The Importance of Engaging Social Media Metrics Over Vanity Metrics
In our latest episode, Brianna Blackburn dives deep into the significance of focusing on meaningful social media metrics, particularly shares. Key to this strategy is steering away from vanity metrics such as likes, and moving towards engagement metrics that signify deeper interaction. Brianna underscores that shares drive a broader reach and stronger community ties on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Building Community Through Interaction
Brianna’s team has achieved an impressive 800% increase in response rate by fostering community through active engagement. Responding to every comment ensures followers feel valued and heard, further strengthening the community bond and enhancing follower loyalty.
Innovative Campaigns and Humorous Content Drive Engagement
Highlighting the “Family Weekend” campaign, Brianna discusses how humorous skits about family interactions during college visits have successfully boosted engagement. Content that encourages sharing and tagging friends has proven effective, creating a ripple effect that extends their reach.
Engaging Content with Mini Mic Series and Influencer Input
The introduction of a mini mic series captures candid campus experiences with mini microphone interviews, street videos, and hidden camera setups. This creative approach, bolstered by influencer participation, adds an element of surprise and entertainment, making the content even more shareable.
Strategic Event Coverage: Homecoming and Beyond
Brianna sheds light on their meticulous planning for events like homecoming to ensure diverse and engaging content. Leveraging current trends and capturing moments throughout the year keeps the content fresh and exciting, setting high standards for annual events.
The 40/40/20 Formula for Balanced Content
Brianna’s team employs a 40/40/20 formula for content strategy: 40% top-of-funnel content, 40% brand pride, and 20% informative communication. This balanced approach ensures content appeals to broader audiences, promotes university pride, and provides essential information.
Handling Content Requests and Maintaining Flexibility
Balancing content requests with strategic goals is crucial. While some requests might not fit, Brianna focuses on finding alternative approaches to integrate them into their social strategy. Open communication and a collaborative mindset help maintain positive relationships.
Future Plans and Ambassador Programs
Looking ahead, Brianna is excited about reimagining the ambassador program for 2025 and expanded partnerships. Collaborations with micro and macro influencers, industry partners, and a focus on integrating organic and paid social strategies present new opportunities for growth and engagement.
Don’t miss out on Brianna Blackburn’s insights, and be sure to connect with her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok to stay updated.
Read the transcription
Shira Hatori [00:00:14]:
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Higher Ed Demand Gen podcast hosted by Concept 3 d. If you like our content, please follow and subscribe to us on Spotify, Apple, and Google. My name is Shira Hatori, and I’ll be your host today. And I cannot wait to talk all about Higher Ed Social today. And for that, I’m very thrilled to have Brianna Blackburn join us. She is the assistant director of social media brand strategy at Bowling Green State University. We’ll probably be calling it BGSU later on the call too.
Shira Hatori [00:00:47]:
But, Brianna, welcome to the show.
Brianna Blackburn [00:00:50]:
Thank you. I’m so excited. Thank you for having me.
Shira Hatori [00:00:53]:
I’m very excited to have you as well. I loved our intro call. I’ve already used snippets of it on social posts because it’s been so helpful for me to understand your world. So thank you for that. And I do have an icebreaker, which is can you tell us what you love about higher ed?
Brianna Blackburn [00:01:09]:
Oh, that’s a good question. I love higher ed. It’s you know, the the thing I love the most about it is the community, at Bowling Green. I feel like that’s what makes us so special is that, you know, tight knit community. We’re not, you know, a huge university, but we’re, you know, midsize. So it’s just like the perfect size, when you’re a student. But even as a staff member, I just felt so much, meaning in my work, and I think a big part of that is the people. And not just, like, at Bowling Green, but also, like, just everyone who works in higher ed, we all kind of get it, to the community there.
Brianna Blackburn [00:01:50]:
And then I also just feel like, you know, it’s so important to, for all individuals to have access to education, and so it’s something I’m very passionate about. And I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for my experience at BGSU. It’s I always say that it’s that was the best decision I ever made choosing BG, and then the second best decision I ever made was, staying to work here, so I’m very grateful.
