How social media helped promote a scholarship program for ...

SMO

Hello again! I?m Sara Aisenberg, and you might remember me from a guest post I wrote for Social Media Optimization about five common problems with SEO back in June. Today, I?m back here at SMO not only as a guest blogger but also as the associate director of educational outreach at SuretyBonds.com, a nationwide surety bond producer. As such, I?d like to do two things.

1. Announce SuretyBonds.com?s first annual Small Business Success Student Scholarship Program
2. Explain how our company has used social media to promote the scholarship across the Internet

What is the SuretyBonds.com Small Business Success Student Scholarship Program?

Just like other scholarship programs, the SuretyBonds.
com Small Business Success Student Scholarship Program was created to help deserving students reach their full collegiate potential. What sets this program apart from others, however, is that students who apply must have small business experience, whether it be personal or through a parent, grandparent or legal guardian. Three students who can articulate their experiences in a short essay will be selected to win a $1,500 scholarship to put toward education expenses.

You might be wondering, ?Why small business?? The answer is simple: SuretyBonds.com is a small business, and we?re proud to serve small business owners from across the country on a daily basis. We realize the value small businesses add not only to the economy, but also to the communities we live and work in, so we want to give back to those individuals who are living the American dream day in and day out. If you know anyone eligible for the scholarship program, be sure to recommend them to SuretyBonds.com/scholarships.

How have we used social media to promote the scholarship program?

A major component of this scholarship program will take place on Facebook. Once all applications have been received, ten finalists will be selected by our panel. The finalists will submit photographs that represent their respective small business experiences, and these photos will be posted on our custom SuretyBonds.com scholarship Facebook app. From May 1-31, 2012, the public will vote for their favorite contestants, and the three finalists with the most votes will each be awarded a scholarship.

Once our scholarship website went live, it was time to start promoting. That meant reaching out to colleges, universities and scholarship sites across the country. Of course, cold emailing was a necessary part of the process, but we also spent time searching for the social media platforms managed by the schools. These days, most schools have well-maintained Twitter accounts and Facebook profiles. (Many also have blogs; some even have several blogs for different departments within the institution.)

As any online marking professional knows, social media is crucial for almost every online promotional campaign. My team has been working to connect with schools via any social media outlet available. In the past, social media was an overlooked component of our online marketing campaigns, but this isn?t the case anymore. We were able to get the word out about the scholarship program not only via traditional but also non-traditional methods.

What tips and tricks do you have for promoting a scholarship online? Sound off in the comments!

This post was provided by Sara Aisenberg. Sara is the associate director of educational outreach at SuretyBonds.com. Keep up with Sara on Twitter and Google+.

Source: http://social-media-optimization.com/2013/01/how-social-media-helped-promote-a-scholarship-program-for-entrepreneurial-students/

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