Marketing and Communications

What to Consider

There are a lot of considerations that need to be thought through as you prepare to launch or retool an existing account. What are you going to call it? Who is the account contact? What's the bio going to include? Think about these questions and the following pointers to help you set up social accounts that can transition easily from administrator to administrator.

The Division of Marketing has developed guidelines for all university-affiliated social media accounts. Review the guidelines and policies before creating or working in any university-based account. Remember that unit accounts must be created by an employee or representative who has been given authorization by the department head or supervisor appointed by the department head. Students may not be named as administrators.

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  No Personal Email Accounts

  Never use a personal email address or phone number to set up a university-affiliated account. Contact the Division of Information Technology to create a branded university email account such as social@sc.edu instead.

Getting Started

Consider these initial profile components before completing your profile.

• Naming

  Choose a name that aligns with the University of South Carolina to capitalize on brand equity and build credibility.

• Bio

  Let people know more than who you are and what you do. Create a bio that fits your brand and notes that you are part of the University of South Carolina.

• Avatars

  Make a good first impression. Faceless profiles sabotage your credibility before someone ever visits your page.

• Cover Photos

  Choose a cover photo that fits your brand and the photo image area.

Complete Your Profile

As you build your profile, don't leave key parts of it blank. Complete your profile with an appropriate amount of information that's accurate and spell-checked. Here's what you need to include in your profile for the major social media platforms:

• Twitter: header image, profile photo, and bio
• Facebook: cover photo, profile photo, bio/about section that accurately represents your unit
• Instagram: profile photo and bio