Social media can be a great tool to promote your school, department, program, or group. The University of Hartford embraces and encourages the opportunities it offers for publicity and engagement.
A presence on social media can be beneficial on many fronts: it strengthens our overall brand, promotes our accomplishments, and builds community.
Please contact social@hartford.edu with any questions about the following content.
Purpose
It is important that social media accounts comply with a uniform UHart identity to ensure a clear and consistent message, although we also understand the need for departments, schools, and clubs to display their unique qualities. As a strategic communications effort to engage audiences across all branches of our University, these guidelines apply to all official social media accounts created to represent academic departments, programs, and schools as well as individual offices and University-sponsored organizations. They do not apply to an individual's private social media accounts or unaffiliated accounts.
The Office of Marketing and Communication is here to aid groups in following consistent guidelines. Our goal is to serve as a resource to faculty, staff, and students and to ensure each account is running smoothly and promoting the University of Hartford while following a strategic communications plan.
Strategy
Before you start a social media channel, you should consider the following:
- Goal: What is the intent for the account?
- Audiences: Who are you trying to reach?
- Content source: Where will you get the content?
- Content types: What types of content will you need? (photos, videos, web links, usergenerated content, etc.)
- Management: Who will be the account administrator? Who is the back up if that person leaves?
- Cadence: How often will you post on your channel?
- Voice: What type of language will you use? Will your account take an informal tone or is it more professional?
- Success: What is the measure of success for the account?
- Metrics: What metrics will you report on and how frequently?
The popularity of a social media sites can differ greatly based on the audience’s age range. We suggest doing your own research (see suggested websites at the end of this document) or contacting our Office to help you identify which platform will best reach your audience.
Here is a very brief and general understanding of the audiences on the major platforms:
Facebook is a worldwide platform with billions of active users. While we tend to think of Facebook audiences skewing older, the largest demographic is actually between the ages of 25-34 years and 72.8% are under the age of 44. 32% of users under the age of 34 say that Facebook is their primary social media platform. It’s also important to note that 57% of users actively share content across the platform.
Instagram, also owned by the Facebook parent company Meta, is a continuously growing site that closely trails behind Facebook in usage. Once again, the largest demographic is made up of 25–34-year-olds but is closely followed by the 18-24 year age group. The application trends toward a younger audience, with only 8% of adults over the age of 65 on Instagram (in comparison to 46% on Facebook). Instagram is also popular with minority groups and within urban settings. More than half of the users report accessing the application at least once a day.
Twitter supports 187 million monthly users, nearly half the audience size of Instagram and Facebook, with the largest age group being between the ages of 30-49 (44%). The platform also shows the most significant gender divide with 68% of users identifying as male. It’s worth noting that 42% of Twitter users are “degree holders” in comparison to 31% of the American population.
LinkedIn is a uniquely professional social media site that hosts approximately 738 million active users. The largest age group on the platform is 46-55-year-olds, however, the site’s audience is at least a quarter millennial age. LinkedIn is used primarily for business-tobusiness communication and networking. Users trend toward a higher-educated and higher-earning audience.
TikTok
TikTok is a video-based platform with over 1 billion active users. 60% of users are between the ages of 16-24. 26% are between the ages of 25-44. Meaning over half of the users are in the prospective student, to current student range.
This is a summarized example of what research shows are the primary audiences on each account. By creating a professional or business account, you can see the demographics of your own followers through the insight features.
While our community most often adopts one of the four aforementioned platforms, there are several different options from which to choose. Other platforms may include but are not limited to: Facebook Groups, TikTok, and Snapchat.
As is the case with all social media platforms, we request that each account is registered with the Office of Marketing and Communications and access to the account is made available to a member of the Office or the Content Manager within your school.
When used properly, a social media account can be very beneficial to a program/group, but we understand it may be daunting. Remember, our Office wants to help you find success with your platforms. When you share your information with us, we can help promote your pages and advise you about ongoing best practices.
Before you start ensure that you have the resources to maintain a strong social media presence.
- Our most successful accounts post on Facebook and Instagram two to five times per week, and on Twitter one to three times per day.
- Start with one social media platform and try to build an audience there.
- In addition to unique posts, the site administrator should monitor and moderate conversations in their community, respond to questions and comments, and remove inappropriate material.
If you are worried that you won’t be able to properly maintain the account, you can submit content to be considered for posting on the main University accounts by emailing the Office of Marketing and Communication at social at social@hartford.edu.
If you have the time and resources, we can support your efforts to create social media. Keep in mind that an inactive account with infrequent or poor-quality posts reflects negatively on your department as well as on the University of Hartford. It is our University policy to close the account rather than leave it inactive.
