Shaping Future Pathways

A young and vibrant college of the prestigious Singapore Management University (SMU), the College of Integrative Studies (CIS) seeks to help students navigate emerging inter-disciplinary fields that require an academic exploration beyond conventional undergraduate degree programmes.

Understanding the importance of nurturing graduates that can confidently find solutions beyond a single area of study or traditional paradigms, CIS stands out by offering undergraduate programs like the Deferred Declaration of Degree (D3) for students to explore their interests in the first year before deciding on their destination degree programme, and the Bachelor of Integrative Studies (Individualised Major) which allows students to integrate ideas and perspectives across disciplines.  

The college paves the path for undergraduates by providing faculty advisors and industry mentors to offer insights and guidance on the nuances of their respective fields.

Class Is Now In Session

With goals to raise awareness of the school’s unique offerings and raise the profile of its nascent brand, CIS approached Superminted to leverage social media platforms as a way to engage their core demographic which includes prospective students and their parents.

The project originally began as a retainer account for social media management. It included a campaign during student application season to generate interest and information about CIS at SMU’s Open House and increase applications. Superminted was responsible for on-ground coverage of the event, filming highlights of what to expect and demonstrating how prospective students could benefit from attending the Open House.

Challenges and Solutions

To kick off this project, Superminted conducted an in-depth social media audit in which we identified some of the strengths and weaknesses of SMU CIS’s existing social media content. One trend we noticed was the repetitive nature of their static and video posts. SMU CIS also echoed this sentiment, sharing how the content strategies employed previously had become stagnant and resulted in reduced engagement.

To overcome that, Superminted proposed a change to their social media management strategy which featured four key content pillars:

Our approach encompassed the entire content lifecycle, from strategising to post-delivery management. Beginning with content strategy, as alluded to earlier, all the way to content ideation, content creation, and content management. This process involved Superminted leveraging its multiple in-house teams and their respective competencies to make the social media management process simple and effective for SMU CIS.

Developing Content For A New Generation Of Students

Across three formats, the Superminted team developed ideas based on the key content pillars identified in the strategy stage. We tailored each piece of content to a specific media type that would accentuate its strengths to deliver messages in line with SMU CIS’s goals.

For example, serious and content-heavy posts that required a little more explanation were delivered via static carousel posts and reels that would help contextualise the information presented. Meanwhile, interviews that showcase the personality of SMU CIS professors were displayed in bite-sized videos via Instagram Reels. This dynamism allowed for each professor’s unique personality and charm to shine through.

Static Posts

The example of a static post, seen below, illustrates how we orientated information-dense posts towards carousels that the audience could peruse at their own convenience.

The tool-tip style post was created to deliver practical advice for existing SMU CIS students while subtly highlighting the unique classes offered by SMU CIS. These classes are a defining feature of SMU CIS, designed to provide a holistic and well-rounded education.

Reels

For content that required a more vibrant presentation, we utilised reels filmed and produced by our in-house video production team. Utilising animation and graphics, we were able to create and deploy unique content that attracted audiences, engaged their attention, and prolonged their viewership.

A great example of this can be seen above, in the form of event coverage videos. The Superminted team was on-site during SMU CIS’s Open House to document the event and produce a highlight reel. We further edited in quick cuts and dazzling transitions during the post-production process to distil the key components of the Open House and convey its atmosphere on social media platforms.

Interviews

SMU CIS boasts an array of professors who approach education in an interdisciplinary and holistic manner. These faculty members continue to be a big draw for the college and we felt a dire need to truly showcase their personalities to prospective students and parents.

To achieve this, the Superminted team went on site to interview SMU CIS’s professors with strategic talking points that really amped up the school’s unique offerings. We also processed these interviews in post-production and split them into varying clips that could be used to supplement content pillars over the course of the retainer.

The Report Card

From the get-go, our efforts garnered significant results and demonstrated the success of our full-suite social media management strategy. Within three months, we reported a 100% increase in engagement, a 524% increase in reach, and 116% increase in followers.

These numbers surpassed our expectations and in further after-action reviews, our Client felt empowered and confident in our abilities. We look forward to a great positive working relationship with SMU CIS in the years ahead as we continue to ideate, develop, and curate content that excites and engages their followers.

We’re Not Too Cool For Schools

As a brand management agency, our mission has always been to support brands in their journey of evolution – we are committed to making this evolution as strategic and hassle-free as possible.

This project is a testament to us walking the talk, and serves as an example of how we are able to apply our brand management expertise to the Education sector. We’re always looking for opportunities to collaborate and help your brand evolve. Reach out today if you’re ready to take your brand to the next level!

Daryl is a Copy Editor at Superminted, fueled by a love for bringing emotionally engaging stories to life. With  carefully selected words and a smart turn of phrase, he is devoted to helping brands shape their unique voice.

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