Jon-Stephen Stansel

A social media manager’s job is much more than just creating content and posting it. They must collaborate with stakeholders, build strategy, monitor online conversations, respond to comments, and more. This leaves little time for professional development, and as discussed last month there are a lot of things social media managers have to track to stay on top of the ever-changing field of social media. The question is, with all the many tasks social media managers have every day, where do they… Show more

A social media manager’s job is much more than just creating content and posting it. They must collaborate with stakeholders, build strategy, monitor online conversations, respond to comments, and more. This leaves little time for professional development, and as discussed last month there are a lot of things social media managers have to track to stay on top of the ever-changing field of social media. The question is, with all the many tasks social media managers have every day, where do they find time for this professional development?

Here are a few ways social media managers can clear time in their daily schedules to stay on top of their game. Show less

We ask a lot of social media managers. From creating content and responding to comments, to social listening, developing strategy, and more, a social media manager is expected to undertake many duties. But one we don’t talk about much is keeping up with a field that is rapidly changing and evolving. To stay relevant and continue to be effective in their role, social media managers must make professional development a daily part of their jobs.

For social media managers, it’s extremely easy to develop a sense of ownership and a very close attachment to the accounts they run. Often, they are the ones who develop the account’s voice, write the copy, build the graphics, take the photos, and interact with the community. When someone leaves a comment or asks a question, they are the ones responsible for responding.

Many social media managers have either created those brand accounts themselves or built them from the ground up. And… Show more

For social media managers, it’s extremely easy to develop a sense of ownership and a very close attachment to the accounts they run. Often, they are the ones who develop the account’s voice, write the copy, build the graphics, take the photos, and interact with the community. When someone leaves a comment or asks a question, they are the ones responsible for responding.

Many social media managers have either created those brand accounts themselves or built them from the ground up. And when things go wrong on social media, they are the ones who have to answer for it. Show less

As higher ed social media managers prepare for the start of another school year, there’s a lot to consider. COVID safety messaging and other possible crisis communications have been added on top of the already full schedule of move-in day, first day of classes, welcome week, and all the other communications that go along with the start of a new school year. So when Yik Yak announced last month that they were relaunching after a four-year hiatus, higher-ed social media managers were… Show more

As higher ed social media managers prepare for the start of another school year, there’s a lot to consider. COVID safety messaging and other possible crisis communications have been added on top of the already full schedule of move-in day, first day of classes, welcome week, and all the other communications that go along with the start of a new school year. So when Yik Yak announced last month that they were relaunching after a four-year hiatus, higher-ed social media managers were understandably upset. Show less

Graphics interchange format (GIFs) are the lingua franca of Twitter. They can express complex ideas and emotions that cannot fit into a Tweet, create humour and levity or add a personal touch to a reply. In higher education, we use them constantly to congratulate students when they have just been accepted, share the excitement of the school year starting or wish students luck on final exams. But why use pop culture GIFs when you can create your own university-branded ones? The University of… Show more

Graphics interchange format (GIFs) are the lingua franca of Twitter. They can express complex ideas and emotions that cannot fit into a Tweet, create humour and levity or add a personal touch to a reply. In higher education, we use them constantly to congratulate students when they have just been accepted, share the excitement of the school year starting or wish students luck on final exams. But why use pop culture GIFs when you can create your own university-branded ones? The University of Central Arkansas created its own library of branded GIFs and GIF stickers on GIPHY, a popular GIF-sharing platform that has generated almost 100 million GIF views in less than two years. In this paper, we will give you a tutorial on making GIFs, promoting a brand GIF library and evaluating the results. Show less

It can be hard enough to fuel a content calendar for an entire school year, yet alone when school’s out for summer. But with a bit of creativity, a whole lot of resourcefulness, and a dash of #hashtag know-how, you can uncover a bounty of social media content.

Universities are easy targets for impersonation accounts and trademark misuse. They’re often created by students and, while some have good intentions, many are hoping to quickly gain a large following and cause general mischief. They also tend to grow rapidly because schools are often slow to notice and take the appropriate measures to protect their trademarks and shut these accounts down. But make no mistake, these accounts hurt your brand strategy, your brand, and even worse, can be used for… Show more

Universities are easy targets for impersonation accounts and trademark misuse. They’re often created by students and, while some have good intentions, many are hoping to quickly gain a large following and cause general mischief. They also tend to grow rapidly because schools are often slow to notice and take the appropriate measures to protect their trademarks and shut these accounts down. But make no mistake, these accounts hurt your brand strategy, your brand, and even worse, can be used for bullying and harassment.

These simple steps can identify and stop these accounts so you can protect your social media trademarks before the accounts damage your school’s reputation. Show less