Social Media
Join the conversation!
The University of South Carolina Upstate believes that social media is an important vehicle for sharing our stories, events and information with the world. We invite you to browse our social media directory, find the areas that interest you and join the conversation!
USC Upstate Social Media Standards
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Our Official Channels
Join the Directory
University organizations, departments and divisions are required to register social media channels representing the University with the Office of University Communications. Before creating an account, contact the social media manager and learn more about getting started with social media.
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Getting Started with Social Media
While starting a social media account requires little effort, maintaining that account and engaging your audience requires time, creativity and planning. If social media is the best option for your communication needs, then the information below will help you start strong and increase engagement of the USC Upstate brand.
Determine Your Goals
What do you plan to achieve with social media? What kind of information will you share with your audience? What audiences are you trying to engage and why? How will you measure success? What is your timeline for measuring success? These and other questions should be the first considerations before contacting the Office of University Communications to request an account.
Audience, Audience, Audience
It's the equivalent to the mantra "location, location, location" in real estate. The goal of social media is audience engagement through timely, relevant information. Without a clear understanding of who you're trying to reach, your social media efforts will be unproductive and uncoordinated.
Assign a Responsible User
Determine who will be responsible for managing the social media account and updating posts. Remember that an account bearing the University's name or likeness is not a personal account. Be careful to separate personal likes, preferences, etc., from the University brand. The account user is also responsible for responding to comments/questions. All account users must be registered through the Office of University Communications.
Determine Frequency of Posts
The nature of social media is fast-paced, consistent and immediate. If your group or organization will only need to make posts for a particular event or season, perhaps a separate social media account is not needed. Ideally, users should plan to post to social media at least two times each week, which is a universal rule of thumb across various platforms.
Contact University Communications
Once you've determined your goals, identified your audience, determined a responsible user and determined the frequency of posts, contact the Office of University Communications to set up the social media account for your group/organization. All accounts that bear the University's name or likeness must go through the approval process and must be registered with the Office of University Communications. If you have questions along the way, we're here to help. Remember, your success and promotion is our goal!