How To
If you would like to create your own social media you should first contact the Office of Marketing and Communications. We are happy to help you with your account and answer questions. Our Office keeps an up-to-date listing of all University accounts, including login information to be used in emergencies. If you already have active social media accounts and have not done so already, please confirm your site, administrator contact, and login information with the Office of Marketing and Communication. At least one member of the Office of Marketing and Communication should also be listed as an admin on any Facebook pages.
All profiles should have a contact person or administrator.
- This administrator is responsible for regularly monitoring posts and content.
- The administrator must be a full-time University employee.
- All accounts should be linked to a University of Hartford email account. Rather than use an individual’s email address for an account, you may use a department/organization email.
- You may choose to have other staff members or students assist with site management, in which case be sure that they are aware of these guidelines and policies. Site administrators are responsible for additional employees and students linked to the account.
By registering accounts with the Office of Marketing and Communication, we can ensure that necessary communications such as emergency alerts and changes to social media procedures can be communicated to account managers. The Office of Marketing and Communications must be notified when a new administrator takes over. Email us at social@hartford.edu.
If you require help setting up the account, the Office of Marketing and Communications is happy to sit down with you and walk through the steps. Please note that to create a Facebook page, you are required to have a personal account.
On Instagram, you will want to turn your account into a Professional Account. To do so, you simply go into your Instagram settings, go to Account, and Switch to Professional Account. A Professional Account enables you to get insights (or analytics) on your posts as well as have a Contact button in your profile.
To improve the security of your information and our University, it is very important that all administrators and accounts follow these practices:
- Before creating an account, you must receive explicit approval from the Office of Marketing and Communications.
- Your password should be changed anytime a student uses the platform for a takeover or an administrator leaves the college. Please keep our Office updated with the new login information.
- The email connected to your account should be a University of Hartford account. Never use a personal email account.
- Limit the number of users/those who know the password. Remove users when they leave the University.
For safety, the number of individuals with access to any account should be limited to only those who are actively using the account and/or overseeing the work. When assigning roles and sharing login information, please be aware of the following:
- When someone leaves the institution, please ensure they have passed along admin rights or login credentials. Failure to pass on this information has resulted in lost accounts that our University is continuously working to clean up. When login information is lost, the only action that can be taken is to report the former account and hope that the profile gets taken down. We are very limited in options and will have lost access to this account.
- A member of the Office of Marketing and Communications should have login information or admin access to all your social media accounts. This is for security purposes and the staff members will likely never access your account.
- Students are allowed access to accounts they may be helping to run with the express understanding that the faculty/staff member associated with the account is responsible for that student’s activity. On any official account, there must be oversight from an official employee.
- If someone leaves the institution, their name should be removed from administrative rights on Facebook. If they were the primary user of an account, the login information should be changed after their departure.
- While some people feel uncomfortable managing Facebook admin responsibilities through their personal account, please be aware that the University account will never pull information from your personal account. These are two separate entities, and a personal account is just required in order to have a presence behind a business page. Creating a new personal account to act as the admin is highly discouraged and has often led to confusion and the loss of access to accounts.
Branding and Appearance
As with our website and printed materials, officially endorsed University of Hartford social media sites should follow standard identity and appearance guidelines.
If you have not already created a social media site, it is important to choose a name that accurately reflects who you are and your affiliation with the University of Hartford. Whenever possible, include “UHart” in your handle. The “U” and the “H” should be capitalized when platforms allow it. On sites that include both a username and page name, the page name should always include “The University of Hartford” or “UHart “(depending on spacing limits). Both the page name and username should provide a clear understanding of the group that the account represents.
To keep a consistent look for easy identification of University of Harford official accounts, all social media should use the provided profile picture/avatar. The Schools and primary accounts have separately branded avatars.
The Bio Line (or About Section, depending on your platform) should always include: “This is the Official _____ Page for ________ at the University of Hartford”
All profiles should link to an official University of Hartford webpage (hartford.edu) and include contact information that links to a college phone number or email.
It is important to set a clear and defined difference between official accounts and unofficial accounts, such as those created by students, alumni, or anyone not directly affiliated with the University. That is why it's so important that the bio line and branding match official University standards. You can help by reporting any unofficial pages you come across to OMC. Our office will contact these accounts and require that they clarify that they are unaffiliated with the University.
Content and Management
All social media users are responsible for what they post on their sites. Always be aware of grammar, spelling, and accuracy.
If you have multiple users posting on your site, or perhaps just to keep yourself better organized, we highly suggest keeping a content calendar. This can be a paper calendar, shared Google Calendar, or whatever works best for you. It allows other users to see the timing of specific posts in order to avoid inundating audiences with too much at one time or with repeated or similar information.
