What the WSU-Rochester Blog is About
The purpose of this blog is to tell the story of WSU-Rochester to the general public, including prospective students.
Posts will generally:
- Demonstrate reasons to attend WSU-R
- Quality education to prepare students to succeed in a changing Rochester community
- Convenient & affordable access to education
- Ways to get involved in the Rochester community (eg. networking, volunteering)
- Sense of community and feeling of belonging at WSU
- Benefits of life-long learning (eg. career advancement, financial security, serving community)
- Highlight cultural and economic changes to Rochester (in relation to WSU-R)
- Highlight resources for non-traditional students (campus services, local resources)
These posts will be written by WSU-R staff with the occasional guest post. All posts will be attributed to the author rather than a generic “staff writer” account.
Ultimately, these posts will help feed social media and be integrated into the WSU-R website.
See the general WSU-Rochester Communication Strategy for more information.
Voice & Style
Posts should be written in a professional voice that is still welcoming, friendly and personable. Imagine that you are talking to a business colleague or someone at a chamber of commerce meeting.
Use first person plural point-of-view (“we” language) when appropriate to help the reader build a sense of connection to the WSU-R community, Rochester community and WSU overall. Avoid using singular first-person point-of-view (“I” language) unless it’s guest post with personal perspective.
Posts will tend towards an informational style, but they should still be lively and compelling with an element of motivation so that people leave feeling energized to take the next step.
Be sure to structure posts subheadings and lists to make them faster to scan. Q&A formats are also encouraged.
Aim for posts between 500 – 1,500 words and all posts should have at least one featured image.
Target Audience
Always keep your audience in mind when writing posts.
Primary Audience: The Greater Rochester Community
Our “Greater Rochester Community” audience are stakeholders and influencers at all levels with social or economic connection to Rochester.
These people tend to be established adults who are educated professionals in service industries. They are practical and service-oriented; they care about higher education.
Many are white and speak English, but this community is rapidly changing and becoming more diverse.
Secondary Audience: Prospective Students
Generally speaking, prospective students have the following characteristics:
- The average age of student is 34; they often balance families, a job and college
- Live in or around Rochester, yet many are not familiar with the community
- They have some college experience -- either completing their bachelors or pursuing advanced degrees
- They likely already have professional experience, but they are seeking more opportunities to advance personally and impact the community
- Many are first-generation students, may be immigrants or first-generation Americans
- They value flexibility and attracted to online offerings, which means that they may never come to the physical campus
General Editorial Content Strategy
Posts will generally cover:
- Program announcements (updates, new programs, new classes)
- Alumni stories (success after graduation, involvement in the community)
- Current student stories (why they chose WSU-R, especially in the community)
- Faculty & staff stories (involvement in the community, interesting research, how they benefit their students)
- Practical tips for success (how to connect to resources, balance work-family-school, use WSU-R programs to get ahead)
- Major campus news that is of interest to the general public
A detailed editorial calendar will be developed on an on-going basis by Joe Hammes, WSU-Rochester Marketing Director.