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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 1 Student Affairs Vision:
Creating transformational experiences at UAB
Student Affairs Mission:
The Division of Student Affairs enhances student learning and development, fosters an inclusive environment, and
engages students to become contributing members in a diverse society.
Student Affairs Core Values:
o Accountability: Taking responsibility for achieving personal and professional development; setting high
expectations, being skilled at assessing needs, and enacting changes based on data analysis.
o Advocacy: Championing for our diverse student population by offering support, counsel and being agents for
transformational education and student success.
o Integrity: Demonstrating a commitment to honesty, transparency and consistency by modeling and teaching
ethical behavior.
o Collaboration: Creating intentional partnerships for the shared purpose of supporting student success and
achieving university goals.
o Student-Centered: Placing student development and student success at the core of everything we do.
Student Affairs Marketing & Communications (SAMAC) Vision:
To become one of the most renowned communications of Student Affairs in the southeast.
SAMAC Mission:
As guardians of the Student Affairs brand, we will serve our students and the Division by advancing the mission through
exceptional and consistent messaging and storytelling. We strive to create clear, engaging channels of communication,
celebrate the student experience and provide exemplary customer service. We will do this with excellence and with
industry-leading standards and practices.
SAMAC Values:
o Excellence: Providing marketing and communication services with the highest quality and integrity
o Innovation: Utilizing cutting-edge technology and creativity to tell the Division’s story
o Customer Service: Putting our customer’s needs and satisfaction at the forefront of what we do
o Student-centeredness: Telling stories that celebrate, educate and motivate our students
SAMAC Goals:
o Goal 1: Brand the UAB Division of Student Affairs as a leader in student transformation
o Goal 2: Promote the Division of Student Affairs departments and their programs and services
o Goal 3: Support and empower students to tell their stories of how they are engaging with the Division and its
departments
o Goal 4: Educate and support staff knowledge of the Division and its department’s efforts to provide student
transformation
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 2 UAB Social Media Guidelines (University Relations)
UAB is a city within a city. We value every member of the UAB community and the role they play on campus, across
Alabama and throughout the world. Respect and appreciation for diversity are integral to UAB's mission. UAB works
actively to create a safe and welcoming physical and virtual environment, and we expect every member of this
community to do the same.
UAB welcomes individuals and academic/organizational units to identify their role at UAB publicly on social media. Be
aware that by doing so, you are representing UAB and therefore subject to UAB's conduct policies. Students are subject
to the Academic Honor Code and Student Conduct Code. Faculty, staff, employees and other members of the UAB
community are subject to the Code of Conduct.
Academic/organizational units are free to create and maintain a presence on social media that is professional,
technically secure and does not violate university web policies or laws that govern the dissemination of public
information. These include UAB’s Digital Mass Communications and Content policy, UAB IT's Acceptable Use Policy, as
well as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA). These policies are part of the implicit and explicit agreement you make with UAB for the use of its resources,
including its logo and branding.
UAB Medicine employees should contact Health System Marketing Communications for the specific web standards and
social media guidelines established for UAB Medicine entities.
The University Relations Social Media Manager is here to help you understand policies and practices that apply and
guide you in using these tools to best serve your unit, audience and the interests of UAB.
Important Things to Keep in Mind
o Academic/organizational units are free to create and maintain a presence on social media that is professional,
technically secure and does not violate university web policies or laws that govern the dissemination of public
information. These include UAB’s Digital Mass Communications and Content policy, UAB IT's Acceptable Use
Policy, as well as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA). These policies are part of the implicit and explicit agreement you make with UAB for
the use of its resources, including its logo and branding. Simply put, do not ever share patient or student
information on social media channels.
o Respect copyright and fair use laws. Observe laws governing copyright and fair use of copyrighted material
owned by others, including UAB's own copyrights and brands.
o Faculty, staff, employees and other members of the UAB community are subject to the Code of Conduct.
o UAB Medicine employees should contact Health System Marketing Communications for the specific web
standards and social media guidelines established for UAB Medicine entities.
