Semesters end and new ones begin, and with each new beginning comes new or returning students. As a university, we frequently see our most seasoned, experienced students leave for home, missions, internships, or post-grad life. It’s to be expected that your department’s social media accounts will often change hands as new students are hired or volunteer.
BYU-Idaho wants your department’s social media to succeed despite change being a continuous factor. Above all, it is important to remember that every post connected to BYU-Idaho can be viewed as representing the university and ultimately the Church. Here are three best practices for taking over existing social media accounts to make your team transitions as convenient as possible:
- Know the Goal: Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of the account(s) that I’m managing?” Is your department trying to raise awareness? Educate your following on a certain topic? Connect with the members of your organization? Have a clear purpose. This will guide the content you create and help your department have a unified voice instead of reflecting the different individuals managing the account.
- Study Past Posts: How have the students before you accomplished this purpose? Studying your account’s post history will help you understand the feel of your organization, as well as how your organization has connected its purpose with followers in the past. Speaking of the past, make sure you are removing former student employees as admins to your social media account.
- Conduct a SWOT analysis: As you are studying your department’s social media history, also evaluate its effectiveness. Find your account’s strengths and weaknesses, whether those be related to the content you post, how often your organization posts, the level of user interaction your account generates, and anything else that applies to your goal. Identify next what opportunities your account can take advantage of and what external elements threaten your ideas. These conclusions might lead you to refocus your primary goal.
These tips are relevant not just to new students taking over existing accounts, but also for those continuing to manage a department’s social media or those creating a brand-new account for your department. If you are creating a new account, be sure to first check for duplicate accounts already in existence before coordinating with University Relations to register a new account and receive final approval.
Understanding your department’s purpose, how that purpose has previously been conveyed, and evaluating your social media efforts overall will provide direction for you to keep moving forward and foster ideas to improve. Have fun and good luck this semester!
