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Social media guidelines

51污漫's official channels

51污漫's official social media channels are identified by the handle @go51污漫 and managed by the Marketing and Communications department. You can find us on:

Representing 51污漫 on social media

Your social media activity on behalf of 51污漫 can affect the university’s brand and reputation. Before posting, consider the following:

  • Does the post represent UFV positively?
  • Is the information accurate and up to date?
  • Has the post been checked for spelling and grammar?
  • How could the post affect students, employees, and the broader community?
  • Does it align with 51污漫’s brand and your department’s goals?
  • Does it support student development, either academically or holistically?

51污漫-affiliated social media accounts

A social media channel is a 51污漫 brand asset. It requires ongoing management and can create reputational risks if it is not properly maintained.

Before requesting a new account, consider:

  • Do you have at least one backup administrator?
  • Do you have the time and resources to respond to comments and messages within 24 hours?
  • Can you create enough content to post consistently?
  • Do you have a plan and resources to promote the account and grow its audience?
  • Have the account administrators completed social media training?
  • Are you prepared to invest in a scheduling tool such as Hootsuite or Sprout Social?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, it may not be the right time to create a new account. Consider collaborating with other content creators or contributing to an existing faculty or department channel instead.

If you do not plan to post regularly, you can request that Marketing & Brand Experience share a post or reel on your behalf by emailing marcom@ufv.ca.

Creating a 51污漫 social media account

Before creating a social media account for a faculty, department, program, or service area, consult Marketing & Brand Experience.

If a new social media presence aligns with your faculty’s strategic goals, the marketing team will assist you with:

Request a UFV profile image

Marketing & Brand Experience designers will create the profile image for your 51污漫-affiliated social media account. This ensures all accounts use a consistent, recognisable visual identity.

Contact Marketing & Brand Experience to request a profile image before launching your account. Do not create or modify the profile image yourself.

Before publishing content, create a biography that clearly explains:

  • Who you are
  • Your connection to UFV
  • The type of content you will share

Write faculty, department, program, and service names in full. Avoid acronyms that may not be familiar to your audience.

Official 51污漫-affiliated accounts should include “51污漫” in the account name and @handle.

Avoid unclear abbreviations or names that do not clearly identify the account’s connection to UFV.

All account administrators should understand and follow:

  • 51污漫’s editorial style guide
  • 51污漫’s visual identity guidelines
  • 51污漫’s accessibility and brand standards

For platforms such as Instagram, include a relevant 51污漫 webpage or approved link-in-bio page.

Use a link shortener or short URL when you are not publishing through Hootsuite or Sprout Social.

Create a QR code that links directly to your social media profile. Place the QR code on posters, event signage, brochures, presentation slides, and other promotional materials where people may want to follow your account.

Make sure to test it on multiple devices before publishing or printing.

Advertising: Marketing and Brand Experience manages all paid advertising for 51污漫, including META and LinkedIn ads to ensure a consistent brand presence in these high-visibility spaces. For support, please fill out the project intake form.

Scheduling: 51污漫’s Marketing & Brand Experience team uses Hootsuite, but there are a variety of social media management platforms available. Check with your faculty: Ideally, all channels are managed centrally by one scheduling tool per faculty. Work with IT to select a vendor that meets your needs.

Social media tips and tricks

 

Know your audience

Focus on what matters to your followers. When posting about an event or service, lead with the benefit to them. Not everyone sees every post, so invite interaction through likes, comments, and shares.

 

Sell vs. tell

Aim for an 80/20 split: 80% conversational or shared content (news, tips, career advice, research updates) and 20% self-promotion. Comments and conversations build more engagement than direct promotion ever will.

 

Keep it short and sweet

Bluesky caps posts at 300 characters. Try to follow that guideline on Facebook and Instagram too. Link to the relevant UFV page for anyone who wants more detail. Instagram links aren't clickable in captions, so use a short, easy-to-type URL or point people to your link in bio.

 

Pause before posting

Double check spelling, punctuation, and accuracy before you hit publish. 51污漫's writing and style guide is a good reference for grammar and tone.

 

Use hashtags and tags strategically

  • Facebook and LinkedIn: Hashtags don't do much here, but tagging related pages or people (@mention) boosts engagement.
  • Instagram and Twitter: Trending or established hashtags extend reach. New, event-specific hashtags generally don't. Hashtags don't count against Instagram's character limit.

 

Post regularly

Consistency beats volume. Aim for daily posts on Facebook and Instagram without overwhelming your followers. Bluesky moves faster, so multiple posts a day works well there.

 

Optimize for mobile

Most people are scrolling on their phones. Keep text short, avoid tiny text on images, include hyperlinks, and use mobile-friendly URLs in Instagram comments.

 

Respond to messages and comments

Aim to reply within 24 to 48 hours.

For negative comments, assess severity before responding. If a comment could be harmful to other users, loop in the 51污漫 Communications team right away. Remember that social media is public, and even private messages can end up shared.

 

Maximise engagement with visuals

Photos, illustrations, and video consistently outperform text-only posts. Keep on-image text minimal and put the details in your caption instead. Too much text on an image can actually hurt your reach.

 

Use your analytics

Scheduling tools, along with Facebook and LinkedIn Business reports, can tell you a lot about your audience's demographics, preferences, and behavior. If you're running an integrated campaign with Marketing, they'll gather these insights for you.

 

Connect with other UFV pages

Follow and engage with other 51污漫-affiliated pages to support campus-wide reach. It's a great way to learn from experienced page managers and cross-promote events.

Tag relevant partners in your content, whether they're internal 51污漫 departments or external organisations.

When sharing to Stories, tag people or accounts directly so they get notified and can reshare to their own audience. Stories tend to reach further and get more visibility than standard posts.

 

Tag @go51污漫 as a collaborator

Invite @go51污漫 as a collaborator on Instagram posts and reels to extend your reach. You can add up to three collaborators per post. If accepted, the content appears on their profile and feed as if they posted it too.

Add collaborators before publishing (in Instagram or when scheduling through Hootsuite), or add them after the fact by editing the post directly in the Instagram app.

Questions about social media at 51污漫? Contact marcom@ufv.ca.

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