Social Media Strategic Plan

Developed by Ryan Smart, Social Media Coordinator

2013-2014 School of Communication Promotions and Development Team

Overview
This plan outlines the social media goals and strategies of the School of
Communication. It will assist the School of Communication Promotions and
Development Team (SoCPD) and the Social Media Coordinator with the effective
use of social media to promote the School of Communication and its primary
annual event, COM Week. The plan will also provide a training template for
future team members and social media coordinators. It is intended to be a living,
breathing document that will be updated as necessary.

Who We Are
STATE your passion in the School of Communication at Illinois State University.
With approximately 900 majors, we are the largest academic unit in the College
of Arts and Sciences. Undergraduate programs include communication studies,
communication studies teacher education, journalism, mass media, and public
relations. In addition, the School of Communication offers a nationally recognized
Masters degree program.

We offer students small class sizes with internationally recognized faculty as well
as hands-on experience in award-winning student organizations, study abroad
programs, internships, and other exciting opportunities. We pride ourselves on a
legacy of excellence in teaching, research and service that is more than 150
years old.

Why Social Media?
Social media are essential to build and maintain relationships with our key
audiences (see below). They are integral to the way we communicate today, and
can encourage engagement with the School of Communication.

Social media include social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and
LinkedIn, as well as blogs and other forms of digital media. The effective use and
management of these tools will not only help us promote our events, but build
and strengthen relationships with students, faculty and alumni. The goal is not to
use social media channels as a megaphone to blast our message out, but as a
tool to add value and foster support between the School of Communication and
its publics.

Voice
The School of Communications online voice will be professional, approachable
and enthusiastic. Maintaining an authentic, appropriate and consistent voice is
essential to build connections with our audiences.

In times of a crisis, incident, or other emergency, the School of Communication
should alter its voice to be more serious and focused on the situation at hand.

It is important that our social media posts and messages are accurate and
grammatically correct at all times. This will help ensure credibility and
professionalism.

Audience
The School of Communication has three primary publics on social media:
1. Current students, both undergraduate and graduate
2. Faculty and staff
3. Alumni

Goals and Objectives
The School of Communication has two main goals in using social media:
1. Engage and build relationships with our key audiences
2. Promote School of Communication events, especially the annual COM
Week

Specific objectives include:
1. Increase engagement with the School of Communication through and on
social media
2. Increase awareness of School of Communication events, especially COM
Week
3. Increase attendance at School of Communication events, especially COM
Week
4. Feature each undergraduate sequence equally, so as not to favor one
more than the others

Each academic year, measureable objectives should be established by the social
media coordinator and a faculty adviser. For example, increase COM Week
attendance by 25% for 2015.









Content Strategy

Content Sources Description
School of Communication and COM
Week Websites
Pull content from these websites to
share about events and people
Bit.ly Use bit.ly to shorten links for publishing
on Twitter and Facebook, as well as for
tracking links and clicks
External sources If news about our students or alumni is
shared in external publications, it can
be shared via School of
Communication social media channels


Networks

Tools Purpose Metrics for Success
Facebook Facebook is a great way
to increase engagement
primarily with our
internal stakeholders
and key audiences
(students, faculty,
alumni). It can also help
increase the recognition
of the School of
Communication and
search engine
optimization/searchability.
Likes, comments, shares
Twitter Twitter functions similarly
to Facebook in that it is
helpful in increasing
engagement, recognition,
and searchability.
However, Twitter is
especially useful in
establishing external
recognition, branding,
and for the promotion of
content.
Followers, favorites,
retweets, replies
COM Week blog The COM Week blog can
be used to increase
awareness of COM Week
and its specifics as well
as engagement with key
audiences.
Number and regularity of
posts, comments, visits

Measuring Success
The success metrics outlined above will be gathered using a variety of tools.
Facebook Pages provides its own insights to help measure engagement and
better plan future posts. Google Analytics may be used to determine how traffic is
being driven to our websites (communication.ilstu.edu and comweek.ilstu.edu). A
variety of options are available to measure Twitter, including Sprout Social,
Tweroid and commun.it. These may change when we build a new social listening
center for the 2014-2015 academic year, and this plan should be updated
accordingly.

