Michigan Tech Social Media Blog

MTU Social Media Channels Ranked No. 3 Overall for 2023 Higher Ed Engagement Report

Published
By

According to Rival IQ’s 2023 Higher Education Social Media Engagement Report, Michigan Tech’s social media was ranked No. 3 overall for the Top D2 Overall Higher Education Institutions on Social category. This is Tech’s first time making it on the Rival IQ report.

Rival IQ’s Michigan Tech section in the “Higher Education Social Media Engagement Report 2023“

The report assesses colleges and universities based on their overall engagement and engagement rates. The criteria for engagement on social media involves quantifiable interactions such as likes, comments, favorites, saves, retweets, shares, and reactions. To calculate engagement rate, divide the total engagement by the number of followers. High engagement rates, coupled with average or better-than-average audience size and posting volumes, are the key factors that distinguish the best-performing colleges and universities on social media.

Collaborations across teams within Michigan Tech’s University Marketing and Communications department has played a key role in our high engagement on social media platforms. Working together, teams shared their expertise and knowledge to create better campaigns, content, and strategies.

For example, the social media team worked closely with the content team to develop compelling stories that resonated with the audience. The studio team provided visually appealing graphics, photos, and video that grabbed attention. Similarly, the data gathered using analytics provided valuable insights into what type of content resonated with the audience and what didn’t. Tech’s social media team has been putting an increased effort on using engagement rate to decipher content direction. Utilizing insights gathered from engagement rate helps with understanding the relationship between our brand and our audience.

The report touted Michigan Tech’s social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. “The Huskies love science, and are proud to show it through their social media content, featuring everything from research to science-related student activities to faculty achievements,” it stated.

You can follow Tech on social media @michigantech.
Take a look at some of MTU’s most engaged posts from the past year.

Continue Reading →

Faculty on Social Media: Best Practices for Growing a Following

Published
By
Graphic that states "Faculty on Social Media: Best Practices for Growing a Following" the image behind the text shows Michigan Tech's campus from above in the summer time. The Portage Canal and Mont Ripley are in the background.
Faculty on Social Media: Best Practices for Growing a Following

Let’s take a quick glimpse at best practices for Michigan Tech faculty to follow when trying to grow a following on social media. These insights are geared toward faculty members using their using personal social media accounts to share research and thought leader content.

Growing Your Following

There are many ways to grow your following on social media platforms but we are going to focus on three digestible tactics– being a genuine follower, engaging with your followers, and sharing content.

1. Be a genuine follower

An important part of growing a following is following other accounts. A good place to start with following other accounts is taking a look at the Michigan Tech Social Media Directory. We have compiled list of active social media accounts that are related to Michigan Tech. For example, if you are a faculty member in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, it makes sense for your personal account to give the CFRES social media accounts a follow.

After you’ve assessed which Michigan Tech accounts you want to follow, think about your field of interest. Look for other social media accounts that interest you and that you want to engage with. A popular account that many faculty members follow for the latest news, discoveries, and funding opportunities is the National Science Foundation. Think about the communities you are part of and follow them on social media. Some other ideas for social media accounts to follow could include any local community groups, advisory boards, councils, academic societies, government agencies you are part of. It’s possible that these groups listed have a social media presence– it could be a great fit for you to follow them.

2. Engaging with your followers

Part of creating a presence on social media includes engaging with other accounts. Don’t be afraid to start a conversation and establish connections with your audience. It’s not necessary to engage with everyone, but liking and commenting on others posts is a great way to show your personality and expertise. Engaging with your followers and other users helps to boost your content and expands your profiles reach. The algorithm on most social media platforms rewards engagement (i.e. commenting, liking, sharing content).

3. Sharing Content

When thinking about creating content it helps to take a step back and ask yourself a couple of questions.

1. Who, what, when, where, why?
2. What is one main key takeaway I want my followers to gain from this content?

Once you’ve answered those questions, then think about the type of post it is going to be. Also, take a look at our social media field guide. This is a great place to gather more platform specific information.

