4 Social Media rules you should live by...

Four Social Media rules you should live by in Higher Ed

Taking your Social Media accounts to the next level

by Adam Dean

The reason that Facebook and YouTube have been able to remain in the top 5 most visited websites since 2010 is the same reason that now Snapchat, Instagram, and Messenger along with Facebook and YouTube are the most downloaded mobile apps of 2016. We are social creatures with a deep desire to share our stories. 5-6 years ago people claimed it was just the college and high school kids creating this tech tsunami, but that is no longer the case. Now all of us have our batteries charged, our content in the cloud and are looking for that .

1. Timeliness

Nothing is worse than posting about a topic that everyone has already moved on from. Social Media allows everyone to stay connected outside of the typical 8-5 workday schedule. Often times when something significant happens at 7:30 pm its old news at the coffee pot at 8:00 am the next morning. When major events happen,at the time to share, plan to post the content in reaction to the event, not as a breaking news source. A summary of the event and responses from the students, or community can be the best way to engage in the conversation if it is already going on.

2. Quality Content

Have you ever been scrolling through Facebook and feel like you're seeing the same post from the same person over and over and over. Maybe its vacation pictures or baby photos. You may be encountering an oversharer. This is a position that a University never wants to put them self in. If your followers are seeing your post in their feed to often or with content that is irrelevant to them they won't follow you for the important information.

3. Universal Branding

Keeping your message and branding the same across different social media channels seems like a no brainier. Yet time and time again you will see a university Twitter account that is using an outdated or different university logo than their Facebook page. You will see inconsistent messaging around the universities mission and values on different social media platforms. You sometimes even see information that directly contradicts something posted on another social media page. Your University should have a few primary accounts that are all under the direction of one person. Many institutions have multiple accounts for different departments but all of those content providers should be in line and in regular contact with a University Web Media Manager or Director.

4. Follow the data

Technology allows us to do some pretty powerful things. One of those things is track user data. If your university is not using data and trends to understand who your audience is, then you are missing out on a untapped resource. Understanding the demographics of your audience is important. Who, When and Where are probably the 3 most important. From the data you can often get an age range, ethnicity profile and gender. this information can help you create and shape your content around your audience. When is your audience most active and when do they interact with your content the most? Where are they coming from and how can we get more traffic from certain areas?

There are plenty of other do's and don'ts but these four rules will keep your accounts on track and growing with an interactive audience.