Social media has become an integral part of the way we communicate today. It plays a vital role in how we transmit our story, and if we use it effectively, the amount of people we can reach is almost limitless. We definitely encourage the use of social media; however, it is important that the messages we put out across all of our social media channels are unified, carrying the same voice and purpose. With various colleges, departments and organizations posting to their own pages in addition to the main university channels, achieving this unity can prove difficult. Please use the following policies and guidelines as a source as you promote A&M-Commerce on your social media pages and submit content to marketing communications for consideration.
These guidelines are meant to be a basic outline of best practices for social media marketing. Let’s tell our story, Lions!

General Guidelines

• Engage: Engaging your audience should always be your top priority. This can be achieved through a call to action, open-ended question, exclusive content, intriguing media and more. We always hope to strike a conversation with our Lion community.
• Monitor: As you post content on your channels, please be sure to monitor what others are posting in return. Watch out for spam accounts, inappropriate content and questions that solicit responses from you or someone in your department. Parents, fans, community members, alumni and even current students frequently reach out to us for information via social media and it is important that we respond to their needs. If you are ever unsure of how you should handle something on your pages, please contact marketing communications for assistance
• Study: That’s right! It’s your turn to hit the books. Most social media networks now offer insights of some sort which provide valuable information on the gender and age ranges of your audience, how they interact, peak times they are online and more. If you are posting all of your content at 8 a.m. but your audience peaks at 3 p.m., you’re missing your target. By the time they log on, your content is buried underneath everything else that has been posted in the meantime. We’ll have more on this in the following section, but be sure to keep up-to-date with your insights and data

Maximize Your Results

When utilizing social media, you want to make sure your efforts aren’t wasted. With everchanging algorithms, it has become increasingly difficult to make your content visible. This can be very frustrating, but we just have to learn how to better navigate the game! Here are some general tips for social media success:

• Post consistently. As we mentioned, the algorithms are constantly changing. Previously, we saw content in simple chronological order in our feeds (the good old days), but now we see content that Instagram and Facebook choose to show us. It’s all a complicated tangle of preferences, audience, relevance, etc. The one thing that will give your content the biggest boost is consistency. Try to post daily, but note that it is better to post nothing than to put out something that is superfluous or insignificant.
• Don’t over-post. Just as it is important to post daily for consistency, you can post too much and drive viewers away. You do not want to flood your audience with too much information; people find this annoying no matter how awesome the content. Here are general guidelines for posting frequency by network based on recent research:
  • Facebook -- 2 posts per day
  • Twitter -- No more than 10 posts per day
  • Instagram -- 1 post per day
  • LinkedIn -- 20 posts monthly/no more than 1 post per day

These rules are not necessarily set in stone; there are always exceptions, but try not to veer too far from this path!

• Use quality imagery. Photo and video content are what will get your post noticed. If you post a block of text and it is sandwiched between posts that contain photos – which is likely what will happen – your content will be subconsciously skipped over by the reader. Always try to include photo(s) or video, and be sure it is high quality. If you are in need of photo content, you can browse our online photo archives.
• Use proper grammar. While acronyms sometimes have their place in social media, we must remember we are an institution of higher education and need to present ourselves accordingly. Do not abbreviate words unnecessarily.

Social Media Directory

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Google+
Youtube

Official Hastags

#TAMUC – Use this any time you post. This links your content to the publishing platform we use for our main accounts, which makes it easier for us to find and share your content.
#LionPride – Use this any time you share a post regarding school spirit.
#JoinOurPride – Use this any time you are promoting applications, registrations, admissions, employment opportunities, etc.
#PrideLeader – Use this any time you spotlight an achievement or accomplishment of a past or present Lion.
#BestInClass – Use this any time you post about athletics, with the exception of football.
#ToTheTop – Use this any time you post about TAMUC football.

**Try to avoid creating a lot of miscellaneous hashtags that will be used once or twice and then be forgotten. Hashtags are a great way to tie together content and also promote visibility, but they are only strengthened by frequency of use. It is always great to create a hashtag for a specific event, but only if you will be repeatedly using it.