Shira Hatori [00:02:22]:
That’s amazing. And I know you recently also got promoted as well, so congrats on your promotion. You’ve been working at BGSU for several years now. Right?
Brianna Blackburn [00:02:33]:
Yes. I started as, an intern when I was a freshman at Bowling Green, and I’ve just kind of, you know, every year, taken on more responsibilities, and it’s been my entire career story, really, so I could not be more grateful for it.
Shira Hatori [00:02:52]:
Well, thank you. I know you already kinda told us a little bit about your background, but can you tell us a little bit about your role today?
Brianna Blackburn [00:02:59]:
Yeah. So in my role, I oversee the social media strategy for the university, official pages, and then we also, work on the alumni channels as well as the, we get to help out with some special projects on, the president’s social media. So that’s always super fun. He we have a very beloved president, president Rodney Rogers. He’s a great he’s a great social follow for anyone who is working on presidential or executive comms. But we basically, we do all the organic social, and then we often will be creating content for, our paid social as well. So we get to, you know, have organic and paid social kinda influence each other versus,
Shira Hatori [00:03:50]:
you
Brianna Blackburn [00:03:50]:
know, having 2 separate strategies, which I think has helped us be, successful. And we have an amazing team. We have, 2 other full time staff members, and we have, you know, a team of students. And then we also have freelancers who help us with community engagement. So our team used to be just me, and now it’s a team of 9 people. So it’s, you know, more resources. And then we also collaborate so closely with our photo video team who are just the most talented individuals in the world. We love working with them.
Brianna Blackburn [00:04:29]:
So, yeah, that’s kind of, like, a little bit about our structure. And, of course, like many other universities, we, we help, with campus partner social media strategy, and just kind of being a supporting role to all the different, departments on campus.
Shira Hatori [00:04:48]:
That’s fantastic. Several questions already. I’m I’m curious. Do you have a paid media team in house, or is that an agency?
Brianna Blackburn [00:04:56]:
Yeah. So a little bit of both. We have, our director of advertising. She kind of oversees, you know, like, the budget, and I get to collaborate with her. So it’s a lot of collaboration. We kind of work with everyone in in the marketing office. Like, the social media team, we’re, like we’ve got our hands in a lot of areas, which is why it has been so helpful that we’ve grown our team because we’re able to make, you know, an impact in that way. So her name is Andrea, and we work with her.
Brianna Blackburn [00:05:27]:
And she also, you know, has a couple different agencies that she’s kind of the the lead on, and so depending on what the project is. But she, yeah, she oversees our entire advertising strategy. So social media is, just a part of that. Oh, it’s a big part of it, though. So we Right. Are just really, glad that we’ve had those increased resources because it has allowed us to be more strategic and intentional when it comes to, like, you know, what we’re boosting or, like, even just, like, how we’re spending, money, like, beyond just, like, boosting organic social, what kind of content we’re, you know, putting out there in our paid media. And you’ll see this more like, we’ve been seeing it more and more. I feel like all advertising strategy is really just, like, becoming so social first.
Brianna Blackburn [00:06:30]:
So having this structure allows us to be thinking social first when it comes to our advertising.
Shira Hatori [00:06:37]:
No. The yeah. This is I mean, I just wanted to comment. This is amazing because, often I see, you know, in in having this podcast, I’ll talk to guests and their paid agency or their paid teams are working in a complete silo apart from their organic social. And my belief is, like you said, like, content that is good on social organically is typically gonna be good for one of the couple different strategies you have going for paid media. So, it’s really good to hear that you’re you’re on the same boat, and you’re in conversations, and you’re not silo siloed off. So this is great.
