Social media guidance

Think about your reasons for setting up an account including: 

• Who it is that you want to communicate with?
• What your goals are, for example is it to raise the profile of the work for your department or to interact with key policy makers.
• What it is that you want to tell them? To create a message that matters to your audience, you need to talk about what they care about and are interested in, as well as the overall objectives of the university.

Consider if a social media platform is needed to meet your aims and objectives or if it would be preferable to use one of the university’s existing channels.

Think of which platforms are most suited to your audience and the type of content that you plan on posting. For example, Instagram is good if you have lots of visual content to share whereas Twitter is more relevant if you wish to engage in conversation; LinkedIn is good for connecting with colleagues and potential collaborators on an individual level and Facebook is good if you want to build an online community.

This requires an ongoing commitment.

If you wish to create and manage a social media presence, you must ensure that you have the time and resources to support it, as well as enough regular content to post.

Don’t set up an account with a short term promotional goal in mind. In these instances it may be more appropriate to use one of the university’s existing channels to promote your news.  

Contact the Digital and Social Media Team for advice about promoting your news through existing channels.

Most social media platforms provide information to help you set up your page.

Guides for popular sites are:

• Getting started with Twitter
• How to create a Facebook account
• Everything you need to create on YouTube
• Getting started on Instagram
• How to use LinkedIn.

Pick a straightforward name that will make it easy for people to find and recognise your page, for example, the name of the department or group that you are representing along with ‘at St George’s’ or ‘at St George’s, University of London’.

The St George’s logo is used on the main university social media accounts managed by the Design Team.

Find out more about how logo and how it is used.

Most social media sections have an ‘about’ section.

This is your opportunity to tell people about your channel and its purpose. This will help give potential followers an idea of what type of content you will be posting and whether it will be of interest to them.

Having well-planned content helps to keep your channel busy, relevant and will engage your audience. Sharing content which has not been carefully curated risks spamming your audience.

When planning content consider:

• What can you provide via social media that will help/interest/entertain your target audience? 
• What kind of content can/will you produce? For example, photos, videos, discussion points or blogs.
• What content will help you achieve your goals?

This will help you build your online community and get involved with conversations.

Letting us know will enable us to promote your platform as necessary.

The team can also talk you through your plans if needed. Email us on webdevelopment@sgul.ac.uk.

Write posts the first person and keep it conversational.

Talk about topics you know and understand, and that are of interest to your audience.

Encouraging comments and being responsive will help to build your online community.

Do not post private, commercially sensitive or confidential information and follow the same ethical standards that employees of St George’s, University of London must follow in the workplace. 

Don’t leave visitors to your profile hanging on long to reply to any questions or comments that require a response. If you haven’t got time to answer comments on the day you see them, let your visitors know that you have seen their post and will get back to them as soon as you have time.

If you are going to be away and unable to respond to comments for a while, then let your online community know.

If a visitor has a query about a St George’s service or activity, the answer may already be available online. Direct them to this existing information rather than personalising a response. It will save you time and ensure that the information you are providing is accurate and up to date. 

This flow chart (PDF) aims to help you monitor and decide how and when to respond to comments and feedback you may get from your activity. 

Don't put others' content online with out their permission.

This includes St George’s images (some images will have restricted copyrights) and those found on Google and other web sources.

For more information, see the Intellectual Prop erty Office's guide to copyright .

Don't hide it, but update the page explaining what the error was.

Exercise care and consideration and avoid engaging in contentious issues where you may not represent the University’s official view.