Overview
Social media plays an integral part in Chapman University’s community engagement, storytelling and marketing efforts. Your department, school or college’s channels act as a vital source of information for your key audiences and often set the tone for the university itself. As a campus communicator, it is important to understand the network of social media channels and accounts at the university as well as the guidelines to produce your own welcoming, cohesive, accessible and engaging content. The following resources will help you to get started with general social media management of your channels.
For reference, a good place to start is with the Institutional Social Media Accounts. These accounts are managed by SMC and speak for Chapman University as a whole and are often a good source of information about what’s going on across campus.
Policy & Guidelines
Before engaging in social media management at Chapman, please read through our Social Media Policy to understand the university-wide guidelines.
New Users
1. Consult Strategic Marketing before creating an account.
- Consult with your strategist or SMC’s Social Media & Digital Marketing Specialist before creating a new account. After reaching out, we will schedule a meeting to discuss your thoughts and strategy for a potential account.
- Identify the channel(s) you would like to create for your school/college/department.
- Brainstorm the type of content you would share, map out a strategy, and consider the time and energy necessary to manage an interactive community.
2. If a new account is approved, you will be required to Register your account(s) with Strategic Marketing.
- Provide contact information for the accounts’ managers and administrators.
Guides and Resources
Social media platforms are ever-changing, therefore the best place for platform-specific guidelines is within each of their own guides linked below:
Digital Marketing Help Hour
The SMC Digital Marketing Team hosts a virtual Digital Marketing Help Hour each month. This Open House-style space provides a casual environment for partners to ask the team questions related to digital marketing and social media. While this is an optional meeting, we encourage any partners who work within the digital marketing sphere for their departments to attend, whether to ask questions or listen to others. Occasionally, SMC will present on topics such as industry trends, new tools, accessibility and other resources.
If you would like to be added to our Communicators Council to be invited to this and other communication-centric meetings, send us an email: digitalmarketing@SMC.com
Accessibility
How to add Alternative Text and Image Descriptions to Social Media Images
- Adding Alternative Text to Instagram
- Adding Alternative Text to Twitter/X
- Adding Alternative Text to Facebook
- Adding Alternative Text to LinkedIn
How to add Closed Captions to videos on Instagram Reels and TikTok
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I am new to social media management within my department. How can I gain access to my department’s social media channels?
A: Access to social media channels should be given at a department level. SMC can only assist with user access to Facebook Business channels. If you need assistance with Facebook, you can submit a Workfront request for assistance.
Q: How is the new brand used within social media channels?
A: It is important that a consistent use of our brand be implemented into all social media content within the institution. Please see the Getting Started: Brand Guidelines page for more information on voice & writing style, design, photography and more.
Q: Where can I find photos to post on my department’s social media channels?
A: Chapman.photoshelter.com is Chapman’s central image library. This library is regularly updated and all photos are available for partner use. More information about Photography Guidelines can be found at brand.chapman.edu/photography/.
Support and Request Pathways
For social media support you can submit a Workfront request.