Below are a few content ideas with which we have found success:
- Photos or videos
- Student or alumni takeovers
- Fun facts, trivia, statistics, institution history
- UHart in the news and announcements
- Events (and recaps)
- National holidays
- Questions/polls
- Student success stories
- Internship spotlights
- Quotes from students, alumni,
faculty/staff - Program spotlights
- User-generated content
Imagery
For each platform, it is important to size your images so that they are optimized for the platform. Appropriate image dimensions for popular sites can be found below.
You can size images using Photoshop or an online tool. If there is a larger design need, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communication.
Please note that social media is very visual, so it is important that your images are high quality. You should also consider using slideshows or video content to provide variety and determine what works best with your audience. You can read more about imagery in our brand guidelines.
- Profile photo: 180x180
- Cover photo: 820x312
- Link image: 1200x630
- Event cover image: 1920x100
- Profile photo: 110x110
- Photo sizes: 1080x1080 (square), 1080x566 (landscape), 1080x1350 (portraits)
- Instagram story: 1080x1920
- Profile photo: 400x400
- Header image: 1500x500
- Post image: 1200x675
- Logo: 300x300
- Cover photo: 1128x191
- Link image: 1200x627
Hashtags and Geotags
Hashtags and geotags can be used to track a subject, brand a post, or increase reach. Keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Hashtags should be used strategically and sparingly.
- If you create and use a hashtag for your department, school, or group, then you should be actively tracking its use.
- As an institution, the use of #UHart is highly encouraged, especially on Instagram and Twitter posts. Alway upper-case the “U” and “H” in the hashtag.
- It is also a good practice to geo-tag (or location tag) the University of Hartford on Instagram.
- Please refrain from geo-tagging specific areas of the University (i.e. The Hursey Center) and defer to the more general location of “University of Hartford.” This makes social listening and tracking easier.
Sharing and Tagging
There are many different social media accounts tied to our University, and it’s important for our overall brand that each account be successful. A great way of promoting each other is by sharing posts and tagging.
Safety and Privacy
Be aware of liability. You are personally responsible for the content you publish.
Do not use photos of non-enrolled minors without the consent of a parent or guardian. If contacted and asked to remove a photo of a student for any reason, be sure to comply promptly. It is a good practice to offer current students the opportunity to exclude themselves from a photo as well.
Do not post copyrighted content (video, images, sound files) without permission.
Official University social media pages must not post sensitive personal information about
students, alumni, staff/faculty, or any other member of the community. Confidential information as defined by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Please note that these same confidentiality rules apply to all personal communication as well.
Replying
Social media is a dialogue:
- Account managers should be diligently monitoring the comments and messages that a page receives.
- Please contact the Office of Marketing and Communication if you see a negative comment on any of your accounts. We are here to help determine the appropriate response.
- Be aware that users may notice that their comments have been removed. Threatening or obscene comments should be deleted, however managers should use their discretion when removing content that may simply hold a differing opinion, even if it is negative.
- Helpful hint: On Facebook, you are given the option to “hide” a comment without the writer or any of their Facebook friends realizing it has been hidden from the general public’s view.
- Whenever possible comments should be responded to in a timely and professional manner. Do not incite arguments.
- Maintaining a productive and safe online community is key.
Negative Comments
Negative comments usually fall into one of the following categories:
These comments are inflammatory, extraneous, and off topic with the purpose of inciting an emotional or disruptive response.
How to respond: Since these types of comments offer no constructive criticism and have the sole goal of inciting a reaction, it is best to ignore them. You may choose to hide the comment but be wary of deleting the post for it may be seen as a form of engagement. Monitor the post for additional comments. Do NOT delete a comment without first contacting the Office of Marketing and Communication.
These comments express anger. Generally, the individual who posts the comment is looking for a place to complain.
How to respond: Once again, you do not need to respond to these comments unless there is a direct contact that can be of assistance. Often, the ranter is just looking for an outlet to voice their complaints and a response would offer no solace. In most situations, you should NOT hide these comments as it might provoke further complaints. Monitor the post for additional comments.
A misguided comment is one that might have a negative impact on the University because the commentator is misinformed or does not have all the facts.
How to respond: A response is necessary for a misguided comment. The response should not be defensive but should provide correction through facts.
These comments are generally the result of a negative experience and often offer valid feedback.
How to respond: It is important to always respond to unhappy customers so that they know they are heard. The response should acknowledge the complaint, rectify the situation with a reasonable solution, and thank them for their feedback. When possible, encourage the unhappy customer to send a private message to the account if more information is required.
