General guidance

• Use existing branded accounts: At the University, we have established branded accounts designed to boost awareness for various objectives. Setting up a new account requires significant resources and time to build an audience, so we encourage you to utilize existing accounts for your promotional needs. Exceptions for new accounts will be considered only under special circumstances. If you believe your situation warrants a new account, kindly submit a request through the designated form found here.
• Do not just recycle: When a brand has multiple social channels, it can be easy to post the same thing on each word for word. This can look messy and can be problematic for character limits.  Try to curate for each platform and rewrite copy to suit the platform better. Add/remove hashtags accordingly.
• Specifications: On a more technical level, each social platform has its own specifications for branding assets (i.e. profile picture and cover photos). Ensure all assets, images and video pushed out from this medium follow the correct channel specifications. (see below for more information on channel specifications).
• Use analytics: Setting measurable goals and tracking progress is essential to success with social media marketing. Platforms provide their own comprehensive analytics programs.

While setting up a social media account is a straightforward process, the real challenge lies in effectively managing and maintaining it over time. Building an audience demands a commitment to consistent posting, engagement, and responsiveness. To address the issue of numerous inactive accounts in recent times, we have revised our approach to new account requests.

We now prioritize accepting new account requests only in cases where existing accounts with established audiences cannot effectively support the specified objectives. This ensures that resources are utilized efficiently and that our social media efforts remain focused on reaching and engaging the target audience effectively. Any such requests must be made through the following form.

If you feel an existing account cannot support your objectives on social media, we recommend giving consideration to the following:

• Think about what you’re trying to achieve, and make your objectives measurable
• Is social media the best way to achieve your goals?
• How does setting up this account and the activity you’re planning support wider University goals?
• Have you created a clear plan, thinking about how you will sustain activity to ensure a constant flow of content, and how you will make sure enquiries and questions are responded to accurately and in a timely manner?
• Is your line manager in support of setting up a new account?

Marketing and Communications can best support those managing social media on behalf of the University with ongoing consultancy and ad hoc advice, if they have visibility when new accounts are set up via the form.