Brianna Blackburn [00:07:14]:
Yeah. It’s it’s so hard, I feel like, for an agency to be able to be the ones to create the content because they don’t, you know, live and breathe the brand the way that we do. So we’re able to be, like, super meticulous about, you know, the way we say things and or present things, but also just, you know, we have all this great access to students and, like, their stories. So we try to, like, lean into storytelling when it comes to just, like, all of our advertising efforts.
Shira Hatori [00:07:44]:
Yeah. That’s fantastic. Well, let’s let’s move on to this next topic here, which is around what’s working well for you right now. And in our intro call, I know you mentioned entertainment value a lot. So how does that tie into a lot of what’s working for you now?
Brianna Blackburn [00:08:00]:
Yeah. So we really love creating content that, you know, evokes emotion. So that’s what, you know, we really try to do, and that’s what I mean when I say something that’s entertaining. So whether that’s, you know, educational or inspiring or just makes you laugh, I think, like, the humor is what does the best because that’s, like, a big reason that people, like, open their phones and go to social media. They wanna kind of have a little escape from their, everyday life. So, you know, the entertainment value has helped us grow our audiences because we’re, you know, creating content that’s shareable. So we always try to keep, you know, our social media social. I think a lot of that kinda gets lost sometimes is, like, the whole point is to, you know, connect with people.
Brianna Blackburn [00:08:57]:
So we’re really focused on a couple metrics that include shares. I think that’s, like, the biggest one right now. And you’ll see, like, I think Instagram, I’m all of Meta and TikTok, I think, are really pushing shares. So that’s a big one. And then, of course, like, comments. We really wanna just foster as much community in the comments. Something we’ve focused on recently is just trying to respond to every single comment, and we’ve been able to increase, in the last year our response rate by over 800% just by, like, being so diligent about getting to each comment. Even if you’re getting to it, like, a week or 3 weeks later, it helps so much, and then it drives people back to that post even if it was, like, an older one.
Shira Hatori [00:09:53]:
And they
Brianna Blackburn [00:09:53]:
Good point. I think our followers just, like or anyone, even if they don’t follow us and they comment, it just is that extra touch from, the brand side that I think goes a long way. So, yes, entertainment value. And this weekend is family weekend. So it’s one of my favorite campaigns because there’s just so much that you can do. We’re, you know, playing around with a lot of, skits, you know, like moms visiting their, you know, students during family weekend and, like, seeing their college apartment be a mess and, like, telling them to eat more vegetables and stuff like that. So we’re hoping that that’ll really get some good engagement.
Shira Hatori [00:10:45]:
That’s fantastic. And I I like this point you made around shares. I I think I’m obviously on Instagram as well, not so much TikTok, but I have seen, like, a shift of content go from, like, engaging to being, like, tag a animal lover or, like, send this to your animal lover friend or something like that, and you send it to your friends, and that, like, increases your reach so much. Right? Is that what you mean by shares and creating content that’s formulated in that, in that formula or or call to action?
Brianna Blackburn [00:11:16]:
Yes. Like, sharing to your story or sending it to your friend versus, you know likes, I think, are just more of a vanity metric. Everybody wants likes, but if you can get people to share your content, that is, like, a much deeper engagement than just a like. So, that’s definitely our, like, number one goal right now when it comes to, like, what metric we’re specifically trying to grow.
Shira Hatori [00:11:50]:
That’s fantastic. And I you tell me a little bit about your, Mini Mic series. Can you tell us a little bit more about what Mini Mic is and what part of the series does well?
Brianna Blackburn [00:12:01]:
Yeah. So we have those little mini mics. They’re just tiny microphones. You can just order them on Amazon. They’re Bluetooth. There’s so many different kinds that you can order. But we have been doing this, I think, for almost 3 years now. So we’ll have, you know, those people on the street interviews with our students.
