Social Media

Planning and Strategy

Why Social Media Strategy Matters

To be successful in building relationships and connections on social media, having a strategy is essential. Spending time to plan out a strategy will not only save you time in the long term, but will also save you stress. An emphasis of the UMC Social strategy is to focus on quality, not quantity. By setting communications priorities, you ensure that the content you are creating will be more strategic and in line with overarching department/entity goals. Although social media requires flexibility with content, the UMC Social Media Team's strategic approach has communicators thinking ahead to prioritize key messages while leaving room for unplanned social media opportunities. 

Communications Priorities

It’s important to choose communications priorities to guide a social media strategy. Establishing communications priorities will help guide you in identifying the best content for posting on social media. Think of goals held by your larger department, group, or other University entity. Do you wish to share more about research, specific programs, or department updates? These priorities are often created by or with the guidance of a leader, such as a college dean, program director, or department head.

Communications Priorities to Consider

  • Marketing or Recruitment Priorities
    • General awareness for MTU degrees, programs, or units
  • Research Priorities
    • Undergraduate research 
    • Faculty research
    • Graduate research
  • General Department/Entity Priorities

Content Buckets

Content buckets (otherwise known as posting themes) are a way of organizing particular content ideas into a calendar. By identifying content buckets, communicators and social media admins (SMAs) can be more strategic with their time and efforts.

Content Buckets to Consider

  • Campus Life 
  • Health and Wellness
  • Sustainability and Resilience
  • Research
  • Alumni 
  • Faculty Recognition (research, funding, publication, award)
  • Career Path
  • Department Updates and Changes
  • Events
  • K-12 Outreach
  • Location (such as the Keweenaw or Upper Peninsula)
  • Scenery
  • Federal Holidays
  • National Holidays, Heritage Days/Months, or Awareness Campaigns
  • Athletics

Content Posting Scheduling and Planning

The posting schedule example below is a recommended way to plan content. The schedule can vary based on time allocated toward social media management. Creating a social media content strategy that is consistent and sustainable from a maintenance standpoint is one of the most important things an SMA can do. Safeguarding mental health while managing social media is something the UMC Social team prioritizes for SMAs, and your posting schedule should consider what an SMA can realistically manage. Posting quality content consistently is the goal. Being strategic is our recommended way to build a successful social media presence. 

Example Content Posting Schedule and Monthly Plan

Below is an example of a simplified monthly social media plan for the College of Computing.

Instagram

2-3 posts, Instagram stories, or reels per week

Facebook

2-4 posts, Facebook stories, or reels per week

LinkedIn

1-3 posts per week

X (Twitter)

3-10 posts per week (including reposts)

Example Content Bucket Schedule
Topic Quantity Goal Frequency
Campus Life Two posts per month on Instagram, Facebook, and X related to campus life Highlight the student experience in the College of Computing and at Michigan Tech Every other Tuesday
Undergraduate Student Highlight Two undergraduate student highlights a month Show the real-world and experiential learning opportunities students get while attending Michigan Tech Every other Thursday
Campus Event Three campus events per month Promote College of Computing related events, as well as share other related campus events This content bucket is a bit more sporadic, but try to aim for posting three times a month
Health and Wellness One Health and Wellness related post a month on Instagram Promote taking care of health and wellness within the College of Computing Every third Monday of the month, try and share a mental health and wellness tip, resources, or example
Faculty, Research, or Program Highlight Two LinkedIn posts a month Frame our faculty and researchers as thought leaders within the computing industry and share information about various programs Create one post every other week on Wednesday

Suggested Steps: Managing an Official Social Media Account (OSA)

  1. Finalize communications priorities and content buckets with entity leadership to ensure that your efforts on social media are aligned with greater goals.
  2. Designate two social media admins (SMAs) to help with managing the social media account.
  3. If you haven’t already, fill out the OSA Application form to ensure that your account is officially recognized by the University and get it added to the MTU Social Media Directory. 
  4. Perform a social media audit.
  5. Create a LastPass for social media accounts under an MTU department or entity email address.
  6. Set a recurring task on Google Calendar for changing social media passwords.
  7. Create a social media calendar for planning content.
  8. Assess whether you’re going to be using a content planner or scheduler. If so, which one? 
    1. Meta Business Suite (if you are only on Facebook and Instagram)
    2. Hootsuite 
    3. Canva
    4. Later
  9. Select your key performance indicators (KPIs) and set analytics goals.
  10. Look at social media platform demographic data within the platforms to learn more about who your current audiences are.
  11. Schedule a regular social media checkup or planning meeting among the account’s two designated SMAs.
  12. Plan a yearly social media strategy meeting to assess overall annual performance.