Types of Posts:

News:

Sharing news on campus/departmental events along with articles from reliable sources is one way to add value to your following. This is especially key if you are sharing content that is related to your area of expertise. Let’s say a researcher at another institution publishes a paper related to your field. Don’t hesitate to share it, tag the researcher, and add your thoughts or praise as an expert.

Data:

Data being communicated and partnered with a compelling narrative is where Michigan Tech faculty can truly shine. If applicable and allowable, share your own insights from data you’ve acquired in research. Share data that other faculty members in your college and at Michigan Tech have gathered. What does the data you are sharing mean? Think about the best way to simplify and communicate your data. Sharing accurate and reliable data from trusted sources adds to your presence as a thought leader and combats the problem of mis information online.

Lighthearted Content:

We’ve all seen the memes about Dogecoin or an adorable kitten. Social media is also a place to have some fun, entertain and even inspire your followers. If most of your content online is related to your area of expertise, that’s okay! If most of your social media content is photos of your dog, that’s okay, too! Think about what you want your accounts to be and how you want to use them. In our experience, adding personality and backstory to a post boosts engagement. It’s okay to share a tasteful and funny meme or a Buzzfeed quiz where you learned which Disney character you are. Just know that your followers want to get to know you. You can be positioned as a thought leader in your field on social media while also being a huge fan of cross country skiing and cat memes.

Opinion Piece:

While this opinion posts can gain a lot of engagement, it can also be risky to share strong and controversial opinions. Tread lightly around sensitive topics and share opinions with evidence to support your thoughts. One thing that MTU social suggests doing on a personal account is placing something like “Opinions are my own” in your profile bio. This way your opinions are separate from the institution you work for. Find an example below.

Twitter account bio for @EAHarter says, "Digital Media Specialist & Social Media autodidact. #HESM @notredame Opinions are my own." Faculty on Social Media Series: Best Practices
Twitter account bio for @EAHarter says, “Digital Media Specialist & Social Media autodidact. #HESM @notredame Opinions are my own.”

Notes for the Road:

Here are a few more pointers to think about related to your social media accounts.

  • Check for spelling, grammatical and factual errors. In this case, do think twice, it’s alright. (Bob Dylan reference anyone?)
  • Before pressing post, take a moment to think. Use your best judgement and think about how you want to be perceived as a professional online.
  • Post, engage and share content frequently but also sustainably. What is sustainable for you when posting online is the most important when trying to grow a following.
  • Identify influencers in your field and study how they engage with their audience and content.
  • Pay attention to your top performing posts and think about why they were successful. Try similar content to what has worked for you in the past while also paying attention to new social media tactics.
  • Reach out to MTU social if you have questions. We love being a helping hand with social media related questions. Email us at social@mtu.edu.
Continue Reading →

Artificial Intelligence on Social Media in 2023: Takeaways and Observations by the MTU Social Media Team

Published
By
Image of three snow statues created by Artificial Intelligence DALL·E Mini

Takeaways and Observations from the Social Media Today article, “AI Creation Tools Will Change the Way We Create, Engage and Interact in 2023”

It’s official, we’ve made it to the point in human history where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a main topic of conversation in the marketing space. For better or for worse AI technology, such as DALL·E or Canva’s newest AI image generator to name a couple, are gaining in popularity. Social Media Today‘s article highlights four main topics centered around AI and social media marketing – content creation, image production, AI Tweets, and AI generated 3D models. Don’t be mistaken, we didn’t copy and paste part of the “Back to the Future” script hoping to fool you. Each topic reviewed by Social Media Today brought to the surface some thoughts from the MTU social media team – we’d love to share.

Content Creation & Image Production:

If you haven’t used any AI tools before reading this, I’d recommend checking out the free AI image generator tool DALL·E Mini. It really is incredible how specific you can get with generating an image (peep the header image for this article – it was created with AI image tech). On Michigan Tech’s social media accounts we have played around with using AI image generators for mostly humorous content.

