cedarville university communications department …...playbook update listening processes and ......

Cedarville University Communications Department

Social Media Playbook

October 2018 || v1.1

Table Of ContentsWho are We? ........................................................................................................................................................ 5

What Are We Like? ��6What Do We Want? ��7Who’s Responsible? ��8

Where are We? ..................................................................................................................................................... 9Facebook �� 10Facebook �� 12Twitter �� 14Instagram �� 18LinkedIn �� 22

How Are We Doing? .......................................................................................................................................... 25Playbook Update Guidelines �� 26Listening Processes and Guidelines �� 27

Appendix ........................................................................................................................................................... 29

Who are We?

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What Are We Like?Our Personality Our VoiceThe Communications Department personality is best defined as a mix between passionate and professional� We love what we do, but we aren’t so over-the-top about it that we become cheesy or obnoxious�

We are hard-working and good thinkers and learners� We strive for quality for the cause of Christ, which means we’re always ready to learn and improve — but not that we through out tried-and-true tactics just because they’re not the latest trend�

Though we have a strong work ethic, we still know how to have fun and enjoy life� We’re friendly, inclusive, and welcoming to people with many backgrounds and interests� We also recognize the value of good food in developing good relationships�

The voice of the Communications Department is informed by the Department personality� In summary, it should be:

• Friendly and welcoming, but not smothering�• Excited, but not over-the-top�• Professional, but not stiff or boring�• Intuitive and intelligent, but not arrogant�

The tone of the Department will vary from one site to another as different aspects of the However, the content we post on all sites should reflect these four aspects of the Department personality�

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What Do We Want?Department GoalsThe Department of Communication’s goals for social media are summed up by the three E’s: excitement, engagement, and examples� Specifically, the Department seeks to do the following:

• Create excitement about the Communications Department among potential Communication students�

• Increase engagement between past and current Communication statements and among classes and majors within the Communication Department�

• Spotlight examples of successful Communication students, both current and graduated, and the work they do�

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Who’s Responsible?Social Media Roles Intern Hiring InfoThe Communication Department’s social media is run by two student interns under the direction of the Department Chair�

At the beginning of each month, these interns will meet with the Department Chair to create a content calendar for the month� They will then use this calendar to guide content creation and posting throughout the month�

Individual posts do not need to be approved by the Department Chair, but derivations from the content calendar must be approved� In addition, the Department Chair can request changes to the content calendar during the month as the occasion demands�

The Communication Department hires students as social media interns on a yearly basis� Students may apply during the spring semester to work the following year� The Communication Department will select its interns at the end of the spring semester so they can meet with current interns and learn about their day-to-day responsibilities and best practices�

Any sophomore, junior, or senior student in the Communication Department may apply for the position of Social Media Intern� In addition, faculty may recommend students for the position� Students interested in the position should contact the Department Chair� Students may apply for the Social Media Intern position multiple years in a row�

Where are We?

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FacebookGeneral Guidelines Posting GuidelinesThe Communications Department Facebook page has the largest and widest audience out of all its social media platforms� This audience includes current, past, and potential students, along with parents, other family members of current and potential students, and faculty� They are interested in the current news of the Communications Department, including events, opportunities, accomplishments�

The tone of the Department Facebook page is a fairly even balance of all four personality elements, with a slight emphasis on our friendliness and excitement� We want to show our audience that we’re doing awesome things, both for fun and professionally, and we want them to join us�

Posting Frequency:• Aim for five to seven posts per week, with no

more than one post per day�• Up to three of these posts can be shared posts

from other Cedarville pages, such as the main CU page, major-specific pages, or Resound Radio�

• During Getting Started Weekend, Homecoming, and similar events, multiple posts per day are OK, but not recommended�

Other Guidelines:• Whenever possible, include a photo, image, or link

in the post�• In every post, include a “hook” or question to

which commenters can respond�

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FacebookResponse GuidelinesHow to Respond to What:• Positive comments: Reply and thank the

commenter for any compliments� • Negative comments: If the comment is only

negative, not inappropriate, apologize to the commenter and, if possible, offer a solution� If the comment contains inappropriate content, delete it� Do not respond with snark, even if they do it first�

