With a foundation set in the first 6 months, months 7-12 serve to generate more momentum and progress and showcase your Switchboard as a valuable place for the community to interact. Think about the strategies you used in your first 6 months, as well how months 7-12 align with the campus calendar, to inform your strategy in months 7-12.
Goals
Start off with simple goals for each month during this time. Simple goals with the Switchboard during this time are:
30 posts per month
85% response rate or better
75-100 new users per month
Input the goals above into the Goals section of Insights for accountability. If you want to add any other goals, numerical or otherwise, to shoot for each month, feel free to add those to your plan.
Calendar
Look over the communications calendar, events calendar, and any other calendars that could impact growth of your Switchboard during this time and fit Switchboard promotion in as often as you can. As in months 1-6, leveraging existing events is a tried and true method of generating traction on your Switchboard, especially marquee annual events like graduation, alumni reunions, etc.
Strategies/Methods/Communications
Once you have a sense of where Switchboard fits into the broader calendar, choosing how you use the places devoted to Switchboard is key. For each place in the calendar for Switchboard, consider using the follow strategies/methods:
Designated, visible spot in a monthly e-newsletter
Email to community (or segments of the community)
In-person promotion (e.g. speaking in classrooms, regional alumni events, or a larger annual event)
Social media posts
Leveraging Switchboard student/alumni ambassadors
Tailor communications to the time of the year to garner more community interest (e.g. graduation, upcoming holiday breaks, etc.)
Partner with other departments to cast a wider net in the community (e.g. teaming up with communications/marketing to spread the word)
Meet with stakeholders once a month to check on progress and make adjustments as necessary