Social Media Use with UF/IFAS

Tiffani Stephenson

About Tiffani

• B.S. in Recreation and Event Management, Univ. of Florida

• Pursuing M.A. in Mass Communications, Social Media, Univ. of Florida

• Establishing multimedia communications strategies using traditional and social mediums for branding and visibility

Today’s Agenda

• UF/IFAS Social Media Guidelines and Policy

• Account Set-up/Branding

• 5 Steps to Social Media Strategy

• Keep It Real!

• UF/IFAS Case Studies

• Growing an Audience

• Tricks of the Trade

UF/IFAS Social Media Guidelines

• To become an official UF site, you must register with both UF/IFAS Communications and University Relations• Complete social media strategy outline: https://

docs.google.com/forms/d/1GgbvP7CAstXwBIM7rt4RBadNAm87pFG5E9yw3yTVRfk/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link• University of Florida’s main social media account will not

share, retweet or promote your account if it is not official

Social Media Policy • Setting Up Social MediaSocial media identities, logon IDs and usernames may not use UF/IFAS’ name without prior approval with both UF/IFAS Communications and University Relations• Don’t Tell SecretsIt’s perfectly acceptable to talk about your work and dialogue with the community; it’s not okay to publish confidential information, including financial information or trade secrets• Protect Your Own Privacy Be mindful of posting information that you would not want the public to see• Be HonestUse your real name, be clear who you are, and identify that you work for UF/IFAS; do not say anything that is dishonest, untrue or misleading. If you have a vested interest in something you are discussing, point it out

Social Media Policy• Respect Copyright LawsAttribute such work to the original author/source. Link to others’ work rather than reproduce it• Respect Your Audience, UF/IFAS, And Your CoworkersDon’t be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully. Refrain from using ethnic slurs, offensive comments, defamatory comments, personal insults, obscenity, etc. objectionable or inflammatory topics – such as politics and religion• Protect UF/IFAS Stakeholders, Business Partners, And SuppliersStakeholders, partners or suppliers should not be cited or obviously referenced without their approval. We don’t want to violate any non-disclosure agreements that may be in place with the stakeholder, partner or supplier• Controversial IssuesIf you see misrepresentations made about UF/IFAS, you may point that out. Always do so with respect and with the facts. Do not disparage that party and avoid arguments

Social Media Policy• Be The First To Respond To Your Own Mistakes If you make an error or someone accuses you of posting something improper, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly• Think About ConsequencesUsing your blog or account to trash or embarrass UF/IFAS, our stakeholders, or your co-workers is dangerous and ill-advised• Disclaimers Facebook accounts are required to include a disclaimer in their biography section. It is good practice and is encouraged that all accounts include one, but don’t count on it to avoid trouble• Misc. TipsBe interesting, stay out of trouble, and have funWrite about what you knowUse a spell-checker. Take time to edit or reflect. If in doubt, either let it sit or look at it again before publishing

5 Steps to Social Media Strategy

1. Define your goals – what are you trying to accomplish?– Thought Leadership– Establish, Protect or Promote a Brand– Build Community or Conduct Service

2. Get to know your audience– Create a ‘buyer persona’ to understand psychology and

habits of ideal consumer – Case Studies: Mary, Jeramy and Samantha

Meet Mary• Skews female, between 33 and 54 years

old; married with 2 kids• College grad; Professional (VP, Director,

Manager) for mid sized company• Smart shopper, focused on milestone

events and everyday family activities • Sophisticated with technology in some

areas, lagging in others • Most likely to use Facebook, Pinterest

Meet Jeramy• Skews male, between 30 and 45

years old• Small Business Owner, Industry

expert with no marketing experience

• Clever, cool and calm; Dialogue driven

• Fiscally conservative • Most likely to use Twitter, LinkedIn

Meet Samantha• Skews female, between 13 and 25

years old • Intelligent, brand loyal shopper,

technology savvy• Responds well to contests, new

product sneak peeks, coupons, “Behind the Scenes,” new team member introduction, targeted videos

• Most likely to use Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat

Social Media Strategy (Cont’d)

3. Define your metrics – how will you measure your success?– Are you broadening your reach?– Do you convert awareness to action?

4. Decide on Tactics – what actions will help accomplish your goals?– Will you use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or another outlet?

5. Execute your Strategy! – Allocate your resources and budget; assign roles– Set 3-month goals to review progress and impact

Keep It Real!

• “Above all else – People!” – Listen to your customers, competitors, and referral partners – Relax and interact like a real person– Run your posts through the BFF checker (as appropriate)– Don’t coddle the complainers – Make engagement the goal; let your fans shine! – Use your community to learn

When Keeping it Real Goes Right!

When Keeping it Real Goes Right!

When Keeping it Real Goes Right!

Growing an Audience• Make a ridiculously good first impression with branding

• Wherever possible, use signage offline to drive your constituents online

• A live audience has an urge to connect with whomever is on stage. Tell them where your brand lives on social media and invite them to join you there

Growing an Audience• Identify employees who have strong social followings

and encourage them to passively recruit on behalf of your organization/brand

• Tag others - a good way to pique curiosity, attract new followers, and trigger mutually beneficial engagement

• Be known for helping others in as many ways as possible

• “Pay to Play” - allocate a portion of marketing dollars for advertising on social media

Tricks of the Trade

• Create a Content Calendar for subject matter– Find a sweet spot for post frequency – Keep posts short!

• Follow 10+ accounts of similar space– Industry leaders/experts, influencers and competitors

• Branch out from graphics – use video and audio where appropriate

• Proofread each post

Tricks of the Trade• Posting Dead Zones

– Twitter 8pm-8am– Facebook 12am-8am– LinkedIn 9am-5pm– Instagram 12am-8am– Tumblr 12am-12pm– Pinterest 1-7am, 5-7pm– Google+ 6pm-8am

• Days of the Week for Engagement Varies

• Follow 5-3-2 plan– 5 industry related – 3 company related – 2 personal in nature

Tricks of the Trade

• Don’t be afraid to share material outside your specialization, county

• Look for cross-platform promotional opportunities

• Ask your audience what they are struggling with

• Build relationships beyond your specific need

• Separate quantity from quality

Follow Us!

@UF_IFAS on Twitter

“UF IFAS Solutions” on Facebook or https://www.facebook.com/UFIFASNews

Questions?

Thank You!Tiffani Stephenson – tsteph220@ufl.edu