#BaylorHomecoming 2014 Will Welcome Bears Flung Afar Via Social Media

Baylor’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram growth will make this year’s event a social gathering even for those outside Waco

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Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275

WACO, Texas (Oct. 24, 2014) – Oct. 30-Nov. 1, thousands of Baylor University alumni will descend on Waco to celebrate Homecoming 2014. Reunion dinners, Pigskin Revue, the bonfire, parade, and of course the football game versus Kansas highlight the event’s schedule.

But with 165,000 living alumni, university officials know that the majority of Baylor alumni will not be able to make it back to campus next weekend for the festivities. Even those Bears, however, can join in the Homecoming spirit, thanks to the university’s social media channels.

Baylor’s official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts will be actively sharing the events of the weekend with thousands of online followers, sharing live photos throughout the weekend, complemented by complete photo galleries shortly after each major event.

“If you follow our social media accounts during a football game, you’ve seen how that experience can enhance a live event that has caught the Baylor family’s attention,” said Jeff Brown, Baylor’s director for social media communication. “For Homecoming this year, we aim to expand that approach from just a few hours to cover the entire weekend.”

Alumni, parents and other Bears are encouraged to tag their posts and pictures with the official hashtag for the weekend, #BaylorHomecoming. Bears are also urged to follow the university’s primary accounts on Facebook (Baylor University), Twitter (@Baylor and @BaylorProud), Instagram (@bayloruniversity), Pinterest (@baylor) and LinkedIn (Baylor University), not only at Homecoming but throughout the year.

Past Homecomings have seen tremendous levels of activity on social media; a few numbers from last year:
• More than 60,000 people engaged with Baylor’s Facebook page over the course of Homecoming 2013, while the university’s posts were seen by almost 800,000 individuals.
• The official university Twitter account, @Baylor, reached another 470,000 people, averaging 70 retweets and 2,000 link clicks a day.
• On Instagram, Homecoming photos averaged almost 1,200 likes each – approximately 10 percent of the account’s followers at the time.

Even more activity is expected this year, as each account’s following has continued to grow. Facebook has gained more than 20,000 followers in the last year and could top the 150,000 follower mark by Homecoming. On Twitter, @Baylor’s following has grown from 13,000 to almost 38,000 in the past year, while Instagram has jumped from 14,000 followers to more than 36,000 since last year’s event.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.