Over 80% of UAE institutions’ engagement is contributed by Abu Dhabi
University, instantly addressing students’ needs in real time
In a bid to give
students a greater voice and transform communications from a one-way monologue into
a two-way interaction, Abu Dhabi University has become the UAE’s leading
university in social media engagement according to Facebook statistics -
attracting the lion’s share of all Facebook engagement among local institutions
(over 80%). The institution, has so far reached more than 2.8 million people
worldwide. Underlining its global appeal as a cosmopolitan community, its Twitter
followers transcend the UAE and hail from as far afield as Sub-Saharan Africa,
South Asia, Europe and Australia.
According to the
2013 Arab Social Media Report, Arabic is now the fastest growing language on
social media and this is reflected in ADU’s bilingual content. Its fan base of
over 30,000 is soaring by 560 new fans per day, mirroring the Gulf region’s
status as the world’semerging social media hotspot.
Mr. Mahmoud
Khalil, Department of Marketing and Communications at Abu Dhabi University,
explained that the institution is staying at the forefront of social media
trends to become more interactive, proactive and responsive, and has been
showered with highly positive feedback for promptly addressing students’ enquiries,
concerns and needs:
“Whether
we are announcing breaking news, sharing inspiring success stories, introducing
new world-class faculty members, sending urgent reminders or announcing
thrilling new contests that nurture students’ talents, our digital platforms
keep us connected to the pulse of our student community and our society in real
time.In addition, platforms like LinkedIn help our students to network with
potential employers, while our Instagram and YouTube channels add to a wealth
of captivating content that entertains, educates and inspires our global
audience. This is basically a parallel universe where we bring students,
faculty, employers and other partners together online, so that they can
replicate this tight-knit community offline.”
Mr. Khalil
noted that over 60% of the region’s population is aged under 29, hence ADU’s
young fan base forms the heart of tomorrow’s thought leaders and trendsetters:
“We should never forget that Facebook was the brainchild of university students
just like our own, so we use social media to facilitate a free exchange of
fresh ideas that empower our young visionaries to change the world in their own
ways. When we welcomed our first students a decade ago, even Mark Zuckerberg
himself didn’t know what Facebook was. But now we are riding the wave of the
cyber revolution, harnessing the mobile app explosion and exploring trends like
podcasts and vodcasts to distinguish ourselves as the most UAE’s most
tech-savvy institution with the most ‘social’ student life.”
Not to be
eclipsed, the university’s Twitter content has made it the UAE’s frontrunner in
daily activity and followers’ growth rate. Reinforcing the evolution of social
media from a purely leisure activity to an indispensable business tool, word of
mouth and peer-to-peer referrals remain the most credible influencers in students’
choice of university and employers’ recruitment decisions. The UAE already has
some of the region’s most influential Twitter personalities, with a staggering 5.8
million tweets posted by regional users daily. It is anticipated that the highly
active student population will give the region an ever-growing share of the 150
billion total friendships and 1.13 trillion likes on Facebook.
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