Setting Up Social Accounts
Davidson College’s reach extends far beyond davidson.edu to social media, video, audio, photos and email communication.
Each of these areas is an extension of the Davidson brand and the same brand standards that apply to davidson.edu, print projects and other college communication and marketing materials also apply to these areas.
Departments should be familiar with and adhere to Davidson College’s Social Media Guidelines.
Posting Frequency
The posts, conversations and interactions that happen through social media should reflect positively on the Davidson brand and uphold the college’s mission and values. Departments and programs should post regularly to the social media websites they manage. Posting frequency best practices differ according to the specific platform. Once per day (or five times per week) on Instagram and Facebook is ideal. Two to three times per day on Twitter is ideal.Posting once per month or once or twice a semester does not constitute regular updates. It’s better to manage a few social media accounts on a consistent basis than to manage many accounts with infrequent updates.
For guidelines on posting etiquette please refer to the college’s Social Media Guidelines.
Social Media Brand Guidelines
The college has adopted the following branding standards for social media websites. These standards are applicable to any Davidson College-branded social media site, including, but not limited to Facebook pages, Twitter, Instagram and Flickr.
Naming Conventions
Departments should use the following naming convention when naming their pages and profiles: “Davidson College Department/Program Name.” For example, Davidson College Music Department. Every effort should be made to start the full name with “Davidson College” wherever possible (character limitations may require some exceptions to this rule).
Page URLS/Usernames
Usernames should incorporate Davidson College or Davidson in the name as well as the department name, e.g., @DavidsonCollegeMusic, @DavidsonMusic. Every effort should be made to start the username with “@Davidson” or “@DavidsonCollege” wherever possible (character limitations may require some exceptions to this rule).
Departments should also make an effort to keep their usernames consistent across platforms wherever possible.
Profile Image
Most social media platforms accept a profile image that fits in either a square or circular form.
The profile image for any Davidson-branded social media profile image must be one of the downloadable Davidson-specific images provided.
Departments, under certain circumstances, may request to have a custom profile picture created for their social profiles by sending an email to social@davidson.edu.
Download Profile Images for Your College Social Media Accounts
Download the right dimension profile images by selecting the correct link for the desired platform.
Cover Image
Cover photos should be a Davidson image that represents the department or program, e.g., a campus scene or department-related image. The image should be professional, and high quality.
Departments can request assistance with selecting a cover photo, slideshow or video by sending an email to social@davidson.edu.
Bio / Profile Data
Most platforms allow for an “About” section where users can list information about a department, including a URL to the department website. The data provided in this section should be complete and should mirror the public data available on the department website.
