).
Thank you for your interest in our online 'Connect & Engage' Masterclass Workshop series, we look forward to confirming your booking and to meeting you soon.
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