(MTU TikTok AI Image Generator – MTU Instagram AI Image generated post)

@michigantech

What do you think, Huskies? #artificialintelligence #michigantech #mtuhuskies #college ItsGreatOutdoors

♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

AI Copywriting

Continued growth of AI copywriting technology could be an advantage for content creators. More mundane content online could help brands stand out on the copywriting front if they have a dedicated crew of writers.

AI SEO Writing

AI copywriting could be a useful tool for SEO content. Using AI copywriting to help with cutting down on writing time is something that seems to be a bonus for SEO marketers.

“But if SEO is your goal, and you want to cut down on time, then this [Artificial Intelligence] could be an option.”

Andrew Hutchinson, Head of Content and Social Media at Social Media Today

Copyright Concerns

As of now, the copyright remains in the creator’s hands (i.e. the user, who prompted the creation of the AI images or writing). Copyright with AI images does however, seem to be a slippery slope pertaining to artists’ work. Individuals can prompt AI to create a piece of work that looks like it was made by a famous or well known artist. An example of an image prompt for AI would be, “create a painting of a dog eating an ice cream cone in the style of Banksy”.

As AI technology advances and learns more, it may be harder for content writers to stand out. It’ll be interesting to see how usage with AI technology evolves in the social media space. 

:robot_face:

Continue Reading →

Introducing MTU Social Media Admins Group

Published
By

MTU Social Media Admins is an internal Google Group run by university marketing and communications (UMC) that is dedicated to collaboration, social media education and providing resources for social media managers around Michigan Tech’s campus. 

We are looking for the individuals on campus who run social media accounts pertaining to Michigan Tech including faculty, staff and students. The group will act as a sounding board or place to ask for feedback on social media posts. It will also act as a place for UMC to provide various resources including helpful articles on social media platform updates and best practices.

How to join MTU Social Admins

If you are interested in joining this Google Group please email social@mtu.edu asking to be added. Keep an eye out for an email invite!


How to find MTU Social Admins Once a Member

You won’t need to go far to find the MTU Social Admins Google Group. Look no further than your Gmail. In the sidebar where you find the Gmail Inbox tab, you will see a tab section below the Gmail Inbox Tab called “Spaces” open up that tab by pressing the plus sign to the right. Then look for “MTU Social Media Admins”. Boom, you are in!


Image of where to find MTU Social Media Admins Google Group Chat in Gmail


Run an MTU social media account and need some guidance? Email @social@mtu.edu to get in touch with Michigan Tech’s social media team.

Continue Reading →

Usage Differences in Hashtags on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Published
By

We’ve all seen the notorious hashtag symbol appear in many different ways across social media, but how can it be used effectively? We hope to answer this question by shedding light on the most frequently used platforms for MTU social media accounts: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

What is a hashtag? 

A hashtag is a keyword or phrase begun by a hash symbol (#) (i.e., #MichiganTech #ThisIsTech #TomorrowNeeds). On social media, hashtags allow users to find posts relating to the specific hashtag. 

How are hashtags used?

Hashtags are also used to draw attention to a social media post. On both Instagram and Twitter, it is not uncommon for users to follow a specific hashtag. An example would be how the main Michigan Tech Instagram account follows #MichiganTech because we want to be able to see posts relating to the University. We also follow #UpperPeninsula and #MTUBound.

When in doubt trying to decide on a hashtag, check out our MTU Hashtag list.

All in all, hashtags are necessary because they help people find your social media content.

Twitter: 

Twitter has a limited character amount per tweet; therefore, when using hashtags on this platform, it is important to be succinct. 

Hashtag Recommendations for Twitter:

  • We recommend using one or two hashtags on a single tweet.
  • Only use hashtags when they are relevant to your tweet.
  • Look at the trending hashtags and if it makes sense to join in on the conversation, don’t hesitate to use the hashtag in a tweet!

Facebook:

Facebook has grown and shifted—and hashtag usage on the platform has, too. There are key factors and best practices to consider when using hashtags in Facebook posts. 

Users Cannot Follow a Hashtag on Facebook

Not being able to follow a hashtag on Facebook is one large reason why usage has gone down. On other platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram, a hashtag that a user follows will show up directly in their feed, giving them an incentive to follow hashtags. Facebook does not have this feature.