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 3 Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines
Overview
Generation Z is typically defined as individuals born after 1997; ages 21 years old and younger. Gen Z is a unique, tech-
savvy group of students who use social media in specific ways. These students want interactive, optimistic content. They
want to connect with their friends. They have a desire to make a difference. They have a high tolerance for digital ads,
but want to follow people rather than brand accounts. They use social media to seek out events.
Over 58% of the Fall 2017 student undergraduate body was students age 21 and under.
Social media is the best, underused tool available to reach these students and continue to foster a community of
inclusivity and promote the various programs and services from UAB SA Departments. By unifying the Student Affairs
Departments under these social media guidelines, we will reach students and promote the services provided by our
various Departments.
Above all, SAMAC wants to educate and empower Departments to run their social media accounts within their
Departments. These guidelines are meant to be a resource for Department social media managers to run successful
platforms and reach their full potential.
Student Affairs Brand Personality
o open-minded
o honest
o inclusive
o helpful
o friendly
o fun/ creative
Before creating a post, replying to a comment or sending a message, ask yourself: Does this align with the Student
Affairs brand personality and guidelines?
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 4 FALL 2018 AND BEYOND
We anticipate Departments will fit into one the following categories:
Category One Departments are responsible for creating and posting content to their social media platforms while
adhering to the UAB Student Affairs and University Relations social media guidelines.
Category One is for you if…
o You already have a designated person or team of persons who are responsible for your Department’s social
media management
o You have a departmental social media strategy currently in place (and appropriate content to support it).
o You or someone in your Department has an interest in social media management and want to learn
Category Two Departments transfer Department social media management responsibility to SAMAC.
Category Two is for you if…
o You know it’s important to post on your Department’s social media more often, but you just can’t seem to
remember
o You do not have a designated person or team of persons who can consistently monitor your Department’s social
media management
o You simply prefer not to worry about posting on social media (it’s just not your expertise!)
If necessary, Departments can switch their Category at the end of each semester. The new status will go into effect the
following semester.
o Fall Semester deadline: Thanksgiving Break
o Spring Semester deadline: Spring Break
Future Student Affairs Social Media offerings will include:
o Personalized, bimonthly feedback to SA Department to further your social media goals
o SAMAC generated content calendars for event/program promotion, which will include messaging to post and
when. This will help bring awareness to your programs.
o Bimonthly/quarterly presentations or webinars to educate SA staff on various social media topics (beginning
Spring 2019).
Platforms
Prior to creating social media accounts for your department, evaluate your department’s goals. Answering these basic
questions will help you understand which platforms are best suited for your department, as your Department may be
better suited for certain platforms over others. Remember – social media may not be a fit for every Department’s needs.
Further, social media may not be a fit for every organization within your Department.
No new social media platform should be created without alerting and discussing the platform with SAMAC. All
platform passwords must be provided to SAMAC.
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 5 Questions to consider:
o Why do you want a social media platform for your Department? Will it help you reach your
department/organization’s strategic goals?
o Who is your specific audience? What kind of student? Non-traditional students? Students who live off campus?
o What kind of information will you share with your audience to engage them?
o Will your messaging merge well on social media platforms?
o How will your Department manage your platforms?
Set a Strategy & Goals
o Identify what the purpose of your social channel(s) will be, who you want to reach, the types of content you
need to share and the goals of your department.
o Consider if you have enough content to post daily to social channels. If you don't, it might be best to use a
channel that is already created. University Relations considers messages for its main channels through the
request for publicity form.
o Set specific goals you hope to achieve with your social media channel(s). Are you trying to drive more traffic to
your website? Are you trying to communicate about events hosted by your department?
