Social Media - Getting Started

Getting Started: The Basics

Before Launching a Channel

Answering these questions will streamline your process and help you decide what to post and what not to post.

  • What do you want to communicate and why?
  • Who is your audience and what interests them about your department?
  • Who’s going to create posts and respond to messages?
  • What’s the best social media channel for your unit?
  • Have you contacted Marcom?

Which Channel?

  • Facebook still has, by far, the biggest audience, both in the world and for Humboldt. On Humboldt's page, its biggest demographic is women, 18-24.
  • Instagram is closing in on Facebook, but doesn’t easily allow you to share links yet. Instagram Stories are a great way to share time-sensitive news. Stories is now about as popular as the main Instagram Feed. (July 2019)
  • Twitter is a great place for event listings, and for sharing what’s coming up.
  • Snapchat, while still popular, provides minimal metrics and no ability to share links. It’s the most superficial platform, best suited for showing what your organization has done.
  • LinkedIn is a great way to help your students and alumni stay updated on professional milestones and upcoming opportunities.

Launching Your Social Media Channel

Choose a name that includes Cal Poly Humboldt or Humboldt. Ex: facebook.com/hsujournalism; twitter.com/HumboldtJacks1; youtube.com/user/HumboldtInfoTechServices. Always identify Cal Poly Humboldt in your name first, then a unit name, so people can easily find you.
Register your social profile to include your new site in our University Social Media Directory.Similarly, Marcom will be a designated backstop in case your account gets hacked, you lose your phone, or your toddler accidentally deletes Facebook, etc. Please contact Marcom to set this up.

Use a generic department humboldt.edu email account. Do not use a personal email address.Include all department contact information in the profile section of your social media channel. Include a URL for your unit’s official Cal Poly Humboldt page or another official Humboldt page, like http://humboldt.edu.