Brianna Blackburn [00:12:24]:
But we’ve been, you know, definitely trying to be more creative. Like, we’ll we’ve had, like, influencers come to campus, and we’ll give him the Mini Mic and have, you know, him interview students or our president. Or, you know, this weekend, last year, we had, a couple of our student interns, their parents take the mini mic during family weekend, which is just a ball. They love it. And I think those are just so you know, they’re so interesting and fun because you’re getting you can get a ton of different perspectives in one video. You can do, you know, a video that’s like, what do you like most about being a student at BG? But you could also make it something that’s, like, super debatable, like, around, like, a college rivalry or, you know, any topic that you think is gonna get people, really excited. And I think, this weekend, if it goes well, we’ll have a video where we’re gonna put a microphone out with a piece of paper. And then we’re just gonna, like, put a camera in a secret spot, and we’re gonna just let people, like, go up to the microphone themselves.
Brianna Blackburn [00:13:38]:
And I feel like that’ll just be a different version of kind of the same idea, but without that host. And it’s kind of more like that secret camera, so it’s it’s like the people that go up and answer the question are, like, looking around. And we’ll see how it goes. You know? It might be a flop, but, hopefully, it’s a sleigh.
Shira Hatori [00:13:59]:
Yeah. That’s great. I I mean, one thing I’m hearing is, like, you’re open to testing new things all the time, and that’s, like, part of the marketing job is, like, trying to figure out what works. And it sounds like you’re you move pretty quick, and you’re able to figure out what works, in that process. So that’s really fascinating and amazing at the same time, so that’s great.
Brianna Blackburn [00:14:21]:
It’s definitely interesting. I feel like every time we, you know, we look at analytics and we try something, we say we’re gonna do the series or we’re gonna try this new strategy, we’ll do it, and then it doesn’t work or whatever. So we just, like, quickly pivot, and we, like, we change our mind all the time. I think being nimble is, like, so important and, you know, not getting, like, tied to just doing something because it’s the way you’ve always done it. I think, like, having tradition in your social media I say that, you know, you can, like, quickly pivot, but there is something to having tradition in your social content, like, something you do every year that people look forward to. We’ve done that with, like, different kinds of, like, video series. And, you know, like, we have, like, this, like, falcon cam. Our mascot is a falcon.
Brianna Blackburn [00:15:21]:
And every year, we have these, birds fly back to the same location. So every single year, we kind of post the same kind of thing. It’s a little hidden camera that or not hidden, but a camera that’s right in this, paragreen falcon nest. And so things like that, like, definitely don’t lose all tradition in your social, but being nimble, having that balance is always good.
Shira Hatori [00:15:48]:
Yeah. That’s amazing. And I I love the your how much actual strategy and planning went behind, homecoming and your planning for that. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
Brianna Blackburn [00:16:00]:
Yes. So a couple weeks ago, we had our, homecoming, event on campus. It was so fun. We had, you know, alumni come back from all over the country, and we wanted to do a couple different content pieces that were entertaining, but also, like, kind of got people excited about the event. So I’m sure one of, I’m sure you’ve heard of this trend. One of the things that we did was the where x, of course, x that trend. So we did the we’re be just you alumni. Of course, we’re gonna x y z.
Brianna Blackburn [00:16:38]:
And we did not just, like, go out one day and film it. We filmed it all throughout the year at different events. So at our commencement ceremony, we filmed one clip that was like, we’re BGSU alumni. Of course, we’re gonna update our Instagram bio the minute we graduate. And then at move in, we did we’re be we’re I’m a BGSU alum. Of course, my student is gonna come to BGSU. And taking that approach, we were able to highlight different ages and genders. Like, it was a more diverse video rather than just having, you know, me go out and do the same thing over and over, which we’ve done before, and they are successful.
Brianna Blackburn [00:17:25]:
It was just kind of a different take on the trend. And we even had a couple of teachers film in their classroom, so that was cool. And some, like, alumni in different states talk about, like, getting their homecoming, their plane ticket to go home. So it took a little bit extra time and effort, but I think it was worth it.
