UF Social Media Strategy Plan and Assessment

1. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA | SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
Brooke Williams | October 2, 2016

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Executive Summary
• Social Media Audit
• Social Media Objectives
• Online Brand Persona and Voice
• Strategies and Tools
• Timing and Key Dates
• Social Media Roles and Responsibilities
• Social Media Policy
• Critical Response Plan
• Measurement and Reporting Results

3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• Our major social media goals for 2016 will be growing our online presence through our
follower count and engagement with new communities.
• The primary focus will be to increase student enrollment and engagement with new
audiences through generating more traffic to our social media networks and website by
creating more innovative and audience specific content, while also building better
relationships with our audiences.
Three major social strategies will support this objective:
• A plan to increase followers across all social media networks
• Increase engagement with new and current audiences
• Create new engaging content to draw in new audience members and to encourage current
audience members to share with others

4. SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT

5. SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT
The following is an audit of the University of Florida social media presence
to date. The social media audit includes an evaluation of social networks,
web traffic, audience demographics and a competitor analysis.
• Social Media Assessment
• Website Traffic Source Assessment
• Audience Demographics Assessment
• Competitor Assessment

6. SOCIAL MEDIA ASSESSMENT
Data as May 30, 2016
Social Network URL Follower Count Average Weekly
Activity
Average Engagement Rate
#interactions/reach
Twitter https://twitter.com/UF 112,000 91 2.4 %
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/uflorida 654, 392 10 1.25%
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/uflorida/ 98,800 5 2.9%
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/ufl 5,205 Once a month 0.8%
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/edu/school?id=18120 260,868 connections Posts every few
months
0.5%
Google + https://plus.google.com/+uflorida 147,840 Posts every few
months
0.8%

7. SOCIAL MEDIA ASSESSMENT
At present time, the highest number of interactions per post occurs on
Instagram, with Twitter coming in a close second. Very little interactions
occur on LinkedIn, Google+ or YouTube.

8. WEBSITE TRAFFIC SOURCE ASSESSMENT
Timeframe: Monthly average, January 2016 to March 2016
Source Volume Percentage of Overall Traffic Conversion Rate
Twitter 30,000 unique visits 58% 37%
Facebook 85,000 unique visits 20 % 12%
Instagram 75,000 unique visits 18% 5.6%
YouTube 1,000 unique visits 1% 0.8%
LinkedIn 500 unique visits 3% 0.5%
Google + 100 unique visits 1% 0.1 %

9. WEBSITE TRAFFIC SOURCE ASSESSMENT
At present time, Twitter is the biggest driver of traffic to our website, with
Facebook and Instagram competing for second. LinkedIn, YouTube and
Google+ barely bring in any traffic to our website.

10. AUDIENCE DEMOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT
Survey distributed in July/August and upon visitor engagement.
Age Distribution Gender Distribution Primary Social Network Secondary Social
Network
Primary need Secondary Need
65% 18-30
25% 31-40
5% 41-55
5% 56-80
50 % Female
50% Male
50% Female
50% Male
55% Twitter
30% Facebook
15% Instagram
35% Facebook
30% Twitter
10% Instagram
The major need from
respondents was earning
a degree and expanding
their knowledge on a
variety of topics.
Engaging with current
and past Gators through
networking events, social
activities, sporting
events, etc.

11. AUDIENCE DEMOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT
A large majority of the survey respondents are in the 18-30 age group,
which is not surprise because it is a college campus. Twitter and Facebook
are the main social media networks that they engage with. The need for
knowledge and employment are main factors that motivate individuals to
engage with the university. Energies and effort should be focused on
giving more time to developing the Facebook content for more audience
specific material.

12. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
Competitor Name Social Media Profile Strengths Weaknesses
Florida State University Twitter: floridastate Regularly posts creative and informative content to
its users. Also, consistently engages with other FSU
channels to share other news outlets information.
Overuse of certain hashtags that are irrelevant to
the post and cause lower engagement.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville Facebook: UTKnoxville Regularly posts engaging content such informative
news from the university, videos, gifs and photos.
All of the content is on theme to the universities
colors and brand scheme.
Does not regularly reply to visitor posts on
Facebook page.
Louisiana State University Instagram: lsu Audience members frequently comment at other
Instagram users in the post because they want to
share. On each post individuals comment with LSU
heart colors and mascot emojis in support.
Does not post content that actively engages all their
audience age range. Frequently posts photos as
memories that leads to little to no discussion in the
comments.

13. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
The above analysis focused on three major competitors with a strong
presence on three social networks, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. From
analyzing the three universities innovative content was a key factor for
engagement purposes, such as high quality photos, gifs and storytelling
through videos. The three competitors also used unique hashtags, emojis
and social media network themes for their respective accounts to draw in
users. However, the competition could improve in the areas of being more
focused of what hashtags are being used across social media, replying to
its audience members and posting content that causes users to engage.

