A good social media presence requires some strategic work on the front end. The work you do here will pay dividends in the long-run by allowing you to develop a framework from which to develop content for your social media accounts.

Having a content strategy will allow you to know what your audience needs and deliver content that helps them meet those needs. Here are some questions to ask yourself to get started:

Do my goals align with my audiences' goals?


Great social media strategy happens when you bring your social media goals in alignment with your audiences’ goals. You can start to identify where those goals overlap by asking yourself these questions: 

  • Who are your target audiences?
  • What are their goals in relation to your unit?
  • What are your goals for your social media presence?
  • How do those target audiences impact your goals?
  • Do your goals align with the goals of your audiences?
  • How can your content help your audiences achieve their goals?

Example of goal alignment from the strategy for @arkansastech:

  • Audience goal - Prospective Students: Figure out if they fit in at universities they are interested in attending. 
  • Instagram account goal: Show prospective students a slice of life view of ATU to help them determine if they fit into our campus culture.

What if my goals don't align with the target audiences' goals?


If you find that your goals and your audiences’ goals don’t overlap - that’s okay. Go back to the original reason you wanted to start this social media account. 

  • How does that reason affect your audiences? 
  • How would a social media presence for your unit help your audiences?
  • Work through these questions until you find where your goals overlap with your audiences’ goals.


What kind of content can I post to help my audiences accomplish their goals?


Content can be broken down into four content types/actions:

  • Inform
  • Educate
  • Entertain
  • Build Relationships
Think of these as buckets your content will fall into. All of your content should be able to slot into one of these four buckets. All of your content in each bucket should serve your audience in some way. A good strategy will have content balanced across each of the four content types. 


How does my content support and enhance the overall brand of Arkansas Tech University?

All social media accounts associated with ATU have a responsibility to support and enhance the ATU brand. Your content is a part of the larger university story. You contribute to how ATU is perceived with every social media post. Refer to the following brand dimensions to familiarize yourself with the ATU brand story. Here are some questions to ask yourself about your content:

What brand dimension does my content naturally fall into?


  • Passionate - A steadfast loyalty to the causes of the University and a relentless dedication to student success.
  • Ethical - Committed to the highest standards and doing what's right in all practices.
  • Competitive - Cultivating in students the strong skills and ingenuity to stand out and excel in an ever-changing workforce.
  • Tenacious - Pushing through challenges and refusing to quit in the fight to achieve goals.
  • Empowering - Providing the tools and opportunities to develop the whole person and unleash the potential of every ATU student.
  • Compassionate - Being sympathetic and responsive to student needs and going above and beyond to ensure students thrive.
  • Caring - A positive community atmosphere where people are approachable, accepting, and always willing to help.
  • Supportive - Contributing a breadth of support and resources to serve both campus and society with excellence.
  • Transformative - Providing the transformative programs and experiences to advance one's station and impact in life. 
  • Leading-edge - Always seeking to move beyond current positioning and improve through innovation.
  • Forward-thinking - Strategically planning for the future needs of the community, business, and industry.
  • Innovative - Fostering new ideas that push us to the forefront in learning, technology, research, and support. 

Does my post connect to or exemplify one of the main ATU storylines?


  • Our relentless dedication drives our achievement.
  • Our compassionate support of the whole person empowers our potential.
  • We seek to advance and transform through innovation.

Your content should be connecting with a brand dimension or a storyline. No matter what type of content, we are always telling the ATU story. 


Putting your strategy together


Now that you have your strategy and messaging outlined: What do the next three months of posts look like for you?

Build your content plan out as far in advance as you can so you aren’t scrambling to come up with posts at the last minute. Planning your posts in advance allows you more time to make sure you are meeting your audiences needs, producing on-brand content, and supporting the overall goals of ATU.



For more information about Social Media, check out this presentation.


For more questions or help with your social media accounts, send an email to support.marcomm@atu.edu and someone will be in touch.