CCAS Social Media
We maintain and manage the CCAS Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Vimeo and YouTube accounts and coordinate with social media managers across the university.
Topics include event promotion, noteworthy recognition, interesting CCAS factoids, faculty research, student stories, alumni achievements and more. We welcome input and posts by our community of students, parents, faculty and alumni.
Join the conversation! Follow us at @gwucolumbian on most social media platforms and use #GWCCAS and #GWU.
Social Media: Factors to Consider
Interested in starting or maintaining social media for your department or office? Consider these factors before signing up for that account!
GOALS
Goal-setting is an important and often overlooked step in deciding whether social media is the right tactic for your department, program or office.
Determine the answers to these questions before proceeding:
- What does the department hope to accomplish with a social media account?
- Who does the department want to reach?
Whether the goal is to reach prospective students, engage with current students and alumni, or have an active online presence in a given field, defining the goal(s) of the social media account will help guide the strategy behind its use.
TIME COMMITMENT
It may seem fun and easy, but maintaining social media accounts takes time.
Social media managers juggle several tasks to keep their accounts active and engaging:
- Finding content
- Planning content
- Creating content (writing copy and/or creating graphics)
- Posting or scheduling content
- Responding to replies
Carefully consider whether your department or office has the bandwidth to properly maintain a social media account. A dormant or neglected social media account can reflect poorly on the entity it represents.
Can someone (or a few people) in the department take on these tasks in addition to their other responsibilities?
SOCIAL MEDIA SAVVY
Each social media platform has a unique culture—and even language. Before starting an account, it is worth exploring whether someone on staff has the knowledge and know-how to navigate your social media platform of choice.
- Are there staff or faculty members who are “fluent” in social media and willing to participate?
- Can students help with the account? What will happen when they leave for winter/summer vacation or graduate?
ACCESSIBILITY
Any digital content we put out needs to meet accessibility requirements—including social media! This means that all posted images should have alt text (image descriptions). GW has a great list of social media accessibility best practices for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
For a more in-depth look at considering and managing social media, Online Strategy has a “beginner’s checklist” and other resources on their website under Social Media at GW .