14. SOCIAL MEDIA OBJECTIVES

15. SOCIAL MEDIA OBJECTIVES
In 2016, the main focus of our multiple social media networks is to
increase student enrollment and engagement with new and current
audiences by pushing more traffic to our website from our social media
sites. To meet our goals for the year, our priorities will be to expand our
online following in all platforms, create more innovative content and more
shared connections between our brand and the audience.

16. SOCIAL MEDIA OBJECTIVES
Some specific objectives include:
• Increase engagement with company brand through all channels, especially the weaker
social media sites.
a. Increased use of unique UF hashtags and emojis
b. Increased brand awareness through shares on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and
Google +
• Increase Twitter followers by 20,000 in 5 months
• Create more unique content that is focused on storytelling and captures the voice of
the brand
a. Increased use of video on all social media platforms, I.e. one video post per week on
each channel

17. KPIS AND KEY MESSAGES
KPIs
• Number of likes, favorites, shares, mentions and retweets on all social media
sites
• Number of individuals that use hashtags
• Number of Twitter followers
• Number of video posts per week on all social media sites
Key Messages
• For the Gator Good of Tomorrow
• How do you Orange and Blue
• What is your Gator Story?

18. DEMOGRAPHICS

19. DEMOGRAPHICS

20. ONLINE BRAND PERSONA AND VOICE

21. ONLINE BRAND PERSONA AND VOICE
Adjectives that describe our brand:
• Collaborative
• Contemporary
• Energetic
• Innovative
• Versatile
• Fun
When interacting with customers we
are:
• Cooperative
• Friendly
• Determined
• Generous
• Entertaining
• Trustworthy
• Funny

22. EXAMPLES OF ONLINE BRAND PERSONA
AND VOICE
Images from Twitter

23. EXAMPLES OF ONLINE BRAND PERSONA
AND VOICE
Image from Instagram Image from Facebook

24. STRATEGIES AND TOOLS

25. PAID, OWNED AND EARNED
Paid:
1. Every Monday, Wednesday and
Friday boost the most popular
Facebook post for the day that has
the most likes likes, comments and
reactions.
2. Every other week use Instagram ads
to promote the most popular picture
from the past two weeks.
3. Once a month use Twitter ads to
promote Twitter account to new
audiences.
Owned:
1. Start the use of the hashtag
#HowdoyouOrange&Blue on our
Twitter account with one our own
post per week. Motivate current
audiences to partake in the challenge
and cause new audiences to join in as
well. Retweet three to five audience
members tweets a week.
2. Encourage audiences who come to
campus to follow social media sites
and engage with posts by following,
commenting, sharing, liking,
retweeting and reacting.
Earned:
1. Collaborate with 10 diverse
students to help share their story and
its relationship to the brand. Create
posts, pictures and videos that share
the story of 10 individuals that they
will post and cause traffic back to our
website through re-sharing of the
information.
2. Analyze Twitter, Facebook and
Instagram for keywords related to
brand. Such as University of Florida,
UF, Gators, Florida Gators, #GoGators,
#UF and gator emoji for 5 months.

26. TOOLS
The University of Florida uses a variety of tools to help create a successful
social media platform. We use Hootsuite and Buffer to maintain consistent
posting schedules on all platforms and to plan ahead for holidays and
internal events. In addition, we utilize Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions
to produce the highest quality of content through images, videos and gifs.
Creating visual content is key to social media and is why we have
subscriptions to Adobe Creative Cloud.

27. TOOLS
Approved Tools:
• Hootsuite
• Buffer
Rejected Tools:
• N/A
Existing Subscriptions/Licenses:
• Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects and
Lightroom

28. TIMING AND KEY DATES

29. TIMING AND KEY DATES
Holiday Dates:
• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Day
• Groundhog Day
• Chinese New Year
• Lincoln’s Birthday
• Valentine’s Day
• President’s Day
• Read Across America Day
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Easter Sunday
• Arbor Day
• Mother’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Flag Day
• Labor Day
• National Pancake Day
• National Coffee Day
• Halloween
• Election Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

30. TIMING AND KEY DATES
Internal Events:
• Homecoming Week Oct. 10-15
• Winter Break Dec. 19- Jan. 3
• Thanksgiving Break Nov. 23-25
• Spring Break March 4- 11
Lead Times: Two to three weeks
Reporting Dates:
• Reporting occur every few months in March, June, August, October and
December.

