Thank you to everyone who completed our recent alumni survey.<\/p>\n
We are grateful that over 850 of you took the time to share your thoughts and experiences in order to help shape our strategy moving forward. Your contributions have provided valuable insights into alumni communication preferences, including your preferred channels and the types of content you are most likely to engage with.<\/p>\n
While preferences vary across graduating cohorts, the findings identify clear opportunities for us to enhance our communications and strengthen our engagement offering so that valuable opportunities are provided for you to maintain your relationship with Kent after graduation and throughout your career.<\/p>\n
What you told us:<\/strong><\/p>\n The alumni newsletter is the most popular communication format overall with quarterly updates preferred slightly ahead of monthly updates.<\/p>\n What we are doing:<\/strong><\/p>\n You may have already noticed that your alumni e-newsletters have begun arriving in your inbox seasonally, rather than monthly. The reduction in quantity has meant we can provide you with an update of quality news every few months without regularly overwhelming your inbox.<\/p>\n Our new schedule means we are contacting you only when we have news that is relevant to you to share.<\/p>\n If you’re not currently receiving emails from us, please update your details and contact preferences here<\/a>.<\/p>\n What you told us:<\/strong><\/p>\n The second most popular communications format is a magazine. Interest is particularly strong among respondents who graduated in the 1960s, many of whom expressed a preference for the magazine alone, and among 1990s graduates, who rated the magazine similarly to the newsletter.<\/p>\n What we are doing:<\/strong><\/p>\n We will continue to explore the possibility of re-launching the Kent Magazine as so many of you continue to miss it.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the previous incarnation of the magazine became unsustainable to produce, however back issues are still available to read on our website.<\/a><\/p>\n A possible consideration for future production is an annual digital edition.<\/p>\n What you told us:<\/strong><\/p>\n Social media becomes more important among more recent graduates. Among those who graduated in the 2000s, social media was the second most popular source of news after the newsletter, whilst for 2020s graduates it came out on top.<\/p>\n What we are doing:<\/strong><\/p>\n We will enhance the University\u2019s social media presence for alumni by building on our established channels, including the University of Kent Alumni Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n We will also work to ensure more alumni focused stories are shared on our central social media channels. Make sure to follow University of Kent on Instagram<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, and LinkedIn<\/a> to stay up to date.<\/p>\n What you told us:<\/strong><\/p>\n The most popular content topics were:<\/p>\n What we are doing:<\/strong><\/p>\n We will prioritise University news and alumni stories as lead content, while featuring updates from academic schools, research and fundraising on a rotational basis or tailoring them to specific alumni audiences where appropriate.<\/p>\n Your suggestions of additional content will also be taken into consideration as we plan our work for the upcoming academic year.<\/p>\n These include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Overall, the survey suggests that a more segmented communications approach would better reflect the differing preferences of alumni across generations. A quarterly newsletter, complemented by a stronger social media presence and exploration of a magazine-style publication, would align communications more closely with alumni expectations while allowing content to be tailored to the audiences most likely to engage with it.<\/p>\n Thank you once again for taking part.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alumni Magazine<\/h3>\n
Social Media<\/h3>\n
Alumni Content<\/h3>\n
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