Alumni Engagement for Powerful Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is a powerful tool. When used for alumni engagement, it helps higher ed marketers keep alumni connected and invested in their alma mater long after graduation.

For a long time, the go-to medium for alumni engagement was the printed magazine. 

In fact, if your alma mater still sends you one of these marketing workhorses, it wouldn’t be surprising because of their effectiveness over the years. 

However, the tighter marketing budgets get, the more difficult it becomes to justify the expense of editorial, print, and mail house services. 

As a marketing tool, digital storytelling has the potential to produce the same impact on your school’s alumni as a printed magazine—but with much less cost!

Let’s take a deeper look at how you can improve alumni engagement with digital storytelling starting with a seemingly obvious question: Why are alumni so important to your success? 

Why Include Alumni in Your Marketing Strategy? 

Almost all of my content centers around the importance of a well-executed enrollment marketing strategy. 

But that isn’t to say that alumni shouldn’t be included in our overall marketing strategy. 

Truth is, alumni engagement plays a pivotal role in sustaining a vibrant, connected community centered around your institution. 

Their involvement can directly impact recruitment, fundraising, and brand building.

When alumni are actively engaged, they become powerful advocates for your university. 

Their personal stories of success, career advancement, and ongoing connection to the institution offer compelling narratives for prospective students. 

It is social proof, delivered through authentic voices.

Moreover, when alumni feel valued and connected, they are more likely to share your institution’s content within their networks. 

This word-of-mouth marketing, coupled with digital storytelling, increases your institution’s visibility on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, where alumni’s professional and personal lives intersect. 

Beyond recruitment, maintaining a consistent relationship with alumni also supports fundraising and donor relations. 

Alumni who feel emotionally connected to their alma mater are more likely to give back, participate in fundraising campaigns, and contribute to the university’s long-term growth. 

Let’s take a look at a few strategies you can use to engage alumni through digital storytelling. 

Expanding Your Reach with Shareable Alumni Stories

One of the major advantages of digital storytelling is that it allows universities to make alumni stories easily shareable. 

Universities can share video interviews, personal blogs, or testimonials from alumni with different backgrounds to show the real impact of the education and opportunities their institution provides. 

Moreover, sharing these stories in bite-sized, shareable formats on social media helps spread the word far beyond just alumni circles. 

When alumni share these stories within their networks, they become ambassadors for the institution.

For instance, an alumni podcast could feature graduates discussing how their experiences shaped their careers, while a video series could dive into the campus history, offering something both nostalgic and informative.

Alumni Engagement Creates Brand Ambassadors

There’s no better advocate for your university than someone who’s been through the journey, thrived, and is out there making waves. 

Alumni are your secret weapon, the real-life proof of your institution’s value. 

Their personal stories and career wins are gold when it comes to recruiting mission-fit students.

For example, a successful alum could share their story on Instagram or LinkedIn about how your university helped them achieve their career goals, or they could host a live Q&A session where they offer insider advice to curious prospective students. 

That kind of authentic, firsthand account builds a sense of trust and connection that no traditional marketing campaign can match.

When universities spotlight alumni in recruitment campaigns, it shows prospective students a real-life roadmap.

Students see alumni who share their passions and career dreams thriving, and suddenly, they can picture themselves at your university, walking a similar path. 

That’s the power of mission-fit marketing in action!

The trick is finding where your alumni enjoy participating in a way that helps capture the attention of your mission for students. 

But, it’s a balance that is well worth the effort. 

With alumni as your brand ambassadors, you’re not just telling your story, you’re letting your alumni live it and inspire the next generation of mission-fit students in the process.

Best Practices for Digital Alumni Engagement

To ensure success in alumni engagement through digital storytelling, higher ed marketers need to focus on a few key best practices.

Segment Your Audience

Just as personalization is key in student recruitment, it’s also essential in alumni engagement. 

Segmenting your audience based on age, academic background, or involvement level allows you to craft messaging that hits all the right notes.

Your younger alumni might crave updates on career opportunities or ways to reconnect with old classmates, but your more seasoned grads might be interested in mentoring or giving back. 

These are the alumni you want to speak to your mission-fit students because they can address questions or concerns potential students might have. 

And when those same potential students see how you’ve helped others like them succeed, they’ll be more inclined to stay engaged, support your initiatives, and join your university.

Cast a Wide Net with a Multi-Platform Approach

Alumni and potential students aren’t glued to one social platform—they’re hopping between Instagram, LinkedIn, podcasts, and more. 

To make sure your storytelling reaches every corner of your network, go multi-platform. 

Share quick, snackable content on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook, like photos of campus events, alumni shout-outs, and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks.

On top of that, email newsletters are your perfect platform for deeper alumni profiles or inspirational updates from the alma mater. 

Feeling ambitious? Spin up a podcast featuring alumni success stories or fun, nostalgic chats with former students.

By showing up on multiple channels, you’re creating an all-you-can-consume buffet where everyone finds something to appreciate.

Make It a Conversation, Not a Monologue

Storytelling doesn’t have to be a one-way street. 

Alumni want to engage, not just scroll past content and hit ‘like.’ 

So, why not encourage them to jump into the conversation—ask for their opinions on trending topics, invite them to share their own success stories, and give them a platform to reminisce about their time at school.

Better yet, host live Q&A sessions with alumni rockstars or campus legends. 

Whether through social media or virtual meetups, these interactions can spark excitement and interest from prospective students while giving alumni a chance to share their story.

Metrics and Measuring Success

You’ve launched your digital storytelling campaigns, engaged your alumni, and created some incredible content. 

But how do you know if it’s working? 

This is where tracking key metrics comes into play. You need to keep your finger on the pulse of both alumni and prospective student engagement to understand what’s hitting the mark and what’s missing the beat.

Metrics like likes, shares, comments, and clicks give you direct insight into what resonates.

Are prospective students loving alumni day-in-the-life videos? Or do they seem to not get much traction at all? These small but powerful indicators tell you which content sparks the most interest.

Continually make changes to evolve your digital storytelling effort. 

The more you evolve your strategy towards what captures attention, the more you can foster a community of alums who help you stand out in the market! 

Need Help? 

Remember, using your alumni networks as both engagement tools and recruitment boosters is a win-win. 

Alumni become the real-life proof points for mission-fit students, and universities strengthen their connection with graduates through authentic, engaging content. 

At Caylor Solutions, we specialize in helping higher education institutions elevate their digital strategies to attract mission-fit students. 

Our team understands the unique challenges that universities face and offers tailored solutions that go beyond just theory—we provide practical, actionable strategies that you can implement immediately.

Ready to take your digital storytelling to the next level? Let’s chat!

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