The Application with Allison Turcio

Turning Trends into Tours: How Bowling Green’s Social Media Drives

Episode Summary

In this episode, Allison talks to Brianna Blackburn, Assistant Director of Social Media Strategy at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), about how social media can be a powerful driver of enrollment. Brianna shares her strategies for turning TikTok trends and Instagram posts into measurable enrollment outcomes and how her team has built a thriving online community of over 350,000 followers across various platforms. As a Gen Z-er, Brianna offers a fresh perspective on how to balance creativity with intention to engage prospective students, current students, parents, and alumni in a way that feels authentic and fun.

Episode Notes

In this episode, Allison talks to Brianna Blackburn, Assistant Director of Social Media Strategy at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), about how social media can be a powerful driver of enrollment. Brianna shares her strategies for turning TikTok trends and Instagram posts into measurable enrollment outcomes and how her team has built a thriving online community of over 350,000 followers across various platforms. As a Gen Z-er, Brianna offers a fresh perspective on how to balance creativity with intention to engage prospective students, current students, parents, and alumni in a way that feels authentic and fun.

Key “How-Tos” You’ll Hear in This Episode:

  1. Engage Prospective Students with Social Media Trends: Learn how to leverage trending sounds, viral challenges, and popular content formats to create engaging posts that attract and resonate with your target audience.
  2. Optimize Social Media Platforms for the Enrollment Journey: Discover which platforms are most effective for prospective students and how to create a tailored experience on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to meet their needs.
  3. Build Collaborative Campaigns Across Teams: Understand how to work with admissions teams, video production teams, and influencers to create consistent and engaging social media campaigns that align with enrollment goals.
  4. Balance Multi-Generational Audiences on Social Media: Find out how to create content that appeals to multiple generations, from Gen Z to parents and alumni, without losing your brand’s unique voice.
  5. Measure the Impact of Social Media Campaigns: Learn how to track success through key metrics like engagement, comments, and shares, and how to pivot when certain strategies aren't working.

Guest Name/Title/Employer: Brianna Blackburn, Assistant Director of Social Media Strategy at Bowling Green State University (BGSU)

Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianna-blackburn-71289a150/

Guest Bio: Brianna Blackburn is the assistant director of social media strategy at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio, where she leads the BGSU social media team, cultivating an audience of more than 350,000 across platforms. Over the last seven years, Brianna has scaled and coached teams to develop and execute social campaigns that have driven engagement and audience growth, increased brand awareness and boosted sales and enrollment. She is also a social content creator and social media freelance consultant.