Overview of available platforms:
o FACEBOOK is good for Departments that have a steady stream of events and information to share. Facebook
remains one of the most popular platforms available.
o Best for: event promotion, general department news, student spotlights, short videos
o INSTAGRAM is best for sharing photos of your students, photos from events and interacting with followers
through stories, an extremely popular feature. This platform is useful for Departments who engage with
students regularly. Instagram should primarily contain images and video.
o TWITTER is useful for Departments with a large quantity of information that needs to get out to students on a
daily basis.
o Make sure that Twitter is right for your social media goals. This platform can be a useful tool if you have
frequent news coming out of your department and events that need promotion.
o YOUTUBE should only be used by Departments who have a steady stream of video content. However, YouTube
videos can be difficult to share on other platforms—consider using Facebook’s video feature for increased
engagement. If you have one or two videos you need to share, they can be added to the Student Affairs
YouTube Channel.
o PINTEREST is a great jumping off point for your Department. If you have trouble finding content to share on your
platforms, Pinterest can be a great resource to find relevant content to share.
o SNAPCHAT is primarily used by students to communicate with their friends. Students typically don’t pay
attention to brands or stories that aren’t from their friends. Consider using Instagram stories instead.
o University Relations does not recommend units creating a Snapchat account. We allow the UAB
community to take over the main UAB Snapchat (8,707 followers) account for promotional
purposes. Complete our Snapchat Takeover form.
o University Relations also provides UAB-branded Snapchat geo-filters to units who are hosting events
where Snapchat can be used as a useful tool for outreach and promotion. Request a Geofilter.
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 6 Post Frequency
To ensure that your Department’s social media content is seen by your followers you must post on a regular schedule.
Required posting frequency:
Facebook Minimum 2 posts per week
Instagram Minimum 2 posts per week
Twitter Minimum 3-5 tweets per day
If you don’t think your Department will have enough content to post at this frequency, we encourage you to reach out
to SAMAC to assist in content development. We can meet with your Department to help create content specific to you
and your needs. Browsing Pinterest is a great resource to develop ideas for posts. Browsing Canva templates for post
creation may also bring inspiration.
Ideas of what to post:
o informational graphics
o images from past events
o photos of students
o photos of staff + staff bios
o videos of staff + staff bios
o cross-department event promotion
o sharing UAB content
o sharing content from a relevant external source
o gifs and memes
Events
When your Department puts in a Marketing Request for an event, you will receive a complete promotional content
calendar along with your other deliverables.
This content calendar will include social media posts for your event: posting schedule, copy, links and images. Your
Department’s category will determine if you are responsible for scheduling these posts.
SAMAC will also coordinate with University Relations and the UAB Students Facebook and Twitter to promote your
event.
Story Coverage (if applicable)
At the time of your event, Departments are required to post event coverage to their Instagram/ Facebook story. You
should post a minimum of 10 story elements per event. We encourage Departments to utilize their Student Interns. If
no one from your Department is available to provide event coverage, please notify SAMAC at least two weeks in
advance and we will attempt to find a replacement.
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 7 Content Calendar
The best way to manage content across your social media platforms is using a content calendar. Using a content
calendar to schedule posts ensures that your posts are regularly scheduled and consistent. In the middle of a semester
when everything is busy, social media posts can often slip through the cracks. Scheduling removes the stress of feeling
as though, “I have to come up with a post for today!” and the panic of “Oh no, I haven’t posted on our Department
Facebook page in weeks.” Though this system, you’ll be empowered to schedule posts weeks, months, or even years in
advance.
See the SAMAC website for a downloadable content calendar template.
When to Post
It’s important to post content to your social media platforms on days and times when your content will be seen.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer to the question “WHEN?”
General best times to post:
Facebook Tuesday and Thursday 1-3 pm, 4-6pm
Instagram Monday 5-9pm
Friday All day
Twitter Daily 9am-12pm, 7-10pm
Please note: The times listed above are general and may not be the best time to post for your Department. Experiment
with different days and times to develop your perfect fit.