Shira Hatori [00:17:49]:
That’s fantastic. And and when you say it was worth it, I know you track everything. You you told me you track how much water you drink before the call works. Like, tell me about how you track these results because it it sounds like a lot of work went into this. Right? And, like, how do you compare it to last year’s homecoming campaigns?
Brianna Blackburn [00:18:06]:
Yeah. So it’s always hard to like, I feel like every year, we’re, like, trying to one up our self. And the, last year was, like, our 100th anniversary for the band, and the year before with that was our Wow. 100th homecoming ever. So this homecoming, we were like, okay. What are we gonna do that’s fun? Because we don’t have something, like, big to celebrate. But it, you know, it still did very well. I think, it got, I don’t know, several 100 shares on Instagram.
Brianna Blackburn [00:18:40]:
I don’t know the exact number off the top of my head. Things change every day. But
Shira Hatori [00:18:44]:
You’re looking at shares. Gotcha.
Brianna Blackburn [00:18:46]:
Yes. Shares and comments. People were tagging, their alumni friends who were coming back. And, I think, you know, every year, just, like, trying to do something different and new has definitely helped.
Shira Hatori [00:19:02]:
That’s fantastic. Well, I love that you have a formula, for your social strategy. You kinda gave glimpses of it just now, but can you tell us a little bit more about your breakdown? Because I love this breakdown. I believe it’s, like, the 40, 40, 20.
Brianna Blackburn [00:19:17]:
Yes. Yes. Absolutely. So when it comes to all of our content, we have a formula, and it’s just 3 buckets that I’ve come up with. So 40% is, top of funnel content. So anyone it’s broad appeal. Anyone who sees your content can either relate to it, find it entertaining, or wanna learn more. So it doesn’t have to be, like, super niche to your brand.
Brianna Blackburn [00:19:45]:
So for example, instead of saying, like, we’re BGSU alumni. Of course. I always use the example, we posted once of, we’re college students. Of course, we’re gonna x y z. So that’s more broad appeal or, you know, kind of taking, a topic that’s just related to your university and just doing overall higher education or college spend on it. And that can be, you know, humor, or it could be, like, research that is, like, affecting large populations. I feel like we, you know, are always looking for ways to, like, make research interesting. But I think, like, the content with, like, emotion does really well.
Brianna Blackburn [00:20:35]:
We posted, over the summer when the Inside Out 2 movie came out
Shira Hatori [00:20:41]:
Yes.
Brianna Blackburn [00:20:41]:
We posted, a little meme dump and on Instagram, and it went, like, mini viral. It got, like, almost 20 I think it got 20,000 likes. And that, I think, is really, really hard to do with a still image, versus, like, a realer video. So and, I mean, that that movie is just, like, a perfect example of, like because the whole movie is literally, like, emotion, so that’s a, you know, perfect example of how human beings, like, when they see that kind of thing, like, it evokes something in us. So that’s our broad appeal. And then the other 40% is, brand pride. So I like to describe our brand pride post as things that, you know, differentiate us as a university from our competitors, and also just, like, the little special things that make people proud to be a student or an alum or a parent, a community member of the university. So that can be you know, that’s a great example of that.
Brianna Blackburn [00:21:54]:
We’re BGSU alumni. Of course, we’re gonna go to Polyeyes when we visit town, which is, like, a just super iconic, breadstick restaurant in BG. Just those, you know, unique little things. Yep. So not just that, but, if you have, like, exciting news, one thing that, we’ve been having a lot of momentum with this year and last is, growing, different scholarships and donations. So really making a big deal out of gifts and, like, the, you know and the, the philanthropists who have that belief in higher ed, and specifically at at BG, kinda making a splash with that, or maybe it’s like a program that is doing well. We’re talking about your enrollment. Whatever it is, your, that makes your university or brand unique, that’s what I call, like, the brand pride.
