Social Media Platform Descriptions

The following are commonly used platforms at Ferris State University. Note that this list can change over time. Check out our guidelines and best practices for more information about social media.

Facebook

Facebook is the largest and growing social media site in the world. This site makes is easy for you to keep in contact and share information with friends, relatives and co-workers.

Why should I/My Program be on Facebook?

Facebook – simply put – it’s where the majority of your prospective students hang out! This provides an ideal venue to showcase your program and provide information to these students. It also presents great networking opportunities for your alumni, faculty, staff, students and employers. Facebook is typically the primary social media presence of departments at Ferris State University.

How do I get started?

Building a Facebook page is fortunately (and unfortunately) easy! We recommend the following process:

1. Decide what your strategy and goals will be with your Facebook presence. Depending on your situation, you can create a page or a group. Check the Facebook "Help" site for more information.
2. Establish responsibility for content and monitoring the site.
3. Create an appropriate profile image that meets University graphic standards. See the "Graphics and Images" tab for help.
4. Contact us to have your presence officially recognized by the University.

Additional resources: Facebook has an extensive help center: facebook.com/help/

Check out the official Ferris State University page at www.facebook.com/FerrisState

Twitter

What is it? Twitter is a micro-blogging site. It allows you quick, instant updates that go to your followers. It only allows 140 characters, so be creative!

How do I use it?

Twitter is a great way to get short messages out very quickly. Update your followers about change in meeting plans, breaking news, event reminders and more!

How do I sign up?

Go to Twitter.com and get started.

Additional Resources and tips:

1. Strategically choose your username and name. Your username is limited in characters, so be sure to choose one that is descriptive of your program in as short a form as possible, for example: FerrisState is the Twitter username for the official Ferris State University Twitter account. Your name will be searchable, so be sure to choose one that is as descriptive as possible and will likely garner the most hits on searches. For example, the University’s name on Twitter is Ferris State University – simple!
2. Customize your profile. This is what your followers will see when they visit your Twitter homepage. Be specific about your program and upload a profile picture that meets graphic standards.
3. Choose a background that enhances the readability of your content, but also meets graphic standards.
4. Set up your account so you can access it from anywhere with your mobile phone.
5. Use short tweets, and include links back to your official webpage. If your links are long, you can use a service like bitly.com to create short links.
6. Remember why your followers are there and choose appropriate content when you tweet – they probably aren’t interested in anything you are doing that is personal.
7. Tweet often!
8. Learn Twitter lingo, and be #supercool!

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social media site for professional networking. Currently, the University monitors the official Ferris State University company page, as well as the official Alumni Association LinkedIn page.

Create a professional presence by utilizing your @ferris.edu email address when registering.   Build your profile thoroughly to present the best presence online. Find connections by searching for other Ferris State University faculty and staff who are on LinkedIn, as well as friends. Those who have the most connections win! After you have your presence built, you can choose to create a group page, but consider becoming a subgroup of the official alumni group to network with Ferris alumni.

Resources:

1. Post content that is interesting to those who are connected to you.
2. Connect to your Twitter account and be twice as effective.
3. Respond immediately to requests for information by legitimate contacts.
4. Promote your group.
5. Create a badge that others can use to promote the site on their profiles.
6. Visit the LinkedIn learning center for excellent resources and help:help.linkedin.com/app/home

YouTube

University Advancement & Marketing maintains the official Ferris State University YouTube site. It is advantageous to use this site to post your official videos, as aggregated content is much more visible. Contact UA&M for more information.

Foursquare

Foursquare is a location-based social media platform.  Ferris State University has a branded page with over 130 venues claimed - www.foursquare.com/FerrisState. Many popular venues are already under active management.

Why should I be involved?

Number one - it's fun!  Foursquare is an online game that encourages our students to explore campus and meet up with like-minded individuals.  We use Foursquare for virtual tours of campus and to provide fun ways for our students and prospective students to learn more about services, programs and opportunities to get involved.  Check In with us!

Pinterest

Pinterest is a photo sharing site that allows you to create theme-based collections of images called "boards."  Ferris has an official Pinterest site with boards established for each college. We ask that you use this site for visually sharing your story with prospective students, alumni and donors via descriptive themes and hashtags.  Look for images that strongly reflect Ferris and your program, and that add value for your followers.  Commenting on your pins is a best practice.  Contact us to obtain pinning rights to your board or to request additional boards. Visit the Ferris Pinterest here: pinterest.com/ferrisstateu/

Ferris State Alumni Association

The Alumni Association's mobile app allows you to stream information from your social media platforms. Contact the Alumni Office for more information at 591-2345.