This strategy seeks to develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for School of Education Internal Communications (IC) following SOE’s Re-Design and its pivot away from the departmental model.
Necessarily, a new “One School” IC strategy also will impact and be impacted by two related communications strategies: SOE marketing and communications and SU’s One University strategy.
Under the old SOE departmental model, some communications (news, events, etc.) may have been seen as internal to the students, alumni, or employees of a single department only. Under a “One School” model, sharing news as widely as feasible and practical—to internal, cross-campus, and global audiences—strengthens the School’s message and cohesion.
That is, under the “One School” model, there will be a pressing need to communicate in one voice SOE’s central mission, value proposition, and core strengths. Additionally, both SOE and SU have moved to “digital first” marketing. This strategy requires regular content that is carefully and strategically curated across multiple channels for greatest impact.
Core Reasons for a “One School” IC Strategy
- Amplify SOE mission/value proposition/core strengths
- Foster “One School” community
- Develop SOE “digital first” marcomm
- Professionalize communications (“One University” brand)
- Foster more efficient messaging
- Eliminate duplication/wasted effort
- Increase readership and reader engagement
- Align with SU communications/digital policies
- Meet legal obligations (i.e., such as GDPR for external audiences receiving newsletters)
- Increase inquiries and applications
- Increase application yield
- Increase alumni engagement
What Are We Trying to Avoid?
Strategies to avoid/phase out
- News getting lost/sequestered
- Duplication of effort
- Confusing policy/workflow
- Unprofessional look/feel
- Non-brand compliant messaging
- Lack of readership (e.g., wrong medium/wrong audience)
Tactics to avoid/phase out
- Reliance on (print) fliers
- Use of PDF/print newsletters
- Listservs with very niche audiences
- Listservs with external/alumni subscribers (i.e., to avoid legal jeopardy)
Imagining a New IC Strategy & Optimal Tactics
In order to re-imagine a “One School” IC strategy, it helps to ask of any message who, what, where, and how. These questions help to break down message flow into simple constituent parts:
- Who: Who is the audience?
- What: What is the message?
- Where: Where should the message go (on one or more channels?)
- How: How do I initiate the message flow and who champions it for me?
Further defining these questions leads to a series of choices that should be made for any message:
Who Is the Audience?
- Alumni
- Current Students—Undergraduate
- Current Students—Graduate
- Prospective Students
- Faculty
- Staff
- Campus Community
- Local Community (CNY)
- National/Global Community
What Is the Message?
- SOE News Story/PR
- SOE Awards/Accomplishments
- Alumni Notes
- Alumni Events
- Research: Grant Awards/Publications
- Faculty Opportunities: Grants/RfPs
- Personnel/HR News
- Personal News: Births, Marriages, Deaths
- SU/SOE Policies/Reminders
- Events/Calendar Items
- Admissions Messages
- Student Academic Opportunities: Scholarships, Fellowships, Classes
- Careers: Job Openings, Fairs, Networking
- Student Work Opportunities
- External Sponsorships
Where Should the Message Go (On One or More Channels)?
- SOE Website News Feed
- SOE Enterprise Social Media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr)
- Program-Specific Social Groups (LinkedIn, Facebook)
- Personal Social Media Accounts (with tagging!)
- SU/SOE Calendar
- SU News
- HTML Email (including Encompass for external audiences)
- Listserv Message*
- SOE Digital Signage
- SU Digital Signage
- Bulletin Boards: Print Posters/Fliers
- Brochures: one-sheets, bifolds, trifolds
- Press Release
- Media Alert
- Traditional Advertising
- Slate email (inquiries, applicants, and other prospective students)
How Do I Initiate the Message Flow (Who Champions it for Me)?
Under the departmental model, messages often would flow through department-specific admins and other team members. Although an appropriate system within a department, sometimes the chance for further distribution (and boasting!) was not taken.
Under a “One School” model, the MCE team would be the default champions of any SOE communication, but many messages also will have other champions—that is, points of contact—responsible for their creation and dissemination.
The critical change for message flow under a “One School” model is that MCE should be made aware of all news, events, and other messages in order to determine if they also should be disseminated to external audiences.
Other champions of a message will be found within the School’s units:
Marketing, Communications, Events Team (DEFAULT)
- Advancement/Alumni Relations Team
- Admissions Team
- Student Services Team
- Dean’s Office Administrators
- Program Faculty
- Center Directors (CAASD, CDI, CEPP)
This Seems Incredibly Complicated? How Would It Work in Practice?
It’s not that complicated, really!
For “One School” message flow, all champions should be aware that the who, what, where, and how questions should be posed to the requester. These questions could be posed via a questionnaire or via an Answers page link where suggestions and examples—like the ones used here—can be offered.
It’s perfectly fine for the requester or even champion to not know the answers to some questions. The point is to elicit the message basics and get the request into the right hands.
By way of example …
- Let’s say a professor wants to get the word out to students about a film screening on disability studies/special education taking place in the College of Law, but sponsored in part by SOE …
- The professor approaches the CDI communications manager as a message champion, based on her knowledge of the subject
- To find out the best way to disseminate this message, the CDI communications manager can ask the who, what, where, and how questions
- This will elicit more information from the requester. It also will help determine where the message should go and who else the message champion (the CDI communications manager) should inform.
Example 1
What Is the Message?
- A film screening about special education in another unit, sponsored by SOE
Who Is the Audience?
- Current Students—Undergraduate
- Current Students—Graduate
- Faculty
- Staff
- Alumni
Where Should the Message Go (On One or More Channels)?
- SU/SOE Calendar
- Listserv Message (simple email or copy of HTML)—Undergraduates, Graduates, Faculty/Staff
- SOE Enterprise Social Media—Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
- SOE Digiboards (digital posters)
- SOE Website News Feed—e., this is a sponsorship
How Do I Initiate the Message Flow (Who Champions it for Me)?
- Original message champion (CDI Communications Manager) informs:
- Program Admins—Disability Studies/Inclusive Ed Listserv
- Marketing, Communications, Events Team (DEFAULT)—SOE Social Media (Instagram), SU/SOE Calendar, SOE Website News Feed
- Student Services—Undergraduate/Graduate Students Listserv
- Dean’s Office Admins—Faculty/Staff Listserv
- Advancement/Alumni Relations Team—Events Digest/EdExchange