Before the holidays I shared with you a story that was gaining momentum regarding Facebook use at colleges. Therein, Brad J. Ward at Butler University had found that a firm was creating and managing university class of 2013 groups, likely with the intent of creating viral marketing to this segment for their own purposes.

The story gained considerable momentum through the holidays, and with questions abound regarding use of Facebook for recruitment marketing, I have some comments.

Quickly, I would like to dispel at least one very important myth about Facebook without getting promotional; Universities and Colleges CAN assert control the message without taxing resources! While you cannot filter every word that goes to each student in a group bearing your name, you are able to deliver personalized content to students in Facebook, unique to their interests, automatically!

For recruitment, marketing is about delivering rich content about your school to potential customers (and influencers) with the purpose of enticing them to enroll. In that marketing message, you share all the virtues of your school and what makes an education at your institution an experience they should want to carry with them the rest of their lives. Meeting the needs of your prospective students, on the other hand, is making good on that brand promise. Customer service is a vital part of your brand and thus a critical element in your marketing. Little time is wasted worrying about negative words if there is supreme confidence that there are few negatives to speak of.

So, why exactly are Facebook groups being used by students; because institutions see it as a marketing tool? In some cases yes. However, given that so many schools have yet to even explore this medium, isn’t it really because there is a customer service expectation that schools are now trying to meet? In other words, students are doing this anyway; sharing thoughts and experiences, and schools are trying to take part.

The simple truth is that students are using Facebook, and other mediums, as part of their research to see if the marketing they get from you matches what others have experienced. Having been subjected to marketing since they could watch TV this generation buys with more scrutiny of marketing than perhaps any other. Instant access to information allows them to determine if your message is valid; with or without your help! Have you seen an increase in stealth applications? Is it possible that students are not meeting you on your terms because they prefer theirs?

A balance between marketing and customer service has to be found to be successful. Certainly, an institution is well advised to make customer service exceptional in all areas, but by doing so, at least in recruitment, institutions can switch from having to manage relationships with customers to customers managing the relationships. This subtle shift empowers the student to quickly access information they need to see just how well you do at supporting your brand promise. Having a presence in Facebook that speaks about, and delivers an exceptional experience, is both marketing and customer service.