Social Media Guidelines

The Marketing Department, through the strategic use of social media, is able to reinforce who we are and what we’re all about. The Marketing  Department Social team oversees the daily content management of TCS and its partner schools main social media platforms.

• Define your goals: How does social media fit with your overall organizational goals? Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely. 
• Determine your audience: With so many social media networks out there, you may be tempted to join them all. By narrowing your audience, you can connect with the right crowd and network. Ask yourself: what is your current relationship with your audience? 
•  Platform: With your key audience and goals in mind, what platform(s) will serve you best? 
• Sustainability: Can you spread your message without creating a new account? Will you be able to use the account year-round? Will you have enough content to maintain consistency in posting? How will you grow your following? 
• Staffing: Who, specifically, is going to find, create, and post content and monitor your channels? 
• Content: What, specifically, are you posting/sharing, and why? What strategies or model (either internal or external) do you plan to utilize and/or follow? 
• Frequency: How often will you tweet? Post to Facebook? Post new videos? Upload new photos? Decide in advance how much time you are going to spend on each platform. Be consistent in your posting and post strategically rather than constantly. Utilizing a content calendar can be very helpful. 
• Voice: The content of your post sets the tone for your audience and their interactions with you. Be consistent across all channels. While it’s ok to be less formal on social media, make sure all updates have a unified tone. 
• Monitoring & Evaluation: For each of your channels, you will need to take the time to respond to posts/questions and engage with your audience. In addition to monitoring your channels, you will need to determine how you will evaluate your success for each channel. 
• Approval: Before creating an account on behalf of your unit, secure the necessary permissions from your department head and complete the Social Media Inclusion form. All accounts should have two appointed employees who are responsible for content.