• All new accounts must be approved with StratComm at the form linked here.
• • Completion of this form will induce a conversation with UA social media administration.

• Existing accounts should be registered ASAP.
• Only institutional AND generic email address should be associated with social media accounts — do not associate personal email accounts with a social media account used for work purposes, unless required for platforms such as Facebook & LinkedIn.
• There are more than 60 Culverhouse College of Business social media accounts spread across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Connect with them when creating accounts.

• Any social media account must have at least one full-time University faculty or staff member as the account manager.
  • Students may be co-managers with staff supervision.
  • All managers must be familiar with the UA social media policy.
• All accounts must have two other full-time University faculty or staff members with login information (user name and password) and account access at all times.
  • The Culverhouse Director of Marketing and Communications will be one of the two keepers of login information.
  • Use 2FA/two factor authentication with all accounts.

• Under no circumstances should unit-level social media accounts post announcements related to significant institutional news/issues/incidents that have not already been announced by the University.
  • If UA institutional accounts have distributed info in a post, the best and preferred practice would be to share that post instead of creating new content.
• As a public institution, the University must afford opportunities for constitutionally protected speech. For this reason, constitutionally protected comments and remarks to a public post that allows commenting may not be removed or hidden by social media administrators.
  • However, unprotected speech, including obscenity, harassment, illegal activity, defamation or other falsehoods, and spam may be removed.
  • Contact the Culverhouse Director of Marketing and Communications for guidance, prior to deleting or hiding comments other than obvious spam.
• Have respect for all online community members engaging with your content. Never engage in an argument via a University-related social media account. Everything posted is a direct reflection of UA.

• Be Active
  • Regular posts keep your audience informed and demonstrate your readiness to assist, building trust and credibility. Use your platforms for instant communication and sharing current information to strengthen your connection with your audience.
• Listen
  • Understand your audience’s interests by monitoring their posts. Stay informed about discussions related to your content. Analyze successful strategies employed by peers and competitors for useful insights.
• Monitor Responsively
  • Don’t just schedule posts and forget. Regularly check comments and engage with your audience. Exercise discretion when handling negative comments, considering responses that positively shape perceptions without immediate deletion. 
• Show Quality

  • Please note that there is an additional expectation of quality for posts commensurate with the College’s reputation and prestige. You can utilize UA’s photo database maintained by Strat Comm to find high quality photos for your posts. Additionally, it’s important to have someone else look at your post before it goes out. This helps catch any mistakes or errors you may have missed.

  • Beyond complying with the policies summarized above and in full detail here, social media administrators should also ensure that their content:

    1. Is thoughtfully produced with excellent copy and high-quality imagery or graphics.
    2. Is distributed according to a schedule and at opportune times for maximum engagement.
    3. Avoids the use of text in images when at all possible.
    4. Has a strong call-to-action or other message (Discover/See/Connect with/Find Out/etc.) that directs users to visit a profile or visit a link to learn more.
    5. Has been reviewed and approved by staff or faculty if produced by a student.
    6. Has clear goals associated with it and the channel, e.g. growing followers, driving traffic to a website for business purposes, etc.
    7. Is accessible such as including captions for videos and alt-text for photos.

The University’s Social Media Policy also provides direction and details on the following topics:

• UA brand standards
• Compliance, with the law and with NCAA, SEC, and UA regulations
• Copyright
• Accessibility
• Website security
• Account inactivity and platform removal
• Employee personal social media accounts