Brianna Blackburn [00:22:58]:
And, and then the last 20% is more of the, communication information, being a source of, you know, truth for your, all your different audiences and community members, whether that’s, like, event information, or, you know, admissions, scholarship information, and just, like, that customer service side of things. So those are that’s kind of our formula. And if we get a request that doesn’t fit into that formula, we, you know, we’ll try our best to, like, spin it in a way that does. But sometimes, you know, we have to say no, which is always so hard in social. You wanna say yes to everyone. But I do think, like, most of the time, you can take, you know, someone’s that’s why I always ask, what’s your goal when we have a campus partner request something. Because Yeah. 9 times out of 10, you can, with knowing their goal, and, you know, asking more questions, really making sure that is truly what they want.
Brianna Blackburn [00:24:08]:
Because sometimes when I ask, you know, people, like, what, you know, what’s your goal with this? They’ll, like, change their mind. Like, through the conversation, their goal will shift. So once that’s very clear, I think, you know, they might have requested you post this graphic about this program in this timeline. You know, post about it 10 times in the next 6 months. And instead of that, I can say, like, how about we make a video or we make something that’s, you know, more interesting, that that will have bigger impact and that will help you reach your goal versus just saying yes and doing it? But most of the time, we can we can do things that fit into that formula. But I have had to learn how to grow a backbone and say no.
Shira Hatori [00:24:58]:
Yeah. I know I know that’s one thing. Like, I asked you, like, if you’re seeing any challenges in higher ed, and I I mem I remember that you mentioned, you know, you’ve grown your social following and just the profile so much in in your few years at BG. And with that, what challenges come with that? And you said, well, a lot of people come to me now that, you know, they want a little piece of the pie. They want some action on your social, and you’ve had to learn to say no a lot more. Like, what what has that been like? And, like, how do you how do you pick and choose? Like, so do you break things down to the formula? And it’s like, hey. We already did our 20% of communication. No.
Shira Hatori [00:25:37]:
I’m sorry. We can’t put your student org event on here. It’s just doesn’t fit into our social. Like, what is that process like?
Brianna Blackburn [00:25:45]:
Yeah. That’s a good question. We, you know, we try our best to, like, have those conversations, like I mentioned, like, you know, trying to really get to their to get to the goal. But, a lot of times, what I’ll do is if it’s, like, a hard and fast no just because we have other priorities, like, we always have to think about, you know, what is the most important content that we get out this week or this month, and we have to do that very well. So, if if we don’t have time for the, you know, other requests, I I love just, like, you know, following back up with them in this in a future semester or doing something like that so that you’re not just we are my boss, Amy, she’s our AVP. She always says, like what does she say? She’s always, like, never say no. Like, always come from a place of yes. Always come from a place of yes.
Brianna Blackburn [00:26:47]:
And I think that, attitude and mindset really helps with collaboration because there are so many good stories, and you don’t want to miss a good story because you said no to somebody in the past. And so they don’t come to you in the future because they don’t think you’re gonna post, you know, about it. So I think, you know, just trying to not overpromise, but follow-up with people as best you can, definitely helps.
Shira Hatori [00:27:18]:
That’s great. Well well, thank you. I know a lot of people are wondering how they can grow their team and get more resources. I know you started solo, and now you’re at team at 9. So maybe, look to that formula Brianna just shared with us because I think that’d be really helpful. Just one last question. What’s what’s next for BG Social or your social strategy or your ideas as we near 2025? Anything fun or something you wanna test out next year?
Brianna Blackburn [00:27:48]:
Yes. I’m so excited. I can’t I can’t believe the year is almost over. It flew.
Shira Hatori [00:27:52]:
Right.
Brianna Blackburn [00:27:53]:
But I’m really excited to start, working with more influencers. Over the last 2 years, we had, an ambassador program that I was, you know, really happy with and proud with. But right now, we’re kind of, like, reimagining what that’s gonna look like in 2025. So those are, you know, students at BGSU who are passionate about the university and share on their social to the the micro influencers. And then, we just worked with Trent Miller, and he’s a pretty he’s more of a macro influencer. So I think, you know, building more, projects out with that in mind will be exciting. And, also, we, Apigee, we have a lot of, industry partners, so I would love to keep, you know, dabbling and creating content with them. For example, we’re partners with, 6 Flags, Cedar Point.
