A M A R I L L O  C O L L E G E ' S 
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S O C I A L  M E D I A  C O N T E N T

We used social media as the primary means of communicating our marketing messages digitally. In addition to more traditional post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, we also made liberal and consistent use of newer avenues like Instagram stories, Facebook stories, event filters, live video, and Snapchat geofilters. Creative paid advertising strategies were also employed on social media. Leveraging our access to student information, we crafted timely paid ads that were more personalized and relevent to the individual, their interests, and their specific situation. In all aspects of our social media presence, we made a consious shift toward quality over quantity and rejected the common longstanding practice of valuing volume output and "reach" over genuine organic engagement. 

O R I G I N A L  C O N T E N T 

C O M M U N I T Y  &  C O N N E C T I O N  T O  C A M P U S

A S P I R A T I O N A L  &  E N E R G E T I C

A D D R E S S I N G  S T U D E N T  N E E D S

E N T E R T A I N M E N T  &  L E V I T Y

D I S A P P E A R I N G  C O N T E N T

U S E R  G E N E R A T E D  C O N T E N T

As a commuter community college with a higher than average student age, our institution has struggled to create a sense of community, fun, and student involvement. To overcome this challege, we needed to create content that covers complex topics with entertainment and a touch of levity as well as content that is strictly fun and entertaining – without sacrificing our brand. 

As a minority majority college with a lower than average student income level and a high proportion of first-generation college students, we needed to create an image of hope and accessibility while also addressing the pressing needs of our students and connecting them to resources.  

G O A L

The goal of our 2017-2018 digital marketing campain sought to address the challenges of our institution head-on and connect with students in an honest and meaningful way. To do this, we had to create an online presence that is aspirational, entertaining, and original while addressing the barriers to our students' success. 

At Amarillo College, we have created a hypothetical amalgamation of our student demographic averages which we refer to as "Maria". Maria is a 28 year old female first generation college student with ≈2 children who attends part time. In addition to prospective students similar to Maria, we also sought to reach a younger generation of future college students and their parents.  

This younger audience has recently become more important than ever due to a groundbreaking new local scholarship program offered through a collaboration between AC and several other local organizations which offers all new graduating seniors from Amarillo Independent School District the opportunity to take 60-hours of course work at AC without paying a penny toward tuition, books, or fees regardless of family income.

The vast majority of all of our digital content – including blog posts, video production/editing, graphics, animations, and photography – is created by a small in-house team of two designers, a writer, and a part-time content producer which is then published and analyzed by our digital communications coordinator. The small size of our team, however, gives us the ability to communicate our message efficiently without losing focus on our objectives.  

A B O U T  U S
Amarillo College is a vibrant, comprehensive community college profoundly focused on helping lead our students to success.

AC features a compelling blend of quality and affordability, typically enrolling approximately 10,000 students in academic classes at six campuses within in three counties – at approximately one-third that of the cost of a public university in Texas.

Additionally, more than 20,000 area residents regularly take advantage of AC’s plentiful assortment of professional development and personal enrichment courses under the umbrella of Continuing Education.

#SuccessIsAC