31. SOCIAL MEDIA ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES

32. SOCIAL MEDIA ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
Director of Digital Communications and Social Media: Todd Sanders
• He coordinates campus wide digital and social media initiatives.
Social Media Specialist: Ryan Morejon
• He manages the UFSocial website and all other social media platforms UF
utilizes.
MultiMedia Specialist: Robbie Smith
• He creates UF’s multimedia design images through his background as a
graphic designer and illustrator.
Director of UF Communications: Margot Winick
• She manages integrated communications and national media events to aid
the university in campus wide priorities and standing.

33. SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

34. SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
General Social Media Policy Statement via UF Social Media Website
• Posts and other content specifically added by administrators of the University of
Florida social media account are official University of Florida content. Opinions
expressed by other users do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the University of
Florida. User provided content is not screened or evaluated during the submission
process.
• All content is bound by the UF Acceptable Use Policy. Further, users are expected to
abide by applicable laws, regulations, rules and policies including the University
Student Code of Conduct, the University’s Sexual Harassment Policy, and other
regulations and policies concerning public communications.
• We reserve the right to remove content.
• We encourage users to report content that violates the platform’s Code of Conduct by
using their official reporting procedure.

35. SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
• Authorization to present a social media account as an official University activity must come from the Vice President with jurisdiction over the unit as well as the Vice
President for University Relations or his/her designee. Registration and general guidelines are available at http://www.urel.ufl.edu/social-media/social-media-registration/.
• Individuals may not portray yourself as acting on behalf of the University or any part of the University, such as the Health Science Center, IFAS, a college, department or
any other unit, or present a social media account as an official University account unless authorized to do so.
• All accounts are subject to review for adherence to policy at any time.
• Only approved accounts can use University branding, including but not limited to logos, trademarks and name and may be linked to by University websites.
• All posted content must adhere to currently applicable UF policy and federal & state rules, regulations and policies, including but not limited to: such as the UF Human
Resource Services social media policy, UF Acceptable Use Policy, the Student Code of Conduct, and current copyright and trademark law.
• Revealing restricted records, data, or information via social media is strictly prohibited. Examples relating to restricted records so protected include but are not limited to
Social Security numbers, some financial information, employee or medical information, limited access employee records pursuant to Florida Statute, trade secrets,
copyrighted materials, and other materials that the University has agreed shall be maintained confidentially.
• All accounts must include the following official policy statement in the accounts description or biography, space permitting: The University of Florida [description of unit if
applicable] intends to educate, inform and provide updated information on [unit’s or UF’s] activities [or specify a narrower focus] and to support and promote the [unit’s
or UF’s] objectives for these activities through its social media site. All [unit or UF] comments are made by [unit or UF] designees. This site is not a public forum. Social
media users may share ideas through commentary that is consistent with and furthers the objectives of a [unit or UF] post and the University of Florida [unit if applicable]
reserves the right to remove any comments that do not fall within this purpose.
By posting a comment on this social media site, users agree to follow the terms of use of the site, Florida and federal laws and University of Florida regulations and
policies, including but not limited to the University’s Acceptable Use of Computing Resources Policy. The [unit or UF] reserves the right to remove from the site any
comments that violate these requirements.”
• Content managers are responsible for keeping content current and accurate. As a general rule, social media platforms encourage engagement, which requires consistent,
ongoing management. Accounts not providing ongoing management, content updates, and responses to community members are subject to closure. All accounts are
subject to review.

36. CRITICAL RESPONSE PLAN

37. SCENARIO ONE
Supposed shooter comes on campus and causes possible threat.
• Action Steps:
1. Alert Director of Communications Margot Winick of event.
• Winick is the contact person for other UF offices and will be informed of the official information regarding
the event.
• She will then provide accurate information regarding the event and the team will move forward from there.
2. Todd Sanders and Winick will plan together a communication plan for the website and social
media.
• Both will use UF contacts to get information on where the incident occurred, if anyone was injured and
what this means for future notice.
• They will also plan for any media releases or media kits that will be needed for the incident.

38. SCENARIO ONE
3. Sanders will then direct Robbie Smith and Ryan Morejon to post various posts on social media updating the
public about situation
• Each post will be crafted by Smith and Morejon together and then go through two channels of clearing
(Sanders and Winick) before posting to ensure clarity and sensitivity to the event.
• When the media or audience members find out about the event and begin to reach out on social Smith and
Morejon will notify Sanders and Winick.
4. If social media is pressing for an official statement or needing a direct line of communication from a higher
office, Winick and Sanders will decide who for contact.
• If this is needed, Winick and Sanders will help draft an official statement and send it to President’s office for
release.

39. SCENARIO ONE
5. Continue to have Smith and Morejon evaluate social media to see how people are reacting and to
continually update social with new information.
• Check to see if any other news outlets have broken the news and how that is affecting the situation.
Evaluate if another direction needs to be taken.
• If another direction needs to occur, Winick and Sanders will work again with the President’s office to
release an official statement.
Pre-Approved Messages:
• No pre-approved messaging in this possible threat situation. Messaging will vary on the nature of
incident and other UF news.