Limit Hashtag Usage

Research from the Pew Research Institute indicates that the fewer hashtags you use, the higher engagement you will receive on a post. Sticking to relevant hashtags can improve your content engagement. 

Hashtag Consistency + Primary Hashtags Usage Across Social Platforms

Remaining consistent in hashtag usage across various social media platforms helps emphasize your brand’s overall voice. Followers will become familiar with your hashtags and may be more likely to engage with your post. Choose two or three hashtags to be your primary hashtags and use those on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to create a clearer brand voice. 

An example of primary hashtags for MTU’s official accounts would be #MichiganTech, #TomorrowNeeds and #ThisIsTech. 

Hashtag Recommendations for Facebook:

  • Don’t use too many hashtags (one to five).
  • Practice quality over quantity.
  • Consider primary hashtag use on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Instagram:

Think of hashtags on Instagram as tools that provide information about your post and support its content. You want your topic’s audience to be able to find your content.

“The highest average engagement rate by impressions (3.41%) is generated by posts with 3-4 hashtags.” (Social Insider, 2022)

Hashtag Recommendations for Instagram:

  • Limit your number of hashtags to three or four.
  • Use hashtags that are relevant to the theme of your content.
  • Use hashtags your target audience already uses.
  • Mix well-known and primary hashtags to broaden your discoverability.

Run an MTU social media account and need some guidance? Email @social@mtu.edu to get in touch with Michigan Tech’s social media team. 

Continue Reading →

Instagram Live 101

Published
By
Person smiling while holding their phone vertically with their hand up as if saying hello to someone.

Instagram Lives allow you to share the excitement of important events in real time. If you don’t delete it, it stays up for 24 hours.

The ideal duration of an Instagram Live depends on the event. You can broadcast for up to an hour, but typically viewership falls off after the first 10 minutes.

Why Use Instagram Live

  • Capture the excitement of “being there.”
  • Reach current and prospective students.
  • Interact with existing followers and grow your audience.

What Makes This Platform

  • Include plenty of faces.
  • Keep it short and fun.
  • Share instantly to Facebook Stories.
  • Monitor comments in real time.

What Breaks This Platform

  • It will go away unless you save it to your camera roll to repost.
  • Typically low engagement for new accounts with few followers.
  • Bad internet connection.
  • Background distractions.

Pro Tip

Search for helpful blogs and videos to learn new techniques that make posting easier and more effective, like this Instagram expert. Also, learn from the app itself — Instagram Live instructions from Instagram.

Examples

  • Human ice bowling
  • Broomball drop
  • Campus life
  • Career Services Q&A

Continue Reading →

Live Tweeting 101

Published
By

Share presentations and conversations during workshops, keynotes, and presentations to pull in the audience who couldn’t be there and connect to individuals and groups elsewhere interested in the subject matter with Live Tweets. Science and Research Twitter are huge!

Plan for five to 10 tweets per event.

Why Live Tweet

  • Feature events and show spaces, people, or equipment.
  • Connect with scientific and government communities, who tend to prefer Twitter.
  • Build up your Twitter following.
  • Embed videos on department and project websites.

What Makes This Platform

  • Engage with a live audience interested in your topic.
  • Spread information beyond the single event.
  • Connect with niche audiences through hashtags and tagging.
  • Retweet interesting comments from your followers to keep the conversation going.

What Breaks This Platform

  • Can be boring. Use images, memes, and jokes when appropriate to keep attention level high.
  • Snark and rudeness are part of the Twitterverse. Monitoring required.
  • Multitasking a must (simultaneously type fast and pay attention).
  • Algorithm doesn’t favor accounts who don’t have thousands of followers.

Pro Tips

Pre-load intro and conclusion posts, and have applicable links, handles, and hashtags ready to copy, paste, and post on your device. Also, check out live Tweeting tips from the platform itself — Live Tweeting Tips from Twitter.

Examples

Questions?

