Social Media

Digital engagement is a powerful platform to share Purdue stories with past, present and future Boilermakers. Here are some tips to help your storytelling shine.

Policy

Official Approval

Per the University Social Media Policy, you must secure the approval of the appropriate administrative leader in your college, school, department or group (e.g., vice president, vice chancellor, vice provost, dean, etc.). You must also notify the appropriate campus authority, designated in the University Social Media Policy, of your plans.

Guidelines

SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILE 

Profile templates

POSTING TIPS 

  • Keep posts short and direct 
  • Include photos, videos, or GIFs 
  • Use bitly or rebrandly to shorten URLS 
  • Post and moderate daily 

CAMPUSWIDE HASHTAGS 

When possible, try to add hashtags to amplify your content even further! 
 
#MySmallStep = Student stories  

#MyGiantLeap = Faculty/Alumni stories 

#PurdueUniversity, #Purdue, #BoilerUp, #Boilermakers 

#TheNextGiantLeap 
 

HOW TO USE #MySmallStep and #MyGiantLeap 

SAMPLE: My small step in _______ at Purdue will help me achieve my Giant leap of _______. #MySmallStep    What small step will you take to lead you to your goals and ambitions?

SAMPLE: Professor Haley Oliver’s giant leap is becoming a leader in global food safety. Learn more about the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety and Professor Oliver’s giant leap. #MyGiantLeap         

SAMPLE: Scientists at Purdue University created A dumbbell-shaped nanoparticle, which revolves at 300 billion revolutions per minute. Or, put another way, half a million times faster than a dentist’s drill! #TheNextGiantLeap     

WRITING SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS 

Whatever content you have—cut it in half and cut it in half again! Less is more with social media post copy. 

Consider starting your post by asking a question to draw in your audience. 

Here are some specific tips by channel to refine your copy further. 

SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

FACEBOOK 

  • Audience(s): Parents, Alumni and General Public 
  • Tagging: Always tag as many elements as possible—as well as Purdue departments. 
  • Posts: Once per day  
  • Content: Stories about research initiatives, celebrations/milestones, current student profiles and alumni profiles. Photos and video. 
  • Hashtags: #PurdueUniversity, #Purdue #BoilerUp, #Boilermakers, #TheNextGiantLeap 

INSTAGRAM 

  • Audience(s): Current students, Prospective Students, Alumni and General Public 
  • Tagging: Always tag as many elements as possible—as well as Purdue departments. 
  • Posts: Once per day and at least 3 story elements/day. It is important to lead with strong photography and less text on Instagram. Consider incorporating a carousel post to lead with a photo and then a graphic with text, if needed. 
  • Hashtags: #MySmallStep, #MyGiantLeap, #PurdueUniversity, #Purdue, #BoilerUp, #Boilermakers, #TheNextGiantLeap 
  • Content: Events, students, student life, celebrations, milestones. Should serve as a high-quality photo gallery to showcase your organization. 
  • Other Ideas: Use linkinprofile.com so every photo can be linked from the profile URL. See the Purdue University Instagram page for an example. https://linkinprofile.com/lifeatpurdue 

TWITTER 

  • Audience(s): Students, Alumni, General Public 
  • Tagging: Always tag as many elements as possible—as well as Purdue departments.  
  • Hashtags: #MySmallStep, #MyGiantLeap, #PurdueUniversity, #Purdue, #BoilerUp, #Boilermakers, #TheNextGiantLeap 
  • Content: Tweet and Retweet about campus events, research initiatives and fun facts about Purdue.  

LINKEDIN 

  • Audience(s): Students, Young Alumni (job seekers), Alumni (recruiters looking for young alumni), Business Professionals 
  • Tagging: Always tag as many elements as possible, including Purdue departments. 
  • Hashtags: #MySmallStep, #MyGiantLeap, #PurdueUniversity, #Purdue, #BoilerUp, #Boilermakers, #TheNextGiantLeap 
  • Content: Innovation—partnerships, research, student profiles, alumni profiles and professor profiles. 

MANAGING A SOCIAL ACCOUNT 

  • Join in the conversation on Purdue Teams Channel 
  • Look over purdue.edu/brand for the most up-to-date information 
  • Always use a departmental email to set up a new Purdue social media account 
  • Make sure that at least 2 employees have admin access to social media accounts 
  • Use LastPass to securely keep track of all passwords 
  • Use a platform such as Hootsuite, Buffer or Later to schedule and engage in conversations.  

HOW TO STAY ORGANIZED? 

  • GOOGLE SHEETS: Here’s a content calendar planning template that you can use to get started. 
  • AIRTABLE: This is a free resource if you’re looking to up your content calendar game!