40. SCENARIO TWO
A fire occurs on campus at one of the residence halls.
Action Steps:
1. Alert Director of Communications Margot Winick of event.
• Winick is the contact person for other UF offices and will be informed of the official information regarding the event
• She will then provide accurate information regarding the event and team will move forward from there.
2. Todd Sanders and Winick will plan together communication plan for website and social media
• Both will use UF contacts to get information on where the incident occurred, if anyone was injured and what this means
for future notice.
3. Sanders will then direct Robbie Smith and Ryan Morejon to post various posts on social media updating the
public about situation.
4. If the media or audience has learned about the situation, direct their media requests back to Winick first and
Sanders second.

41. SCENARIO TWO
5. Continue to have Smith and Morejon evaluate social media to see how people are reacting and to continually
update social with new information.
6. Check to see if any other news outlets have broken the news and how that is affecting the situation. Evaluate if
another direction needs to be taken.
7. If another direction needs to occur, Winick and Sanders will work with the President’s office to release an
official statement.
Pre-Approved Messages:
• Twitter: We’re happy to report that fire at Keys area caused no injuries or damages. Residences are currently
relocated to O’Dome until further notice.
• Facebook: Today a small fire broke out at one of our residential areas, Keys, because of faulty wiring in a laundry
facility. No students or staff were injured in the fire. The building has minor damages to the laundry unit and will
be closed until further notice. Students are currently relocated to the O’Dome until further notice.

42. MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING
RESULTS

43. MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING
RESULTS
Quantitative KPIs
• Reporting Period: 4 months
• Data as of September 30, 2016

44. WEBSITE TRAFFIC SOURCE ASSESSMENT
Timeframe: Monthly average, April 2016 to September 2016
Source Volume Percentage of Overall
Traffic
Conversion Rate
Twitter 35,000 unique visits
+16% growth
62% 38%
Facebook 90,000 unique visits
+5.9 % growth
23 % 14%
Instagram 85 ,000 unique visits
+13.3 % growth
20% 5.9%
YouTube 1,100 unique visits
+10% growth
3% 1.2%
LinkedIn 550 unique visits
+10% growth
3% 1%
Google + 120 unique visits
+20% growth
2% 0.7 %

45. SOCIAL NETWORK DATA
Timeframe: as September 30, 2016
Social
Network
URL Follower Count Average
Weekly
Activity
Average Engagement Rate
#interactions/reach
Twitter https://twitter.com/UF 132,000
+17% growth
91
+21%
increase
2.4 %
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/uflorida 654, 392
+3 % growth
10
+25%
increase
1.25%
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/uflorida/ 98,800
+5% growth
5
+66%
increase
2.9%
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/ufl 5,205
+2.05 growth
Once a
month
No change
0.8%
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/edu/school?id=18120 260,868
connections
+0.7 growth
Posts every
few months
No change
0.5%
Google + https://plus.google.com/+uflorida 147,840
+0.7% growth
Posts every
few months
No change
0.8%

46. SOCIAL NETWORK DATA
• Our Twitter following has grown by 20,000 followers in five months and have
increase average engagement rate as well. Twitter had the most growth in
followers and in engagement rates because of personalized content we
created for the account through hashtags, emojis and storytelling features.
We also utilized key influencers to also help share our brand.
• In the past five months, the social media team has worked effortlessly to
achieve our social media goals and it shows through our increase in
followers and engagement rates in almost all of our social media sites. The
team has achieved success through our increased use of storytelling on all
platforms, allowing our brand persona to shine through.
• Our hashtag #HowdoOrange&Blue had a 200% increase in usage and has
trended worldwide five times.

47. QUALITATIVE KPIS
Sentiment Analysis
An analysis of the interactions on 100 Tweets, 100 Facebook posts and 100 Instagram posts
showed the following:
• Users are excited to learn and share news from the University Florida as seen through likes,
favorites, retweets. Also, revealed through comments in all platforms with positive
statements and emoji usage.
• The only negative sentiment occurs through these channels is if Gator sports loses a sporting
an event and audience members are frustrated by the loss. Further, if opposing teams lose
they will post negative content about the university.
Proposed Action Items
• Continue #HowdoyouOrange&Blue Campaign
• Continue to improve content strategies with team and increase followings on LinkedIn,
Google + and YouTube

48. SOURCES
• Social Media Objectives demographics via
http://www.bloggingwizard.com/psychology-of-social-networks/
• Brand Persona and Voice Pictures via UF Twitter
• Social Media Policy via UF Social Media Guidelines page
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zCyHibtOpz8v4Bk6k9vP6PY59J
WzNlcel0V6oM97dFg/pub