It’s little surprise that the latest hashtag to trend on Twitter, as of a few hours ago, is #Alevelresults. With the impending announcement of results out tomorrow, students, schools and universities are taking to Twitter to express their concerns and to find out information about what their options are.
In a previous post we highlighted some of the crucial actions universities should be taking in preparation for A-level results day; once you’ve got those basics covered it’s time to get onto Twitter and join in the conversation surrounding one of the most influential days in a young adult’s life.
Here are a few things that you should be doing to make your university heard on Twitter:
Social listening for #Alevelresults
Before you start tweeting it’s important you start listening. Find out what sort of things students, schools and other universities are tweeting about so that when you post your own messages you can can keep conversations going and provide potential students with useful information.
Show support
A great deal of the posts on Twitter will be from students worried about what their results will look like tomorrow. At this point there is very little they can personally do so make your online presence known by showing pre-emptive support. Whether you post some practical information, a hilarious meme of just a simple message of support, getting involved in the conversation early can help to calm anxious students and start a dialogue that could eventually lead to enrollment at your university.
Durham University’s international office tweets a simple message of good luck, effectively joining in the conversation and providing support and resources before results are even released.
#Goodluck to all of our applicants waiting for #Alevelresults on Thursday! For info on what to do when you get yours: http://t.co/hrlUE1SVpk
— Durham International (@durhamIO) August 10, 2015
Show what your university is doing
If your university is running any A-level results day events, has brought on additional staff or has created any extra resources for prospective students, now is the time to mention it. If you’ve created an online resource pack for applying through clearing, start tweeting the link to it now and make sure you include the dedicated hashtag.
Tweet information that prospective students would find useful such as your student support contact details and your admin office hours. If you can tweet photos of your admin staff and put a human face to the people that will be helping students tomorrow, all the better.
Sheffield University’s geography department did a great job creating online resources and tweeting them out to students early on.
#Alevelresults tomorrow! Check @sheffielduni top #clearing2015 tips http://t.co/NTBuTDXsBp best of luck! #UCAS #Alevelresults
— UoS Geography (@geographylives) August 12, 2015
Ask your alumni to tweet
Ask your alumni to share their experiences of A-level results day, especially those who applied through clearing. If you have dedicated social channels for your alumni network, post questions that will invoke useful responses.
This gives prospective students a better idea of what’s in store for them tomorrow from a first-hand source they can trust – their peers.
Post images to stand out
As is usually the case with trending topics, there is often too much information available in order for anything to really stand out. Include images in your tweets in order to cut through the “noise” and stand out.
Glyndwr University posted simple yet effective photos of their support team on-hand to help students.
Our applicant support team are on hand from 7am tomorrow providing all the #Alevelresults & #Clearing advice you need pic.twitter.com/IxL0teyDSs
— Glyndwr University (@GlyndwrUni) August 12, 2015
Read more about being prepared for A-level results day, and keep up-to-date on all higher education trends by following us on Twitter.