• Neutral comments: Reply or don’t as desired�• Questions about an event or opportunity:

Answer the question as best you can or direct the commenter to a source of relevant information�

• Questions about a person: Do not answer questions about people, either faculty or students, unless you can do so without revealing personal information not included in the post�

Response Timing:• For three days after making a post, respond to

comments as described�• After three days, you are no longer required

to respond to comments unless they seem particularly significant�

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FacebookPost TypesWe post the following types of content on the Department Facebook Page� Some of these post types may overlap on occasion�• Event Post: Shares information about an

upcoming event or recaps a previous event�• Photo: Includes one or more photos of the

university, an event, or a person and a caption providing context�

• Linked Article: Shares an article that’s related to Cedarville or the field of communications�

• Student Spotlight: Highlights a student and his or her accomplishments, internship, or service�

• Faculty Spotlight: Highlights a faculty member and his or her recent accomplishment, publication, or activities�

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Facebook

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TwitterGeneral Guidelines Posting GuidelinesThe Communications Department Twitter account has a reasonably wide following, but not as broad as the Facebook page� The primary audience for this account is current and past students and faculty� They are interested in current news of the Department, but they want it to be balanced by bites of professional and Christian thought�

To best suite this audience, the voice of the Department Twitter account emphasizes the professionalism and passion of the Department, along with the wisdom and intelligence of those who comprise the Department� Here, we want to establish ourselves as thinkers and leaders in communication � � � but ones who know how to have fun�

Posting Frequency:• Aim for six to twelve tweets and retweets per

week, with at least one post per day every day except Sunday�

• Depending on the available content, up to eight tweets in a day, with a separation of at least an hour between each post, are OK�

• Aim for at least one original tweet per day�Other Guidelines:• Whenever possible, include a photo, image, or link

in the post�• Sources for quote tweets may include chapel

messages, Major Assembly presentations, classes, articles, or simply asking the faculty member for a thought of the day�

• Always ask permission to use quotes�

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TwitterResponse GuidelinesHow to Respond to What:• Positive comments: Reply and thank the






Response Timing:• For one day after making a post, respond to

comments as described�• After that day, you are no longer required


• Respond to tags in other’s tweets within twenty-four hours if at all possible�

All response guidelines apply to both direct comments on tweets and separate tweets that tag the Department�

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TwitterPost TypesWe post the following types of content on the Department Twitter account� Some types may overlap�• Retweet: A post retweeted from another

Cedarville- or Communications-related account�• Event Post: Shares information about an

upcoming event�• Photo: Includes a photo of CU, an event, or a

person and a caption providing context�• Linked Article: Shares an article that’s related to

Cedarville or the field of communications�• Student Spotlight: Highlights a student and his or

her accomplishments, internship, or service�• Faculty Spotlight: Highlights a faculty member

and his or her recent accomplishments, • Quote: A memorable, helpful, or inspiring quote

from a faculty member or chapel speaker�

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Twitter

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InstagramGeneral Guidelines Posting GuidelinesThe audience for the Communications Department Instagram is primarily current students and faculty, along with some past students� They are interested in both Department news and a day-to-day look at life in the Communications Department�

As on Facebook, the Department Instagram account voice emphasizes the enthusiastic, friendly nature of the Department� We aim to show our love for the people of the Department and our excitement for their accomplishments and activities�

Posting Frequency:• Aim for four to six posts per day, with no more

than one post per day�• Do not post on Sundays�• During Getting Started Weekend, Homecoming,

and similar events, multiple posts per day are OK, but not recommended�

Other Guidelines:• Use the highest-quality pictures available to you�• Respect others’ privacy� You do not need to get

explicit permission to post pictures of Department events, but do not force people into pictures�

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InstagramResponse GuidelinesHow to Respond to What:• Positive comments: Reply and thank the






Response Timing:• For three days after making a post, respond to

comments as described�• After three days, you are no longer required


Please Note:Always respond directly to comments� Do not simply add a new comment and tag the person!