Be sure to remove any inappropriate comments or advertising for products or services not associated with the University. Since every situation is unique and may not neatly fall into one of the above categories, be sure to contact the Office of Marketing and Communication for help.
Additional Best Practices For Social Media Admins
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Monitor comments in order to build credibility and a sense of community.
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Remain active and engaging throughout the year, not just the academic year.
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Be unique and relevant—give them a reason to follow you! While it’s great to share University-wide news on a departmental account, content should primarily be related to the account’s department/group.
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Be social, conversational, engaging. Promote two-way communication.
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Show, don’t tell. Whenever possible use photos, videos, and graphics.
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Be human. Make your content and wording relatable by finding a voice and tone that match your content as well as the University branding.
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Quality over quantity. Posting too frequently or posting irrelevant content will make it less likely that followers will pay attention.
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Use high-quality images for the best responses.
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Brief is better. Often a brief post (linking to more information when appropriate) works best.
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Send them to Hartford.edu. Whenever possible, include links that send users to our website.
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If you are not actively using an account, delete it. Inactivity makes it look like there’s nothing to post about and can impact recruitment.
Student Takeover
Letting students host a “Takeover” of your account is a great way to give your audience members a student-centric view and first-hand glimpse of student life on campus. The administrator is responsible for all content posted during this time and should ensure that the student is aware of their duty to act responsibly and as a voice of the University. Takeovers work best on platforms with temporary posts, such as Instagram and Snapchat. For best practices on takeovers, including a handout to give to students who may be conducting the takeover, please reach out to the Office of Marketing and Communication.
Once you have identified a takeover host that you know will represent UHart in a positive light. make sure they’re comfortable using the platform you’ve chosen. Be specific about their responsibilities and understand the information they will be presenting. Before the takeover, access your account and change the password– provide this new TEMPORARY password as the login information for the host. Takeover videos can be saved as highlights on an Instagram page or as a video file to cross-post on other platforms.
Guide to Takeovers for Administrators:
- You must follow along and be accessible to the student for the agreed upon length of the takeover. The host should alert you once the takeover is finished.
- Promote the takeover beforehand.
- The password must be updated after the takeover.
- Create a set of guidelines for the host so that they know what is acceptable and any subjects they should avoid. This can (and should) include information about what types of questions they are free to reply to and what should be sent your way. If helpful, you can have the host sign an agreement indicating they understand these guidelines.
- Takeover videos can be saved as highlights on an Instagram or as a video file to crosspost on other platforms.
Upkeep and Metrics
Not sure where to start when it comes to analytics on social media? The actions you set out to measure will be largely determined by your goals:
- Trying to increase awareness? You may want to measure total impressions and reach to gauge progress.
- Want your channel to act as a one-to-one communication tool between you and your followers?
- See how much they’re opting into that conversation by measuring the volume of inbound messages.
Some things to look for on each platform:
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Followers: Are you increasing in followers? Who are the followers? What are they interested in?
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Engagements: Look at clicks, shares, mentions, views, messages, and profile visits.
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Top Performing Posts: Do photos outperform text posts? Do posts about student achievements beat out faculty accolades? Make note of the top-performing posts to source more engaging content in the future.
As previously mentioned, our most successful accounts post on Facebook and Instagram two to five times per week and on Twitter one to three times per day. Having an inactive account reflects poorly on your organization/department and makes it appear that there is simply nothing going on with your group (which we know isn’t true!).
You can schedule Facebook posts directly on the site, which is helpful if you have identified key times when audiences are most responsive. For scheduling on Twitter, you can use their Tweetdeck platform. There are several other third-party programs (such as Hootsuite and Sprout Social) that also allow you to schedule but may require a paid account.
We highly discourage linking accounts so that the same content is posted in the same format on multiple platforms (i.e. every Instagram post is also sent to Twitter). Each social media platform is unique, not just in its audience, but in the way that it presents the information you put up on it. The way you format or write a post should not be the same from platform to platform, and therefore you should not have one generic post to cover all your sites. This looks messy and oftentimes does not translate well. While the same content may be shared across multiple platforms, it should not be presented in the same way.
Part of the upkeep with a social media site is understanding if your presence is valuable and what you can do to stay relevant. Administrators are encouraged to regularly review the analytics from their account (most platforms offer these insights to pages and business profiles). By seeing which posts most popular or which times of day elicit a high response, you can determine the strength and value of your social media efforts for the University.
Resources
Social media is constantly changing, with platforms competing against one another to release the latest and greatest features. Because of this, best practices are often shifting. To stay up to date on the latest news and features, our Office suggests referring to the following online resources:
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your social media plan and management, please feel free to set up a meeting with us.
Updated 2/28/24