Brianna Blackburn [00:28:56]:
We have the only, resort attraction management program in the country that’s, like, embedded actually embedded in a theme park. So stuff like that, I think, will be really, helpful to, like, kinda get us to that next level. I saw today, this is, like, not related to higher ed, but it, like, really inspired me. Awala. Do you know the water bottle brand Awala?
Shira Hatori [00:29:22]:
I’m not familiar, but, yeah, tell me more.
Brianna Blackburn [00:29:24]:
They’re like the new Stanley, I feel like. Okay. Everyone was, like, drinking out of a Stanley. Now everyone’s drinking out of Awala. Know this one. Have either. I use a hydrate water bottle, as you know, but they, just released, a line of water bottles with, a brand called Lonely Ghost. And I keep seeing that kind of trend where brand like, 2 brands from different industries, like, come together to create content.
Brianna Blackburn [00:29:55]:
And I think higher ed can I feel like there’s something to that, whether it’s, you know, merch and apparel or, you know, maybe it’s, like, an industry partner that you have in, like, a specific program or maybe another university that you’re partnering with? I think there’s just something to brands coming together, and you guy and then both brands get each other’s, like, audience engaged, and you learn about another brand through that. So I don’t know. It’s just something that I’m, like, thinking about. I don’t know exactly how I wanna do it yet, but it’s on my mind.
Shira Hatori [00:30:37]:
No. That’s that’s fascinating. It, like, for some reason, it reminded me of McDonald’s. Yeah. McDonald’s did had a really poor couple years, like, 10 years ago, and they they basically started partnering with influencers, you know, that historically didn’t relate to fast food at all. But that was, like, their strategy, and they really have bounced back in the last several years with that. Not saying that, you know, you should go eat McDonald’s, but, like, they have real marketing, and I respect that. And so Mhmm.
Shira Hatori [00:31:08]:
No. It it made me think of McDonald’s and how they, like, brought 2 different types of industries together and figured out how they can help each other. So that’s great.
Brianna Blackburn [00:31:15]:
Like health and wellness influencers, something like that?
Shira Hatori [00:31:19]:
Yeah. Yeah. No. That could play. No. I like that. I like that you’re thinking outside the box because, you know, higher ed can just be this big vacuum of space sometimes. And I I think I now remember you mentioned you look to other brands for inspiration, not just other higher ed institutions.
Shira Hatori [00:31:35]:
So I think that’s great practice.
Brianna Blackburn [00:31:37]:
For sure. It’s always, like, the worst when you see, like, a different university just, like, straight copy your idea without, like, giving you credit too. And then there’s a lot of universities that will give other like, I think that’s, like, a Gen z core value is, like, giving credit where credit is due. And I love when I see other brands, like, say, like, inspo at, you know, Montclair University or whatever it is. And that’s something that we’re definitely trying to of course, there’s trends where everyone is doing it, and you’re not gonna give everyone credit. But there are some things that are super specific. So just my hot spot.
Shira Hatori [00:32:24]:
You have it. Yeah. If if you’re gonna take an idea from BG, make sure to tag them in with the inspo and, you know, they’ll be happy with that. So thank you so much, Brianna. It’s been so great talking to you. I love this is one of my favorite topics to cover, so it’s been very fun. Thank you so much. I’m wondering where our listeners can connect with you and figure out what you’re up to.
Brianna Blackburn [00:32:46]:
Yeah. You can find me on LinkedIn, Brianna, Blackburn. I’m also on Instagram and TikTok, Brianna l Blackburn. Pretty active on those. And then, of course, Ad official BGSU everywhere. So if you DM us, I might I might be the one that DMs you back or one of our students, but, any of those places.
