By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
In March, Barton Community College Board of Trustee Don Learned questioned the college’s use of TikTok, a social media, short-form video hosting service owned by a Chinese company.
Barton’s Chief Communications
Officer Maggie Harris and the college’s communications department began looking
at analytics from their social media platforms. Comparing advertising
campaigns, Harris also did research on trends and how TikTok stacked up against
the rest.
"There were some interesting things I found, especially in relation to the difference in engagement rates with TikTok and Instagram, which are the most comparable platforms," said Harris. "The average engagement rate on TikTok is almost 18% versus a 3.8% on Instagram. I found that very telling."
Learned expressed concern that advertising on TikTok to attract potential
students was giving money to the Chinese government. There has also been
world-wide criticism over user privacy with the application.
After presenting
to the Trustees on Tuesday, Harris said the college will continue their
marketing on TikTok and other social media platforms.
"Not one platform reaches our overall audience," said Harris. "We have some platforms that are specific to a younger demographic. We have some that specific to an older demographic or parents and guardians of future students. Being able to use a variety of platforms allows us to reach everybody."
You can connect with Barton Community College on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube,
Facebook and X (Twitter).