Simmtober -­‐ Social Media Style Guide We are so excited for a month celebrating everything that makes Simmons great. This style guide will give you the skills to put your best social media foot (or thumb) forward. With your help, this is sure to be the best Simmtober yet! Do you still have questions about Simmtober or social media? Feel free to email Dave McDonald in the Office of Advancement at [email protected]. Social Media Accounts to Follow: Simmons Alumnae/i on Social Media • Facebook -­‐ https://www.facebook.com/simmonsalumni • Twitter -­‐ https://twitter.com/SimmonsAlumni • Instagram -­‐ https://instagram.com/simmonsalumni/ • Flickr -­‐ https://www.flickr.com/photos/simmonsalumni/ • Snapchat -­‐ https://alumnet.simmons.edu/image/15-­‐-­‐-­‐email-­‐
buttons/snapchat-­‐barcode1.png Simmons College on Social Media • Facebook -­‐ https://www.facebook.com/SimmonsCollege • Twitter -­‐ https://twitter.com/SimmonsCollege • Instagram -­‐ https://instagram.com/simmonscollege/ • YouTube -­‐ https://www.youtube.com/user/simmonscollege Definition of Social Media Terms Comment -­‐ A public response to a status update or other piece of content. Direct Message (DM) -­‐ a private conversation between two users on social media. Favorite -­‐ An indication that someone likes your tweet, given by clicking the star icon; this is similar to a Facebook like. Follower -­‐ Someone who has chosen to receive your tweets or posts in their timeline. Handle -­‐ Your account name; for example, our Twitter handle is @SimmonsAlumni. Header Image or Cover Photo -­‐ A header image or cover photo, not to be confused with a profile photo, is the banner image at the top of a user’s profile. Hashtag -­‐ A hashtag is a type of label used on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram which makes it easier for users to find messages with a specific theme or content. A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a “#,” like #simmtober. Like -­‐ An expression of support for content. When you like something on Facebook or Instagram, you are supporting the post or video, and increasing its engagement online. Mention -­‐ Tagging another user’s handle or account name in a social media mention. Mentions typically trigger a notification for that user and are a key part of what makes social media “social.” Post -­‐ A social media status update (this is called a “tweet” on Twitter). Retweet -­‐ A tweet that is re-­‐shared to the followers of another user’s Twitter account. Snapchat -­‐ a photo messaging mobile app that allows user to take photos or record videos and send them to a select group of friends. Each piece of content sent has a time limit (1-­‐10 seconds) for viewing. After the content has been viewed, it is not able to be seen again unless it is part of a Snapchat story. Snapchat Story -­‐ Snapchat users can put content into a “story” for 24-­‐hour viewing. Typically, stories are made up of a string of content that creates a narrative. Throwback Thursday (#tbt) -­‐ A weekly social media tradition that encourages users to post old photographs of themselves . During Simmtober, we’ll be encouraging you to post Simmons-­‐related throwbacks every Thursday. Twitter -­‐ A social network and media platform that enables users to publish 140-­‐
character messages along with photos, videos, and other content. Unfollow -­‐ Unsubscribing from another user’s account. URL Shortener -­‐ a tool that converts a long URL into a shortened version that is easier to share, especially on social networks like Twitter that has a 140 character limit. We recommend using bit.ly or tinyURL. Hashtags to use #Simmtober Facebook Style Guide Profile Image Dimensions: Simmtober is about all things Simmons College. Feel free to get creative and create your own Simmtober cover photo and profile picture. We also provide some great options in our social media toolkit. Profile picture size: 160 px x 160 px Cover photo size: 851 x 315 px Best Practices for Simmtober on Facebook: • “Like” all posts by the Simmons Alumnae/i Facebook account throughout Simmtober. • Share posts when appropriate • Feel free to keep it short and sweet! Posts with 90 characters and less receive more engagement than posts with a higher character count. • Use images or videos when posting to Facebook for increased engagement. • Use the hashtag #simmtober in all of your posts related to Simmons. • Best times to post: o 1:00 p.m. is the time to post for the most shares •
o 3:00 p.m. is the time to post for the most clicks § Overall, the best times to post are from 12:00 -­‐ 4:00p.m. Use the “@” symbol when writing posts to tag other Facebook users or pages. This will increase the engagement of your post. Twitter Style Guide Profile Image Dimensions: Simmtober is about all things Simmons College! Feel free to get creative and create your own Simmtober cover photo and profile picture. We also provide some great options in our social media toolkit. Profile Picture Size: 400 px x 400 px Cover Photo Size: 1500 px x 500 px Best Practices for Simmtober on Twitter • Favorite and Retweet all posts by the Simmons Alumnae/i Twitter account throughout #Simmtober. • Include all necessary Twitter handles and hashtags where appropriate in your tweets. o Example: Join @SimmonsCollege in celebrating all things Simmons during #simmtober. • Use the hashtag #simmtober in all of your tweets related to Simmons. • Use images and videos to increase engagement. • Best times to post: o 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. or 5:00– 7:00 p.m Instagram Style Guide Profile Image Dimensions: Simmtober is about all things Simmons College. Feel free to get creative and create your own Simmtober profile picture, and Instagram themed templates. We also provide some great options in our social media toolkit. Profile Photo: 110px x 110px Instagram photo Size: 612px x 612px Best Practices for Simmtober on Instagram • “Like” all posts by the Simmons Alumnae/i Instagram account, throughout Simmtober. • Include all necessary Instagram handles and hashtags where appropriate in your instagrams. o Example: Join @SimmonsCollege in celebrating all things Simmons during #Simmtober. • Use the hashtag #simmtober in all of your tweets related to Simmons. • Best time to post: § 6:00– 9:00 a.m. or 3:00 -­‐10:00 p.m. Utilizing Snapchat for Simmtober Throughout #Simmtober we’ll be highlighting events happening on and off campus using Snapchat. Sign up for Snapchat and follow our daily stories to join the fun. Never used Snapchat before? Learn more here.