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InstagramPost TypesWe post the following types of photos on the Department Instagram account� Some of these post types may overlap on occasion� • Promo: Graphics promoting an upcoming event

at CU or the Communications Department�• Event Post: Photos of events, either posted live

from an event or after the event�• Student Spotlight: Highlights a student and his or

her accomplishments, internship, or service�• Faculty Spotlight: Highlights a faculty

member and his or her recent accomplishment, publication, or activities�

• CU Community Spotlight: Highlights events or news from Cedarville University that isn’t directly connected to the Communications Department�

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Instagram

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LinkedInGeneral Guidelines Posting GuidelinesThough the Communication Department’s LinkedIn audience includes some current and past students, it also includes many businesses and other universities� They are less interested in day-to-day university news and are primarily concerned with the professional and intellectual activities of the Department students and faculty� In addition, businesses want to know about the background of their potential hires�

In order to best fit this audience, the Department LinkedIn account emphasizes the intelligence, professionalism, and passion of its students and faculty� It presents the Department as a collection of skilled people who love what they do and are always ready to learn how to do it better�

Posting Frequency:• Aim for one to three posts per week with no more

than one post per day�• Do not post on Sundays�

Other Guidelines:• When appropriate, include a picture or image in

your post�• Avoid sharing the same content over and over

from week to week and day to day�

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LinkedInResponse Guidelines Post TypesHow to Respond to What:• Very few LinkedIn posts will generate comments�• When responding to comments, keep in mind

the guidelines put forth for other sites� Always be professional and polite�

Response Timing:• For one week after making a post, respond to

comments as described�• After one week, you are no longer required


We post the following types of content on the Department LinkedIn Account� Some of these post types may overlap on occasion� • Linked Article: Shares an article that’s related to

Cedarville or the field of communications�• Student Spotlight: Highlights a student and his or

her accomplishments, internship, or service�• Faculty Spotlight: Highlights a faculty

member and his or her recent accomplishment, publication, or activities�

• Course Spotlight: Highlights a class or opportunity offered by the Communications Department, focusing on how it benefits students and prepares them for the workplace�

How Are We Doing?

26

Playbook Update GuidelinesWhen To Update? How to Update?Once a year, the Department Chair and the Social Media Interns should assess the content of the Playbook to determine if any of it is outdated or inaccurate, if any platforms are missing, or if there are other issues with the content� They should then update, add, or fix any of these issues that they find�

In addition, if the Social Media Interns discover a new social media platform that they think the Communications Department should have a presence on, they can make the case for that platform to the Department Chair� If the Chair agrees, the Chair and the Interns will work together to update the Playbook with the strategy and guidelines for the new platform�

When updating the Playbook, begin by assessing the data from the year’s social media listening documents� Pay attention to high and low engagement on specific platforms, post types, and post days�

In addition to the data from the social media listening documents, take note of any new social media platforms, trends in social media, or other relevant information�

With this as a background, read through the Playbook� Make a note of any content that is outdated, inaccurate, or missing� Then revise the content appropriately and update the version number and date on the cover�

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Listening Processes and GuidelinesWhere, When, and What? How to Record Listening Data.Where Do I Listen?• All four of the Communication Department’s

social media pages�

When Do I Listen?• Record post types and dates as you create or

schedule them�• At the end of each month, record data for

reverberation, activation, and engagement�

What Do I Listen For?• Strong feelings (either positive or negative)�• Significant engagement with a particular post�• Praise or complaints for the Department�

Data from social media listening can be recorded in a Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets spreadsheet such as the one found in the appendix� If possible, use a previous month’s spreadsheet as a template to ensure consistent formatting and results�

For each post, record the type of post, the date, and data for reverberation, activation, and engagement�• Reverberation: This is the total number of likes,

follows, and shares or retweets on a post�• Activation: This is the total number of new

sources that have liked, followed, or shared your content�

• Engagement: This is the number of comments on a post, the number of repeat commenters, and the overall length of comments on a post�

Appendix

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Facebook Listening: Fall 2018

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Twitter Listening: Fall 2018

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