Action Plan

Channel Details Frequency
Facebook Promote student, faculty
and alumni
accomplishments and
stories. Promote events,
including COM Week.
Share related content
from relevant sources
(i.e., The Vidette, TV-10,
WZND, PRSSA or other
ISU sources and
organizations). Use
visuals whenever
appropriate and possible
to engage fans. Ask
questions to spark
conversation.
At least three posts per
week. Ideally, one to two
posts per weekday.
Twitter More and more 18-24
year olds (i.e., our
students) are using
Twitter, making this a
great network to engage
them. It is great for
conversation as well as
news and stories about
accomplishments. Share
content that has value
and can encourage
conversations with
followers as well as
congratulatory posts,
news, and event
announcements.
At least three original
tweets (not replies or
retweets) per week,
minimum. Ideally, two to
three original tweets per
weekday.
Blog The blog will primarily be
used to promote articles
and posts related to COM
Week. It may also be
used for other School of
Communication
announcements, such as
scholarships or other
events.
Blogging may be done on
an as needed basis,
with an increase of posts
leading up to, during, and
immediately after COM
Week. Valuable content
is more important than
blogging for the sake of
blogging." However,
some effort should be
made to keep content
current (i.e., one to three
posts per month).

When should content be posted? Since the School of Communication is a
professionally-based organization, posting outside of business hours should be
avoided (e.g., 2:00 a.m. on a Saturday). Occasional weekend and evening
weekday posts are acceptable, but most should be between 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
on weekdays. Use Facebook Insights and other measurement tools to determine
when more of the intended audience is online and optimal post times.

Note on COM Week: A specific action plan will be developed to promote COM
Week each year. See Appendix A for an example.

Crisis Management
A crisis may be defined as a major disruptive event that is unexpected and
threatens the organization. Examples include workplace violence, rumors, natural
disasters, malevolence and more.

The School of Communication Business Manager (Denise Thomas) and Director
(Dr. Steve Hunt) must be contacted and notified in any emergency situation.
They should also be consulted about what content is appropriate to post in the
event of an emergency. Regularly scheduled content and posts should be
delayed in order to provide updates and information about the emergency
situation.

In the event of any crisis situation, accuracy is of the utmost importance even
more so than timeliness. It is better to be last and right than first and wrong! Any
misinformation posted should be corrected as soon as possible in the
corresponding channel. Consult the appropriate faculty or staff with questions
about the severity of the situation, facts about the event or issue, or the
appropriateness and accuracy of content. However, it is the duty of the social
media coordinator to determine the appropriateness of posts to the best of his or
her ability. It is also his or her responsibility to determine when to resume posting
as normal (with the help of the director and business manager, if necessary).

Comments containing profanity or verbal attacks directed at a specific individual
or organization should be deleted. Other comments should be responded to
following the appropriate guidelines (see below).

Monitoring and Moderating Comments
When fans and followers Tweet, post, comment, or message The School of
Communication, they should be responded to within 24 hours. If a question is
asked and the Social Media Coordinator does not know and cannot find the
answer, he or she may consult the Business Director, Faculty Adviser, or other
appropriate School of Communication faculty.

Comments may only be deleted in the case of profanity or verbal threats or
attacks. Vulgar comments, bullying and spam will not be tolerated.

It is important to thank those who comment for their input and engagement, even
if they are providing negative feedback. See the example conversation below.

Example:
Post: I feel like the School of Communication only posts about students in the
PR program and PRSSA. Where are all the other RSOs?

Response: Hi XX, thank you for reaching out. We try to feature each sequence
equally and are sorry you feel otherwise. If you have anything you would like us
to feature, please feel free to reach out to [social media coordinators email].

You may even include specific post numbers or percentages in an example such
as the one above. Always thank the poster and address the comment as
specifically as possible. Offer solutions, if applicable.

Staff and Training
This document should be used as a basis for training the SoCPD Social Media
Coordinator. The outgoing Social Media Coordinator should use it to help
onboard the incoming coordinator in April or May, after the incoming coordinator
is selected. A training meeting should be scheduled in late April or May with the
outgoing coordinator, incoming coordinator, School of Communication Associate
Director Dr. Steve Hunt, and School of Communication Assistant Director of
Convergent Media Nathan Carpenter.

