STUDENT SAVINGS SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS

Use this play to:

Invite students to share what they spent on textbooks and how they utilized cost savings via social media to promote OER.

Give students examples they can use as starting points to adapt into their own story about OER and the difference it’s making. Keep your messages simple and informative, and consider linking to a longer-form article or web page that dives deeper into your institution’s efforts with OER.
Include links, multimedia, images: Images and videos help grab attention. Links and videos invite your readers to learn more and engage more deeply.
Be social! Like, favorite, repost/retweet, and tag others to grow momentum and keep the conversation going. For best effect, recycle variations of the same campaign across multiple channels.

Tips for Twitter

- Create a hashtag. #Hashtags help promote your efforts and are used to help people quickly find relevant information. Sample hashtags include #OERatKSU, #openeducation, #textbookaffordability.

- #OER rocks! I’m taking [Course Name] with [Faculty Name] and paying only $X for materials. [Insert link to info/website about your OER initiative; add a photo or other image to draw attention]
- Calling all @[YourInstitution] faculty: Why should I pay hundreds with I can learn just as well with #OER? Thanks [Faculty Name] for considering costs. [Insert link to info/website about your OER initiative or success data; add a photo, logo, or other image to draw attention]
- We’re proud to celebrate #OpenEducationWeek and the benefits #OER brings to @[YourInstitution] students: #textbookaffordability, #dayoneaccess, reducing barriers to #studentsuccess [Post with a photo of happy students from your campus]

Tips for Facebook/LinkedIn

Facebook and LinkedIn can use the same basic content as Twitter messages, but generally with fewer hashtags and more characters. These platforms also generate thumbnail images automatically when you include a link in your post, so there’s no need to add images separately.
Sample Thanks campaign. Have students take a “Thanks Selfie” or select a GIF and post it alongside a message: Thanks [YourInstitution] for using open educational resources (OER) to improve affordability and remove cost as a barrier to success. Using #OER is linked to higher test scores, lower dropout rates, and lower costs than traditional textbooks. It’s the right thing to do. Here’s proof: https://youtu.be/SX0K0hb_xKE [Or insert link to info/website about your OER initiative; add a photo, logo, or other image to draw attention]

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