Social Media Account Policy & Guidelines | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
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Social Media Account Policy & Guidelines

In determining the need for a social media page for your department or unit, please consider the following before requesting the account.

Currently accepted social media accounts include representation of campuses, schools and departments. All other independent business units will be evaluated for approval on a case-by-case basis; including institutes, offices, grant-funded initiatives, and others. Consideration of an account must be reviewed and approved by both Communications & Marketing (C&M) and the individual school or department social media liaison.

Before requesting an account, consider whether there are other options besides creating a new account. Can your defined audience be reached using university email or an established social media channel? Check the TTUHSC social media directory for existing approved social channels.

Simply having a social media account will not help you achieve institutional goals, it’s what you do with it that matters. Having a plan and strategy, and following social media best practices are crucial to the success of your page.

Pre-Planning:

  1. Define your audience. Example: prospective students, community members, etc.
  2. Determine goals and objectives. What is the main mission of the account?
  3. Establish a consistent publishing schedule.
  4. Escalation plan. Who will handle complaints and critical comments?

 

Other Requirements:

  1. Determine who will be responsible for maintaining and monitoring your account. This person or team of people must be willing to write content, monitor posts, answer questions and serve as the point of contact. If no one will commit to the responsibility, you should reconsider creating the account.
    1. Who can the social media team contact when university updates need to be communicated quickly?
    2. Who can monitor what is posted to school and departmental pages by their respective lead admins?
  2. The dean and designated social media liaison must approve the formation of the social media account. 
  3. Full-time faculty or staff must be a lead admin on each account.
    1. Responsible for monitoring what is posted and subsequent engagement.
    2. Contributing editors--students or residents are permissible under supervision.
  4. A C&M team member must be an admin on or have access to all accounts.
  5. Comply with any federal or state regulations by which TTUHSC is required to abide: HIPAA, FERPA, ADA, etc.
  6. Content Scheduling & Frequency
    1. To be effective, institutional social media accounts must be updated regularly. 
    2. The exact number of posts and frequency will vary depending on your objectives, the size of your audience. And which platform you’re posting to. Generally, posting two or three times per week is sufficient for smaller audiences. As your audience grows, you may want to consider posting every other day or daily.
    3. If an account goes inactive for 30 days, C&M will warn the admin. If the lapse continues, the social media account will be up for re-evaluation by C&M.
  7. Branding
    1. Naming Conventions
      1. Account names MUST use the full “Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center” or the acronym TTUHSC.
      2. All other abbreviations or combinations are prohibited. Unofficial names such as “Texas Tech HSC” or “TTU Health Sciences Center” are confusing and imply a closer affiliation with Texas Tech University.
    2. Profile photos and other graphics must comply with the branding guidelines established on the TTUHSC Branding Center. Use only official and current logos; and those for which your school or department are approved to use.
  8. Emergency communications: Cease regular posting, and only share or repost official @TTUHSC communications during times of crises--especially weather, fire, or violent events where Stat!Alert is utilized.
  9. Adhere to the social media best practices on the C&M website.

 

Official Directory:

Approved social media accounts will be included in the official TTUHSC social media directory.


Use of Social Media Operating Policy:

  1. HSC OP 67.03 grants C&M authority to review and approve social media accounts.
  2. It expands on many of the requirements listed above.
  3. C&M reserves the right to evaluate accounts for OP and regulatory compliance.