The plan should also be used as a resource by the Social Media Coordinator and
any other social media team members throughout the year.

Approval
Posts on the School of Communication Facebook, Twitter or Blog must be
approved by either a faculty adviser or School of Communication IT Director
(Nathan Carpenter) prior to publishing. Email is generally a good way to do this.

Ten Social Media Best Practices
This list is by no means exhaustive, but is a good starting point for social media
tips and best practices:
1. Be active: It is hard for people to engage if there is nothing to engage with.
Follow the action plan outlined above to establish a consistent, reliable
social media presence.
2. Be accurate: Sometimes, social media can feel like a race to get the
soundbite out first. While being first is nice, it is even more important to be
accurate. Accuracy builds trust with your audience; misinformation breaks
it.
3. Be timely: Timeliness is important both when posting new content and
responding to comments and mentions. It is like the saying, old news is
not news. Additionally, not responding to comments will make the
audience feel disconnected, ignored and, ultimately, disengaged.
4. Be there: Be available to your audiences and listen to them. Remember
the social in social media. You must interact in order to create
conversation, relationships, and engagement.
5. Add value: Know your audiences wants and needs so that you can use
social media channels to help fulfill them.
6. Be honest and authentic: Know your voice and stay true to it. Do not
embellish stories for the sake of shares. Your audience will find out and it
will only hurt you in the long run.
7. Be respectful: You are representing the School of Communication and, by
extension, Illinois State University. Even if you are being attacked, do not
react defensively. Maintain professionalism at all times.
8. Be consistent: Follow the action plan above to create content calendars
and consistent posting. Audiences can engage more easily if they know
what to expect.
9. Incorporate visuals. This helps increase engagement and shares with your
audience.
10. Always remember you are representing the School of Communication. Do
not use me or I. You are the voice of this organization!

Appendix A: Sample COM Week Content Plan
Much like the overall social media strategic plan, content plans are living
documents that may be updated as needed based on what is and is not working.



Social Media Event Plan

Event Name: COM Week 2014
Date & Time: April 14-17, 2014
Social Media Manager: Ryan Smart
Event goals for social: Increase attendance at COM Week 2014 and
engagement with COM Week events on social media.
Event mission statement: To provide professional development opportunities to
ISU School of Communication Students
Event hashtag: #COMWeek2014

Social Media Guidelines:
Engage in two-way conversation. Remember the social in social media!
Post relevant, attention-worthy and event-related content.
Welcome, and respond appropriately to, honest feedback.

The School of Communication and COM Week voice is enthusiastic yet
professional.

Content to feature:
Themed around the tagline: envision, engage, embark
Keynote articles and other media
Influencer and brand advocate outreach (encouraging engagement with
presidents of COM RSOs and relevant ISU publications)
Past attendees testimonials/highlights from previous COM Weeks

Best times to post (generally):
Facebook: Use week one to help figure this out! Generally speaking, try
weekdays 2-5 p.m.
Twitter: Weekdays between 1-4 p.m., Weekends between noon-3 p.m.


Patterns (Consistency is key):
Keynote spotlights will be posted on Mondays and Wednesdays
Tuesdays will be dark days (no COM Week specific posts planned) so as
not to overwhelm followers.
o However, if relevant articles/content is posted by outside
influencers, we will share that as necessary. This will probably be
more of a Twitter thing.
Wednesday we will poll Facebook fans to see which panel theyd like to
spotlight on Friday
Use #TBT to highlight past COM Weeks. Include a past career institute,
doc festival, and awards and scholarships to promote those events.

Measurement
Objective one: Facebook (exceed likes and shares)
Objective two: Twitter (exceed retweets and favorites from last year)
Objective three: Achieve 50 uses of #COMWeek2014 not by SoCPD
interns

Promotion Timeline
Notes:
As necessary: share press related to COM Week (i.e. blogs, Vidette
features, etc.)
Guidebook may be featured/promoted in these posts, pending whether we
buy/use it or not.

