New and Emerging Social Media Channels
Did you know that UAB currently has over 300 affiliated social media accounts? As social media takes time, content, resources, and planning to do well, we wish to be good stewards of all our existing channels and social audiences first and foremost.
This might mean we need more time to evaluate the appropriateness of new accounts or emerging platforms.
As of this notice, we require that schools, units, or individual organizations within UAB contact Marketing & Communications before establishing a presence on any “new” or emerging social media channel using the social media support form. We may need to further evaluate or investigate opportunities that are available through these platforms before we grant permission.
We also require that schools, units, and individual organizations within UAB request approval through the social media support form before creating any new accounts on institutionally-approved social media channels.
For more information or any questions, please contact Maree Jones, Director of Social Media Strategy, at
To be effective, social media relies on content, consistency and developing a sense of community. At the end of the day, managing social media can be a full-time job, and this aspect takes many people by surprise.
With the evolving nature of social media, the key to managing it successfully is keeping up with trends to stay relevant.
- If you would like to develop a social media presence for your academic or organizational unit, start by talking to your unit’s communications director. You might be able to post your content on channels already managed by your unit's communications team. This is often the most favorable route so you won't have to build an audience from scratch.
- If you have already talked with them and would like to continue setting up a social media account, please fill out this form and continue reading our requirements below.
- Be aware of the time commitment of running a social media account and be prepared to keep the account active through regular posting and timely responses to inbound messages/comments. Meta, Twitter, and TikTok have policies in place to prevent unused accounts from taking up space on their platforms.
- Be willing to participate in social media training sessions and keep abreast of the constantly evolving university social media guidelines.
- Be willing to follow any communications-related guidelines or rules set forth by Marketing & Communications. Our communicators have our finger on the pulse of what's happening across campus and social media networks, so requirements may change at any time.
Set a strategy and goals
- Identify the purpose of your social channel(s), who you want to reach, the types of content you need to share and the goals of your department.
- Consider if you have enough content to post daily to social channels. If you don't, it might be best to use a channel that is already created.
- Marketing & Communications considers messages for its main channels through the request for publicity form.
- Set specific goals you hope to achieve with your social media channel(s). Are you trying to drive more traffic to your website? Are you trying to communicate about events hosted by your department?
Identifying the right channel
- Decide what social media channels are appropriate for your department/organization.
- If you need help determining which might be the best fit for your goals, contact our Director of Social Media Strategy, Maree Jones, at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Develop a content strategy
- Create an editorial calendar to keep track of content - include important events needing coverage.
- Try to vary your content topics and use different multimedia
- Analyze your audience and understand the types of content they are most likely to respond to.
Review analytics
- Monitor your analytics on a weekly or monthly basis
- Look at top performing posts as well as a low performing posts
- Optimize your content based on this feedback and be willing to tweak your content strategy as your audience engages with your new account.