Quick Guide to Social Media Channels
On This Page
- Before You Begin
- Snapchat
- Tumblr
- YouTube
- Other Social Media and Content Sharing Sites to Consider
- Related Resources
Before You Begin
Social media can be a valuable addition to a robust communication strategy, but be sure to consider a few questions before you launch a new social media account:
- Who is your intended audience? Is this the right channel to reach them?
- How much time can you dedicate to the management of this channel?
- Social media is fast-paced and requires time for monitoring and engagement as well as outgoing messaging.
- Set aside time to keep up with the ever-changing features and policies within social media channels as well.
- What are your goals, and how will you measure success?
Below is a quick overview of the most common social media channels, and how they can be utilized in marketing and communications efforts:
Facebook is one of the largest social media channels, with an estimated 1.4 billion daily active users (Source: Facebook). Facebook business pages allow you to:
- Share news and information
- Share video content
- Stream live video for Q&As, events, and tours
- Share photos and photo albums to showcase events, facilities, and people
- Answer questions and provide customer service via direct messages
Learn how to get a business page started
Twitter is used to discover trending conversation topics and breaking news, share information instantly, and to connect with people and businesses across the globe. Nearly 1 in 4 Americans are using Twitter. (Source: Hootsuite Blog, 2018) You can use Twitter to:
- Tap into trending topics relating to your college, department, or research area
- Connect with influencers in your field, members of the media, and your intended audience
- Listen to what is being said about you, what questions you can answer, and what is important to your intended audience
Instagram
Instagram is a photo-sharing platform that is managed from a smart-phone app and is one of the fastest growing social networks, with 1 billion active monthly users. (Source: Search Engine Journal 2018) This channel is ideal for visual storytelling using striking images, video, and captions. Your Instagram account will allow you to:
- Share images of campus, events, students, faculty, and staff
- Utilize Instagram Apps like Boomerang, Layouts, and Hyperlapse to create unique and interesting posts
- Tap into local and campus-specific communities using popular hashtags
Snapchat
Snapchat is a photo, video, and message-sharing platform used for real-time sharing of messages that disappear within a certain period of time. You can use Snapchat to:
- Tell a visual story using the MyStories feature
- Connect with nearby Snapchat users by creating geofilters
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a social media network for professionals to connect, engage, and gain industry information and inspiration. (Source: LinkedIn)
By creating a company page or LinkedIn group, you can:
- Create targeted content for professionals in specific industries
- Showcase research and industry expertise
- Connect with students and alumni
Learn how to create a company page
Learn how to create a new group
Tumblr
Tumblr is a microblog social network, in which users create and share images, video, audio, links to web content, and short form writing.
You can use Tumblr to:
- Tap into existing communities by tagging posts with specific content tags
- Increase search engine optimization by amplifying content from your website
Useful links:
YouTube
YouTube is currently the most popular video-oriented website, boasting more than 1 billion users. YouTube, on mobile alone, reaches more 18-34 and 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S. (Source: YouTube) By creating a YouTube channel, you can:
- Host video content to embed within your website and share within communications such as social media and email marketing
- Target users with specific interest areas by tagging your video content with related keywords
- Create playlists with related content to showcase research or outreach efforts
Useful links:
Other Social Media and Content Sharing Sites to Consider
- Flickr
- Vimeo