Week One: 3/16 3/22
Facebook Twitter
Sunday 3/16



Monday 3/17 Career Triathlon
kickoff post!
Create and share FB
event for COM Week
(tie into St. Patricks
day somehow? Is
that cheesy?)
Spring Break may be
over, but now we can start
counting down to
#COMWeek2014!
Tuesday 3/18
Wednesday 3/19 Share Phil Bedella post
or article
Share Phil Bedella post or
article
Thursday 3/20 Have you applied for
stage one of the Career
Triathlon yet? Deadline
is tomorrow!
#TBT post: In the spirit of
#TBT, what are some of
your favorite School of
Com or COM Week
memories?
Friday 3/21 Post themed to
envision (maybe
envisioning COM week?)
Post themed to envision
(maybe envisioning COM
week?)
Saturday 3/22





Week Two: 3/23 3/29
Facebook Twitter
Sunday 3/23


Monday 3/24 Share Jennifer
Thompson post or article
Share Jennifer
Thompson post or article
Tuesday 3/25
Wednesday 3/26 Share Kevin
Petschow and Steve
Smith post or article
Conduct poll for
Friday Panel Feature
(Mondays panels)
Share Kevin Petschow
and Steve Smith post or
article
Thursday 3/27 #TBT Facebook post/ask
peope what their favorite
COM Week memories
are
#TBT post
Friday 3/28 Post Friday Panel
Feature
Post themed to
engage
Post themed to engage
Saturday 3/29



Week Three: 3/30 4/5
Facebook Twitter
Sunday 3/30


Monday 3/31 Share Angelica
Colantuoni post or article
Share Angelica
Colantuoni post or article
Tuesday 4/1
Wednesday 4/2 Share Alex Reside
post or article
Conduct poll for
Friday Panel Feature
(Tuesdays panels)
Share Alex Reside post
or article
Thursday 4/3 Hey career triathletes!
Make sure you
complete your mock
interviews by
tomorrow in order to
win our sweet prize!
(Actual post will NOT
be this cheesy.)
Doc film festival
promo
#TBT post
Friday 4/4 Post Friday Panel
Feature
Post themed to
embark
Post themed to embark
Saturday 4/5



Week Four: 4/6 4/12
Facebook Twitter
Sunday 4/6


Monday 4/7 Share Kasey Larson
post or article
One week to go!
post ask what
people are most
looking forward to.
Share Kasey Larson
post or article
One week to go!
tweet.
Tuesday 4/8
Wednesday 4/9 Share The Everygirl
post or article
Conduct poll for final
Friday Panel Feature
(Wednesdays panels)
Share The Everygirl post
or article
Thursday 4/10 Is your LinkedIn
worth a gold medal?
Only one way to find
out: complete step
three of the Career
Triathlon by
tomorrow.
Career Institute
promo
#TBT post
Friday 4/11 Post Friday Panel
Feature
Post themed to whole
theme/COM week is
right around the
corner!
COM Week is right
around the
corner/envision, engage,
embark!
Saturday 4/12



Week Five: COM Week 4/13 4/18
Facebook Twitter
Sunday 4/13 COM Week kicks off
TOMORROW! What are
you most looking forward
to? w/ schedule link
Kick-off tweet with link to
schedule
Monday 4/14 8:30 a.m. schedule
overview
1:30 p.m. Phil
Bedella promo
3:00 p.m. Jennifer
Thompson promo
morning: schedule
overview
evening: Storify/best
posts from day one
Tuesday 4/15 9:00 a.m. schedule
overview AND
keynote promo post
11:30 a.m. Angelica
Colantuoni promo
5:00 p.m. what has
been your favorite so
far? audience poll
post
morning: schedule
overview
evening: Storify/best
posts from day two
Wednesday 4/16 8:30 a.m. schedule
overview
10:30 a.m. Alex
Reside promo
noon Kasey Larson
promo
3:00 p.m. The
Everygirl promo
5:00 p.m. Doc Film
Fest promo
morning: schedule
overview
evening: Storify/best
posts from day three

Thursday 4/17 8:30 a.m. schedule
overview
noon congratulatory
Awards and
Scholarships post
morning: schedule
overview
evening: Storify/best
posts from day four
Friday 4/18 Thank you post (with
graphic)
Thank you post (with
graphic)
Saturday 4/19