Determine the best time to post to your Department platform:
1. Post consistently at the same date and time consistently for about 2-3 weeks
2. Track your engagement for these posts (likes, shares, comments, retweets, etc.)
3. Pick a different day OR a different time to post and track that engagement
4. Try posting at different days and times until you discover the best combination for optimized engagement
Meltwater / Sprout Social
University Relations uses a platform called Meltwater Engage, a branded form of Sprout Social, for social media
scheduling and reporting. If your department is interested in buying into this platform for your social channels, please
email [email protected] .
o Manage your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin) from a single platform. Work as a
team: assign tasks and messages to members of your team.
o Schedule posts on all social media channels in one platform. Use the integrated editorial calendar Target posts
by geolocation as well as channel.
o Monitor brand keywords, receive engagement reports, evaluate and analyze KPIs. Understand post performance
based on your brand's KPI's.
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 8 Best Practices for Students Helping Run Social Media at UAB
o Hold your student accountable
o Students are subject to the Academic Honor Code and Student Conduct Code.
o Give your student a voice document you have created for your department's social account. If there is not one
created, work together to create one that identifies appropriate content and visuals for your department's social
channel.
o Provide them with a list of simple do's and don'ts and be clear about what is not appropriate to post.
o Develop an approval process for posting.
o Provide the student with a template and give them examples of social posts that you have seen work well.
Graphics and Images
Profile Images
All profile pictures and cover images must be approved by SAMAC. Profile pictures and cover images must be the same
across all Department platforms. For example, Departments should not have a Twitter cover image that varies from the
Facebook cover image. Pictures should obviously and clearly represent your Department.
Do not modify SAMAC provided graphics.
Per University Relations guidelines, profile and cover images should be UAB branded.
Posts
All graphics posted to your Department social media platform that have not been created by SAMAC or an official
graphic designer/student graphic designer must be created through Canva. Using Canva templates will unify UAB
Student Affairs across social media platforms and across Departments. Social media platforms also have constantly-
changing rules about text on images; using Canva will ensure that your Department adheres to these rules.
Do not modidy SAMAC provided graphics
If your Department regularly posts a specific type of graphic (i.e. monthly themes, tips, etc.) please contact SAMAC and
we will create a template specifically for your Department’s needs.
Please note: Graphics are not Images. Graphics have text or symbols added to an image. Images without text or symbols
can be posted without using Canva.
General Content Strategy
o Develop a Voice Document for each of your social channels. Remember that each social media channel requires
a different content approach and tone of voice.
o Think about who you are trying to reach and why you would like to reach them.
o Define your aesthetic, audience, content, post frequency, and set engagement and follower goals.
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 9
o Track your goals by monitoring analytics on a monthly basis. Look at both high performing and low performing
posts to adjust your content strategy going forward.
o Create editorial calendar to keep track of upcoming events you would like to promote
o Think creatively about using content to tell your UAB story- videos, graphics, animations
o Mobile viewing: consider how your posts will look on a phone
o Ensure your posts are accurate. Correct any errors quickly and visibly and answer any questions.
o Keep your passwords/usernames in a confidential document in a place you can easily access. We recommend
Box, UAB's approved cloud storage platform. If you have a staff change, remember to change any necessary
passwords.
Social Media Ads
Ads on social media are a great resource to reach your audience. If your Department provides SAMAC with a budget,
goals and an ideal timetable, we will create and manage your ads. Even the smallest budget can reach students and
make a change. At the conclusion of your campaign, we will provide you with the analytics and results of your campaign.
Here are some times you should promote your Department:
o At the beginning of a semester
o Prior to a Large Event
o When new services are offered by your Department
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 10 PLATFORM OVERVIEW
Facebook
Department Facebook pages must be within the Student Affairs Facebook Business Manager. New admins/editors to
your page must be added through Student Affairs Business Manager. If you do not currently use Student Affairs Business
Manager or would like to add new staff/student staff to your page admin team, please contact the SAMAC Web Content
Coordinator.
To ensure that your Department Facebook page has the best possible engagement and reach, posts must be made
regularly. Facebook posts should be made minimum 2x per week.
If your Department does not have enough content to post at this frequency, we encourage you to reach out to SAMAC
to assist in content development specific to your Department.
