Social Media

Posting Tips

• Keep posts short and direct.
• Include photos, videos or GIFs.
• Use Bitly or Rebrandly to shorten URLs.
• Post and moderate daily.
• 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. 

Accessibility elements as they are on the dev site:

Alt Text on Images

• Text embedded into images or GIFs that conveys the meaning; designed to make visual content accessible to users with screen readers. Alt text should communicate concisely communicate and not repeat any information provided in the text of the post.

Closed Captions (CC)

• Refers to captions that can be toggled on or off by the user watching a video. An SRT file, used broadly across all platforms, is a simple, plain text file used to add timed captions or subtitles to videos.
• Instagram does not allow for SRT upload, so we opt for burned in captions for that platform.

Burned-in Captions or Open Captions (OC)

• Refers to text permanently rendered directly onto a video, making captions visible to all viewers and impossible to turn off.
• Used on Instagram when an SRT file cannot be added.
• Should include notice of background music and lyrics as needed if it’s important for video comprehension.
• Be aware of the placement of captions to not overlap with the user experience of the platform.

Color Contrast

• Refers to the difference between the color of text and the color of the background.
• It is best to maintain a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for regular text and 3:1 for large text. This ratio is the minimum required for federal content creators. Use a color contrast analyzer to determine the ratio of your graphic.
• Purdue Brand Studio has a digital brand colors compliance chart for easy reference.

CamelCase Hashtags

• Refers to the use of capital letters to separate words in a multi-word hashtag (e.g., #ThisIsCamelCase) instead of all lowercase (#thisisnotcamelcase), making them easier to read — notably for screen readers to pronounce correctly. 

Digital Engagement

This guide covers all things digital engagement, including social media best practices, social graphic sizes and resolutions and more.

View the Guide

#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    

Managing a Social Account

• Join in the conversation on the Purdue Brand Network Teams channel.
• Look over the Purdue Brand Guidelines for the most up-to-date information on branding.
• Always use a departmental email to set up a new Purdue social media account.
• Make sure that at least two 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.