Best Practices

Content development

Reach, educate and engage your audience.
Don’t use emojis to replace words in your copy. Instead, use them to complement your posts.
Tag other accounts in your copy when it fits naturally. Tag naturally in the text rather than at the end.
Produce and share high-quality content. The quality of the content takes priority over the quantity of the content.
Avoid putting graphics, screenshots, PDFs and flyers on your Instagram account. Instead, break up the content into an Instagram Story to make it quickly digestible to your audience.
Focus on what you are posting, rather than when you are posting. Aim for a minimum of one post a week so that your account stays relevant to your audience.
Do not share content that does not relate to your unit of Montana State University.
Provide best-in-class customer service.
Share helpful news and information in a timely manner.
Be transparent.
Be proactive.

Create your own content that reflects your social media strategy and directly relates to your unit of Montana State University. Remember to include a relevant form of media (image, graphic or video) with your post to boost engagement.
Share from the main Montana State University channels.
- Facebook (@MontanaState)
- Twitter (@MontanaState)
- Instagram (@MontanaStateUniversity)
Share relevant messages from other Montana State University accounts.
Share stories from MSU News that are relevant to your college or department.
Share events from MSU Calendar.
Share some relevant trends. Be aware of national holidays and be aware of their meaning before sharing. Here is a good example from MSU’s Culinary Services: “To honor #NationalChiliDay our staff is making an assortment of chili recipes for lunch today from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Warm up from the cold weather in Miller with a bowl of chili or head over to Rendezvous to vote for your favorite chili recipe.”

First send the user a private message asking for permission to share their content.
Then ask the user if they would like to be tagged in the post and/or how they would like to be credited.
Then provide the user with how you plan on using the content and when you plan on using it.

Always know what account you are posting from to avoid mishaps.
Avoid using slang especially if you are unsure what it means.
Triple-check before posting anything.
A minimum of two people should have access to your unit’s social media accounts at all times. Limit this to four people as to not increase your chances of having your account(s) hacked. Please let the social media strategist know who these contacts are and update this information as it changes.

Beware when creating your own memes. Memes can often come across in ways that are initially unintended.
Be cautious of sharing posts or links from brands outside of Montana State University. This can be seen as endorsing or promoting a business.
Be careful with what you are liking on Twitter as the platform could share your likes, comments and follows as suggestions to your followers.

Facebook will automatically add in a link asset. After the asset loads, you can delete the link in the copy.
Twitter will automatically add a link asset as well but you must keep the link as part of your copy. To make it look nice, place the link to the bottom of the tweet and delete “https://www.” and start with “montana.edu”.
Instagram does not allow links in the copy of your posts to be clickable. Instead, if your link is really important, you can add it to your account’s bio and have users click there. Accounts with more than 10,000 followers are able to have a swipe up feature for links on Instagram Stories.

Make videos accessible with subtitles.
- During the upload process on Facebook, make sure you go to “Subtitles & Captions” then selection “Auto Generate”. This process will take a few minutes and then you will have the ability to review and edit the captions. Make sure to “Save” before posting.
- On IGTV on Instagram, when uploading your video go to “Advanced Settings” then make sure “Auto-Generated Captions” is turned on before posting.
- On YouTube, during the upload process, make sure to select your “video language” and then under “subtitles and CC for original video language” select “English by YouTube (automatic)".
- For other platforms, there are thousands of tutorials online about how to add subtitles to your videos. Including free apps and paid services.
Upload your video straight to the platform rather than sending your audience elsewhere to watch it. This will increase your chances of your video being viewed by your audience.
Grab attention quickly by using compelling visuals in the first few seconds of your video.
When filming and/or editing, consider what orientation you will upload your video in – vertical or horizontal – depending on what platform you are posting to.
Expect viewers to watch your video without sound.
Aim to produce videos around two minutes in length.
Anticipate that most people will watch your video on mobile rather than desktop.

Official University Hashtag: #MontanaState
Official Athletics Hashtag: #GoCatsGo
Official Commencement Hashtags: #CatGrad21, #CatGrad22, #CatGrad23, #CatGrad24, #CatGrad25