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Providing guidance on social media strategy and managing the university’s central social media channels.
Our social media team works to build connections among social media administrators campus-wide and consult with colleges, departments, programs, and individual faculty to help advance their goals. We also provide you with support and can help you with strategy, best practices, analytics reporting, and crisis response as it relates to your department or unit.
Social media managers group
We're here to help you connect with your fellow colleagues on campus through our social media managers group on Facebook below. In addition, we have a campus listserv where we send email updates. If you are interested in being added to the listserv please email Michael Benning (michael-benning@uiowa.edu).
We can help with
- Offering consultation on social media strategy development, best practices and recommendations as it relates to your unit or department.
- Guiding and supporting you in effectively managing crisis communications situations, First Amendment questions and online harassment.
- Creating opportunities for you to connect with peers on campus and assisting faculty in harnessing the power of social media.
- Providing recommendations as it relates to response strategy, implementation, and guidelines.
Showcased work
Below are some samples of institutional social media work.
The University of Iowa has been named as the most engaging social media channel in all of higher education five years in a row. Read more about this achievement in the 2023 Rival IQ Higher Education Social Media Engagement Report.
Documents and resources
Channel creation guidelines
Below is guidance that is intended to help Iowa communicators create productive social media channels that support the goals and strategic efforts of the university.
Iowa social media page guidance
We have assembled a set of internal guidelines to assist you in effectively monitoring public postings and replies while managing your department or unit's social media channels.
Social media report template
Social media managers for academic and administrative units can download this editable report template to create analytics reports for their various channels. Please contact us if you have any issues or questions.
Social media takeover expectations
The University of Iowa regularly appoints student and staff to "take over" daily management of the institutional Snapchat account. All Snapchat Takeover candidates must sign and submit the form below before being given access to the account, stating that users understand their role as a representative of the University.
Crisis response template
We have curated a collection of thoughtfully crafted templated responses for institutional social media accounts during crisis situations, encompassing critical areas such as sexual assault, free speech, and addressing hateful messages.
Faculty and staff resources
We have created a guide for faculty and staff on resources on how to face online trolls and handling social media interest.
Managing Online Harassment
Campus networks
You have access to a variety of campus networks that you can take advantage of. Here are some we recommend joining for social media.
Training opportunities
A variety of training opportunities are available to you including creating a social media strategy and running an effective social media presence.
Social media contacts
Michael Benning
Alex Bush
Jack Olson
