A Black & Orange Inauguration - Kalamazoo College

College students are more plugged in than ever. Ninety percent of young adults –age 18 to 29 – use social media, and academic institutions eager to connect with these digital natives need up-to-the-minute tools. Read on to see how Kalamazoo College aced Social Engagement 101 by using TwineSocial’s live streaming display during a recent presidential inauguration.

Kalamazoo College is an old school with fresh ideas. Nestled in Michigan, just 140 miles from Detroit and Chicago, the private liberal arts college is among the 100 oldest institutions in the nation. Widely respected for its ability to stay relevant in an increasingly complex world, Kalamazoo promotes learning by experience as a key tenet of the K-Plan – the college’s integrated approach to education.

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That hands-on, innovative spirit doesn’t stop with undergrads. Shortly before hosting the school’s 18th presidential inauguration in November, administrators contacted TwineSocial with an engaging idea.

“We saw an opportunity to showcase our president and how well he interacts with students,” recalled Director of Media Relations and Online Content Andy Brown. “We weren’t sure how exactly we were going to be able to do it, but after some Google searches, we found TwineSocial.”

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With Twine, clients can curate content from all major social media networks, selecting beautiful layouts for live events or integrating social media streams into existing websites. That’s how the world got invited to Kalamazoo College’s Student Dinner with President Jorge Gonzalez.

Twine’s user-friendly dashboard made it easy to prep the event’s real-time display wall, so the school’s communications team focused on promoting the #KPrez18 hashtag around campus and various social media channels. As guests arrived to the celebratory dinner, student leaders simply shared a friendly reminder, “Dinner’s on the president, so make sure you thank him by posting and using this hashtag,” Brown said.

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As content poured in, Twine’s aggregation engine crawled Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, collecting data in a real-time preview tool accessible to on-site moderators. “That allowed us to make sure our messaging stayed on target, and the process proved easy and successful,” Brown said.

Posts appeared within seconds on closed circuit TV screens around the college. “Coolest president ever,” one read. Another showed the football team huddled around the president, who proudly posted his own selfie with students, too! “The students were deeply involved and loved promoting such an inspiring president,” Brown said, estimating half of attendees actively participated.

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Social content remained on display throughout the inaugural weekend, allowing community members to catch an insider view of campus life. Online engagement boosted, too, as social integration strengthened ties with alumni and prospective students. Overall, the campaign earned A+ accolades -- yet another fun, shared experience powered by TwineSocial.

For more ideas on how to promote shared enthusiasm around an idea, product, or community, check out our solutions gallery. Then, kick off your own success story with a free 7-day trial of TwineSocial. Let us know how we can help!

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