Examples of posts:
o reusable graphics
o informational graphics
o images from past events
o informational/ generic video
o photos/video of students using Department services
o photos/ video of staff + staff bios
o cross-department event promotion
o sharing content from a relevant external source
o gifs and memes
Post Guidelines
o Delete the text URL from the post copy when displaying the link preview in post
o Do not use hashtags on Facebook
o Use exclamation points and emokis sparingly.
o Tag/mention other departments/pages whenever possible, even pages external to UAB
o Copy should be short, simple and sweet – be direct and to the point.
o Do NOT post flyers or digital signs on Facebook
o Do not modify SAMAC provided graphics
o YES: “It’s tonight! Join us for the Big Event at the @Hill Student Center.” + graphic/link with more information
o NO: “Don’t miss out! The Big Event is tonight at 5pm to 8pm at the Hill Student Center! There will be food, fun,
and free t-shirts! This is our BIGGEST event of the semester! Make sure you stop by!”
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 11 Scheduling a Facebook Post
Facebook has a scheduling platform built in to its pages. Before using Department funds to purchase an external
scheduling platform like Sprout Social, give the Facebook page manager scheduling a try.
1. Create your post on your Department Facebook page
2. Click the dropdown arrow button next to Publish and select Schedule
3. Below Publication, select the date and time you’d like the post to publish
4. Click Schedule
Posts can easily be edited and rescheduled through your page’s Publishing Tools section:
1. Click Publishing Tools at the top of your Page
2. Click Scheduled Posts in the left column
3. Click the post you want to edit
4. Click Edit to edit the post, or click the dropdown button to choose to publish, reschedule or delete it
Other Notes
o Make sure your page is verified by going to Settings > General. Verified pages will show up higher in search
results and will be easier for students to find your page.
o If you have messaging turned on, make sure you are checking your messages on a regular basis. Many students
will reach out via Messenger before emailing or calling your office. Consider turning on an auto-reply in
Messenger that includes a faster contact method.
o How to turn on Auto-Reply
University Relations Facebook Tips:
o Fun videos with interesting content perform extremely well on this platform, but posting pictures of flyers with a
lot of text do not.
o Comments are king - encourage engagement by posting calls to actions and liking and commenting on follower's
comments.
o Try Facebook Live for desirable content, but advertise ahead of time.
o If you are wanting to communicate to a small-set of internal stakeholders, consider Facebook Groups instead of
a Facebook page.
o Additional Resources: Facebook Algorithm
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 12 Instagram
To ensure that your Instagram page has the best possible engagement and reach, posts MUST be made regularly.
Instagram posts should be made minimum 2x per week.
If your Department does not have enough content to post at this frequency, we encourage you to reach out to the
Marketing & Communications Department to assist in content development. Some examples of posts are listed below:
o informational graphics
o images from past events
o photos of students
o photos of staff
o reposting a relevant image from a UAB/ student account
o posts that refer followers to your website
Instagram Stories
The Instagram stories feature is an excellent way to interact with your student followers on a personal level. You can
post content about the daily life in your office, have a staff member or student intern “take over” your account and post
about their day, and even ask questions or create polls to gain insight to your student followers and their needs.
These stories can also easily cross-post onto your Facebook page’s story. This is the only time you should cross-post.
o Share Instagram stories to Facebook stories
Post Guidelines
o Instagram captions should be no longer than two sentences unless where absolutely necessary. Less is more.
o Use no more than two hashtags at the end of the main copy. If you would like to use more hashtags for your
post, put these in a comment under your post.
o Use exclamation points and emojis sparingly
o Use a location whenever possible, whether you have a specific location set for your Department, using Hill
Student Center, or using UAB campus (UAB – The University of Alabama at Birmingham).
o Establish a consistent look and feel to your feed (see below)
o Use the profile link feature and change it out regularly. Use a link for an event, a news article or your
Department website. Try using linktree or linkin.bio if you have multiple posts with links.
o Do not post flyers or digital signs on Instagram
o Do not modify SAMAC provided graphics
o YES: It’s a hot one: Cool down at the Rec ☀️ #summer #uabcampusrec ( + image of Campus Rec pool)
o NO: It’s really hot today! Beat the heat and come cool off at the campus rec pool! ☀️ 🌊 👙 #summer #pool
#campusrec #swimming #cooldown #uab #bham (+ image of Campus Rec pool)
Hashtags
Consider developing a hashtag specific to your department to use on all Instagram and Twitter posts.
