SMTD Social Media Guidelines

Using the Official University of Michigan Branding

Please note that this guide is specifically designed to reflect accounts that utilize official University of Michigan branding. Please be aware that accounts that do not utilize official branding, but aim to represent an area of SMTD, will still be monitored to ensure they are reflective of our values and brand.

Official SMTD accounts must include the Block M along with the department/area’s name in an approved font. This logo should be provided or requested by the SMTD Marketing & Communications team. Use of the university’s logos or themes requires following the guidelines laid out in this social media policy, which applies to new and existing accounts.

• Existing accounts will have six months from the publication of this policy to comply. If these requirements are too difficult for a department to adhere to, please contact Brandon Monzon ([email protected]) to discuss further options, including rebranding as a student-run account, with no Block M logo, stating the account is student-run, and does not reflect the views and opinions of the department, SMTD, or the University of Michigan. Additionally, other options may be archiving or sunsetting the current account.

Starting and Managing Accounts

To create an SMTD-related account, please read this entire policy and contact Brandon Monzon ([email protected]) to talk about the need for a new account. If the required criteria are met, we will submit an official request to Social Media at U-M and seek approval from them. U-M Social Media will make the final decision as to whether or not a new account is warranted.

Please review U-M’s Social Media Policy to ensure you understand and agree to its expectations. Some key expectations SMTD will hold its accounts to include:

• Time commitment: Managing a social media account is a full-time job, requiring attention beyond normal working hours. Be prepared for this responsibility.
• Regular Posting: A general rule from SMTD would require posting at least 2-3 times per week, including during breaks and summers.
• Social Monitoring: Monitoring accounts is critical and must be done daily. It is the expectation that accounts are continuously monitored and that concerns, responses, and issues are addressed and elevated in a timely manner, within 24 hours. Concerns should be elevated as necessary to the SMTD Marketing team, university social media leadership, university public affairs, and, if appropriate, DPSS. Follow the University of Michigan Engagement and Collaboration Protocol.
• Social Listening: This should occur every day. This means checking on the accounts not only for monitoring for concerns but also to check on engagements and reactions to content, trending topics of conversation, and to identify opportunities to interact with audience members. Social listening should be a determining factor in every social media strategy to ensure the content is designed with data and audience insights in mind.
• Department Administrator: Assign someone from the department or area (faculty or staff member) to oversee accounts and guide student managers. This administrator will be responsible for consistently reviewing the account content to ensure brand integrity.
• Student Workers (including SMTD Dean’s Liaisons): SMTD believes that students managing official accounts should be paid. However, our office believes that it’s vital for students to prioritize their academic work, and unrealistic social media management expectations should be avoided.

Faculty Ambassadors

If the requirements above seem daunting for a department or area, but they have faculty who are enthusiastic about sharing information, we fully support faculty leveraging their notoriety on social media. A successful alternative to an officially branded account is faculty-led accounts offering insights into life at SMTD, while not requiring strict adherence to branding.

Engaging with Others

Engage with people online positively and respectfully. Address negative interactions by reporting them to the departmental administrator and/or Brandon Monzon ([email protected]).

While dialogue is critical to successful social media, there are times when comments are inappropriate and need to be removed per the university’s policy. For the safety of our audiences, social media account administrators reserve the right to remove content or comments for the following reasons:

• The use of obscene, defamatory, threatening, discriminatory, offensive, or harassing language or language that targets or disparages any ethic, racial, religious, or gender group
• Disclosure of information that is confidential by law or regulation
• Advocates illegal activity
• Violations of copyrights or trademarks
• Contains spam, junk mail, or unauthorized solicitations
• Advertisement or promotion of commercial products, services, entities, or individuals
• Endorsements or opposition of any person campaigning for election to a political office or promoting or opposing any ballot proposal
• Violates any local, state, or federal laws or university policy
• Is duplicative by the same user or multiple users. In case of identical comments, only the first comment will be approved to remain.

Training Resources

Brandon Monzon ([email protected]) will provide training opportunities and open hours for connecting with others and building community among social media managers. It is strongly recommended that departmental administrators and student workers set up a consultation meeting with Brandon to ensure everyone is on the same page. Maintaining a social media profile can be demanding and impact one’s well-being. If it becomes too stressful or overwhelming, Brandon can assist.