Account Management

Registering an existing social media presence

In adherence to the UNC Charlotte social media policy, social media accounts operating under the University brand as one of its offices, departments, centers, colleges, schools, or programs are required to register their social media presence. To register your account(s), the below form must be completed. Upon submission, a social media team member will reach out to the account administrators listed for next steps. Registering your account will result in the inclusion of your account(s) into the University’s official social media directory, along with access to a University branding package and entry into a campus-wide network of social media managers for further support.

Please review the following considerations before registering your account:

  • All officially recognized accounts must be operated by at least two non-student University employees to serve as account administrators at all times. Both a primary and secondary account administrator must be named.
  • Account credentials and/or granting of administrative privileges to the University social media team of all operated accounts is a required part of the registration process.
  • Accounts should be tied to an email account not belonging to a single individual for accessibility purposes. For example, a secure email account representing your department, college, or program with limited access is ideal (example: department@uncc.edu).
  • Once your Account Registration form is submitted, account administrators will be provided with an approved profile image, account name, and account handle. Registration is complete when these assets are uploaded onto the channels and administrative access has been granted to the University social media team.
  • If you wish to consolidate or delete an account, please go ahead and complete the registration form below and select the option that best applies to your accounts. A member of the social team will be happy to work with you on next steps.
  • If accounts have not been deemed as ‘active’ by the University social media team, the inactive account(s) will be requested for deletion or deactivation. If your social media presence falls within these parameters, a member of the social media team will reach out to you.
  • Please refer to the FAQ section for more account management information.
Register Account

Request a new social media presence

Operating a university-affiliated social media presence requires planning, oversight, management, and ongoing execution. Before creating an account, filling out the request form is required. Before requesting an account, consider the following:

  • What is the purpose and goal of the requested account?
    • How does this purpose align with your department’s goals and objectives?
    • How does this purpose align with the University’s branding strategy and strategic plan?
    • Are there existing accounts currently dedicated to the same or similar topics?
    • Is your account purpose unique from what already exists in the university social media space?
  • Who is your target audience?
    • Are they present on social media? If so, on what platforms?
    • How specific or broad is the size of this target audience? Does this align well with the social media landscape?
  • How are you currently using your owned channels to maximize your reach?
  • How will you define and measure success for this new communications channel?
  • Is the infrastructure in place to start a new account?
    • Do you have a content calendar?
    • Do you have a strategic plan?
  • Do you have the resources to maintain a consistent presence?
    • Do you have the personnel, visual assets, and time to effectively manage the account?
    • Is there a steady stream of timely and relevant content to pull from?

If you have questions or would like a recommendation on your social media presence, please reach out to the University Communications social media team at socialmedia@uncc.edu.

Request Account

Managing your social footprint

While social media management is not “one size fits all,” it can be helpful to keep best practices and tips in mind surrounding the following areas when working to keep your presence timely and relevant: community management, engaging with audiences, and creating content around trending topics or external conversations.

Community Management

  • Where possible, aim to respond to messages and questions within 24-48 hours.
  • If issues arise in the public forum areas of social media, attempt to respond or reach out in a private direct message to isolate and take care of the issue in a more individualized setting.
  • All commentary present in the social space does not warrant a response, but some commentary should still be monitored. Please reach out to the University social media team if you are unsure.
  • Where possible, answer questions or issue corrections where misinformation might be present.
    • Example commentary: “I heard Gold Rush starts at 7PM tonight – anyone going?”
    • Example response: “Hi, ______. The first Gold Rush event is today at 12. We hope to see you there!”
  • Remember that you are representing the university when responding to concerns, questions, or clearing up misinformation. Tone and voice should be respectful, helpful, and professional.
  • If you encounter commentary that is concerning, please reach out to the UCOMM social media team for further assistance. They will be able to provide you with appropriate escalation.
  • Please reference section IV, part B of the social media policy for more information on moderating comments.

Engaging

  • Engage in proactive social media listening to identify conversations around your office, division, or college. This can be accomplished by regularly searching brand keywords to find conversations (i.e. search “UNC Charlotte” through Twitter’s search function).
  • Reciprocate when your audience engages with you. Comment on or like their comments, respond to mentions, and like and/or comment on their content. This helps to create a community, and both Instagram and Facebook prioritize the reach of content that has commentary developing on it.
  • Refrain from entering conversations in which your account has not been invited or that do not pertain to UNC Charlotte.
  • Refrain from using gifs or memes in a response, as the origins of these are unclear and custom responses are an opportunity for building recognition of your account’s voice.
  • Ensure that your accounts are appropriately monitored if the main account administrator(s) will be out of the office.

Trending Topics + External Conversations

  • Complete a social media landscape scan to assess the space for breaking news and general commentary before posting content.
  • Refrain from posting content during major breaking news events and turn off any scheduled content during that time.
  • Refrain from using University social media channels to comment on trending topics, currents events, or political views that are unrelated to UNC Charlotte.
    • If a professor is an expert in the area, it may be appropriate to position them as a thought leader through the content developed with potential for social media amplification.
    • Some topics may need to be vetted by the Reputation Management Team or the Associate Vice Chancellor of Communications before content is planned or shared.