Feel free to direct any questions you may have about Live Tweeting or social media in general to University Marketing and Communications social media staff at social@mtu.edu. We are happy to help!

Continue Reading →

The (Linked)Ins and Outs of Posting Jobs on Social Media

Published
By
Students in this 2018 Career Fair photo are able to go straight to employers to talk about job listings. University positions, however, follow a format outlined by our HR department.

Michigan Tech’s main social media platforms are used for marketing, public relations, and communications for prospective and current students and alumni as well as partnering funding agencies, governments, and industries who support our research mission. 

Individual departments and other campus units have listed/advertised open positions on LinkedIn Jobs previously with permission through Human Resources. Job listings are an entirely separate function from what our social media team does and more like using Indeed or other digital job listing services.

Here’s an article about the job listing and recruiting functionality LinkedIn offers on its platform. Our Michigan Tech Alumni LinkedIn group frequently posts jobs and other opportunities, as do Alumni networks on Facebook — most of those options are private groups and you need permission to join. You can check with them to see how the groups are administrated and moderated.

We have seen many folks post the links from Human Resources job listings on their personal or departmental accounts to help get the word out to quality candidates about job openings. Sharing the HR link is a solid idea because it ensures the listing is in compliance with legal requirements and University hiring procedures.

Keep the social media questions coming to the University Marketing and Communications editorial team at social@mtu.edu. We’ll get to as many as we can as fast as we can.

For more tips, check out our social media field guide.

Continue Reading →

The Magic 7: Your Go-Tos For Social Media Content

Published
By
There are as many ways to present your owned and earned content on social media as there are shades of blue.

We call it the Cerulean Belt Effect. Content presented on your blog, webpages, in your annual newsletter, at a conference, in an email—anywhere—is not a one-and-done. Present it distinctly, in many shades of the same hue, in many ways. Get it in front of different eyes in different spaces. 

In other words, don’t reinvent the wheel. Repackage, repurpose, and share your content everywhere.

As homage to the time-honored marketing rule of seven, check out seven ways, listed in order of importance, to mine content from what has already been created:

7) Your own blogs and web pages 

6) Michigan Tech YouTube

5) Michigan Tech News and Unscripted 

4) Google Alert (set one for your College, Institute, or Department)

3) Faculty accomplishments, teaching honors, and conferences

2) Flickr (Michigan Tech and other University-related accounts)

1) Student stories

Here’s another take on the Rule of Seven (and rethinking alphabetical lists) from marketing guru Seth Godin and more social media posting resources and more blog goodness from your UMC team.

Keep the social media questions coming to the University Marketing and Communications editorial team at social@mtu.edu. We’ll get to as many as we can as fast as we can. For more tips, check out our social media field guide.

Continue Reading →

Anatomy of a Social Media Post: Get to the Point

Published
By
A Michigan Tech Twitter post populated from Instagram uses three hashtags and lets the visual do the heavy lifting.

Your social media posts won’t always be brief. But they should always start with the most important thing you want to share, whether that’s “Sound on!” for a video (because people tend to consume social media on their phones with the volume off) or a simple “Huskies win.” The amount of characters visible at the beginning of your post (as well as the amount of characters allowed) is different on each platform. But short and to the point is always the best way to begin, sharing your main message in the first 125 characters. Here are the latest allowable character lengths for posts on different platforms. Remember that just because a post can be this long doesn’t mean it should be: 

  • Facebook: 63,206, cuts to “see more” at 477 characters. 
  • Instagram: 2,200 (30-hashtag limit), 125 characters before it cuts to see “… more.”
  • Twitter: 280 limit including links, no cutoff but 71-100 characters gets most engagement.
  • LinkedIn: 700 on Company pages, 1,300 on personal accounts, 140 characters is the “… more” cutoff. 
  • Pinterest: 500 character limit per pin.

Check out more on character limits and other details about post length including tips for blogs and videos and keep the social media questions coming to the University Marketing and Communications team at social@mtu.edu. We’ll get to as many as we can as fast as we can. For more insights, check out our social media field guide.

Continue Reading →