Instagram Aesthetics
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 13 It may seem silly, but the way an Instagram feed looks is actually an important factor for Gen Z students. It’s best to post
images and graphics that all have a similar look and feel. This includes color scheme and what’s actually being pictured.
Do you mostly share photos of students? Do you want to experiment with a more minimalistic approach? Your feed
should look consistent.
If your Department often shares graphics, we recommend establishing a grid-like look to your feed by alternating
between graphics and images.
Scheduling an Instagram post
Instagram does not have a built-in scheduling feature. This is why having a Department content calendar and a
designated Department staff member is vital to the success of your social media platforms.
You can use scheduling platforms like SproutSocial to create posts in advance. However, when it’s time to post, a
notification will be sent to a phone with an authorized Instagram account login as well as the scheduling platform app,
and the user must still manually post the Instagram post. We recommend having the image for the post saved in your
camera roll just in case.
Useful Instagram Apps
o HypeType – allows you to add animated text to images
o CutStory – cuts longer video into story-ready segments
o Clipomatic – autogenerates captions to your videos (Be accessible!)
o RepostApp – easily repost other user’s content to your own profile (Ask first!)
o Adobe Spark (must have Adobe Creative Cloud) – video and image templates
University Relations Instagram Tips:
o Do not post flyers or graphics, frequently use Instagram Stories, be creative and use different features such as
Timelapse and Boomerang. Run contests to gain followers.
o Additional Resources: Instagram tips, strategy and guides
Twitter
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 14 Twitter is a different social media platform; it is fast-paced and link heavy. Tweets should be sent out at least 3-5 times
per day (including retweets). Evaluate your Twitter platform and assess if this is a necessary channel for your
department.
Ideas of what to tweet:
o informational graphics
o photos of students
o photos of staff
Tweet Guidelines
o You have 280 characters available – that doesn’t mean you have to use them all
o Hashtags: Minimum one and maximum two per tweet
o Use only one exclamation point per tweet
o Tweets should always contain a link or an image/graphic.
o Leave people wanting more – encourage link clicks
o ALL links should be shortened using bit.ly or the Google Link Shortner. A UAB-Branded link shortner will be
available soon.
o Do not post flyers or digital signs on Twitter
o Do not modify SAMAC provide graphics
o YES: UAB Campus Rec named in the @CollegeConsensus national rankings #goblazers – shortn.ed/link
o NO: Congrats! UAB Campus Rec was named #34 out of 50 nationally ranked campus recreation centers!
Hashtags
Consider developing a hashtag specific to your department to use on all Instagram and Twitter posts.
Scheduling a Tweet
Twitter has a built in feature called Tweet Deck that allows you to schedule tweets through their free platform.
To schedule a Tweet:
1. Sign in to your TweetDeck account and click the Tweet.
2. Confirm that the Twitter account you'd like to Tweet from is selected.
3. Compose your Tweet. Include an image or video with the Tweet by clicking Add images or video.
4. Click Schedule Tweet and select the date and time you’d like the Tweet posted.
5. Click Schedule Tweet at [date/time].
University Relations Twitter Tips
o Use hashtags and mentions to widen reach/tap into trends, ask questions to encourage conversation. If your
department is hosting a speaker, consider doing a Live Tweeting event and contact the social media manager for
resources.
o Additional Resources: Twitter for Business
RESOURCES
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UAB Student Affairs Social Media Guidelines & Processes 15 University Relations Brand Toolkit
SAMAC Box– Resources and Templates
Twitter for Business
Facebook Blueprint
Instagram Stories Guide
List of Social Media Definitions
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