How universities can make the most of Pinterest

Photo-sharing platform Pinterest boasts 100m monthly active users and is one of the leading drivers of referral traffic behind Facebook. According to the platform itself, there are over 500,000 education-related pins added every day, and the 25-34 age group makes up 27.4% of the user base: making it a crucial medium for your university to engaged with prospects, enrolled students and alumni.Your university can set up a series of pinboards on which to share content of a particular theme. Here’s an outline of ways your university can make the most of this platform.

Promote your university’s achievements

Let your prospects know what your university has achieved in the past and where it’s headed in the future. University of Sussex’s our work board showcases work produced by current faculty and alumni, such as research papers, books and short films. Bucknell University’s ask the experts board shares interviews with its professors while its memories board commemorates seminal moments from the uni’s heritage. University of the West of England’s student stories board provides links to testimonials from enrolled students.

Promote your campus

Social media is a popular resource prospects use to research your uni, and sharing appealing pictures of your campus is a great way to catch their attention. University of Michigan’s tour #UMich board makes the most of place pins to allow prospects a look at the most photogenic aspects of its campus. Frankfurt School of Finance and Management has a board full of eye-catching photos of its site while Durham University’s board of college pictures would make anyone want to visit.

Promote your city

Pinboards are a great way to give prospects a flavour of your university’s surrounding area. University of St Gallen MBA has pinboards dedicated to Swiss landscapes and local alpine huts. West Virginia University’s Morgantown eats board focuses on restaurants and cafes in the uni’s hometown, and London South Bank University’s local places pinboard keeps Pinterest users clued-up on what's nearby.

School spirit

You can use pinboards to give prospects a taste of what life is like at your university and let them know about distinctive customs and traditions. Texas A&M University does just that with its traditions Pinboard: prospects can find out, for instance, why students put a penny on Sully, a statue of former president Lawrence Sullivan Ross. University of Wisconsin-Madison’s mascot, Bucky Badger, has his own pinboard. Elsewhere, University of Liverpool’s where our students come from board illustrates the varied international make-up of the student body.

Promote your events

Pinterest is a good place to get the word out about all manner of events. Take University of Derby for example: the uni has a pinboard promoting its open days; a general events board sharing pictures from bake sales, student elections and fashion shows; and one dedicated to the university theatre, promoting all the shows it hosts.

Promote your alumni

Alumni success stories lend your university credibility and can serve as inspiration for enrolled students. University of Michigan’s wolverines around the world board pins content posted by alumni, whereas DePaul University’s alumni board highlights respected celebrity attendees including John C Reilly and Gillian Anderson.

Competitions

Offering prizes is a good way to get prospects and enrolled students engaged on social media, and Pinterest is no exception. West Virginia University’s 25 days of giveaways board offers a range of goodies over the Christmas period, and University of Oregon runs all sorts of regular contests too.

Accommodation info

Pinboards allow you to show off your university’s halls. Newcastle University has a board for each of its accommodation buildings. University of Derby has a pinboard dedicated to student living as well as one full of recommendations of things to take to uni, while The University of Mississippi has a DIY board catering for dorm room decoration.

Other ideas

Plymouth University creates a news board every month, sharing news stories and updates to keep everyone in the loop. University of Pennsylvania posts job tips and career resources on a dedicated board. Boston College promotes book you can buy at its bookshop. London South Bank University has a board showing off its students’ fashion sense and a board for volunteering projects, and University of Sussex has a board for student recipes.