For the fifth consecutive year, the University of Iowa reigns atop social media engagement in higher education.
The 2023 Higher Ed Social Media Engagement Report by Rival IQ ranks Iowa No. 1 overall, which includes ranking first on Facebook, second on Twitter, 11th on Instagram, and 35th on TikTok.
“The Hawkeyes are, as ever, a force to be reckoned with and dominate year after year on higher education social media,” the report says.
The report ranks colleges and universities on their engagement and engagement rates. Engagements include measurable interaction on social media posts, such as likes, comments, favorites, retweets, shares, and reactions.
Engagement rate is defined as the total engagement divided by the number of followers. Top-ranked colleges and universities on social media have high engagement rates with average or better-than-average audience size and posting volumes.
“Providing value and content that our audiences care about is of the utmost importance to our team. This past year has been all about authentic, user-generated content, and providing it at the right time, in the right format,” says Michael Benning, director of digital marketing at Iowa.
The report touts Iowa’s ability to connect with what matters most to Hawkeye fans, whether it be through student life, Hawkeye traditions, or celebrating important sports victories.
“I say this every year, but three things contribute to our success,” Benning says. “The Hawkeye community loves this school, our team members are very good at their jobs, and we will always stick to our strategy, which prioritizes our audiences first.”
You can follow the UI on social media @uiowa.
Check out some of Iowa’s best posts from the past year.
The Hawkeye women's basketball season none of us will ever forget.
Hawkeyes were excited to see that Iowa continues to be the best public university for writing across disciplines.
UI social media channels rely a lot on user-generated photos from Hawkeyes. Here’s a post that celebrates some of the best from last fall semester.
TikTok users loved this collaboration between the Hawkeye Marching Band and The Ohio State University.
