Policy Category: Marketing and Communications 
Effective Date: January, 2023 
Responsible Officer: Vice President, Chief Marketing, Enrollment, and Communications Officer
History/Last Updated: Last updated January, 2026
Responsible Office: University Marketing and Communications

Purpose

This policy is intended to provide guidance to Simmons University related to the use of Social Media for externally facing marketing and communications uses. 

Scope/Applicability

This policy applies to all members of the Simmons community, students, faculty, staff, and affiliates creating external marketing and communications content.

Policy 

Introduction

This policy governs the creation, use, and management of all official Simmons University-branded social media accounts. These guidelines are intended for those individuals managing University-branded accounts to ensure that accounts and corresponding content is consistent, accessible, and representative of the institution’s mission and brand.

The team in the Office of Marketing and Communications (UComms) manages the main social media accounts for the University and is responsible for authorizing institutionally-branded accounts. Employees should consult with the Social Media Team ([email protected]) before engaging in social media on behalf of the University. 

For questions about this policy, contact [email protected].

Account Creation and Management

Creating Simmons-branded Accounts

Any Simmons University school, department, or office that would like to create a University-branded social media account must obtain approval from UComms. As part of that process, you must meet with the Social Media Team to discuss the University's social media policies, strategy, goals, and best practices. You can request a meeting by emailing [email protected].

If your school, department, or office is approved to create a social media account, you must use a delegated email address as the email address for the account. For example, if UComms created a Simmons-affiliated social media account, they would use the [email protected] email address. All social media usernames and passwords must be shared with the Social Media Team. All social media accounts, both new and existing, must comply with University policies (including branding and accessibility standards), state and federal law, as well as with the policies of the particular social media platforms. 

Branding

All University-branded social media accounts must adhere to Simmons' brand guidelines. Ensure all graphics, images, and videos comply with University branding standards. 

Profile Names and Handles: Use clear and identifiable names for profiles, distinguishing between display names (for identifying departments or schools) and usernames (handles for social media platforms). Avoid using acronyms in display names. Include the full name in the profile bio if necessary. Incorporate “Simmons University” in usernames/handles for easier identification, ensuring readability by capitalizing the first letter of each word. If the profile name/handle is long, “Simmons” can be an appropriate alternative. 

Profile Pictures: The UComms Creative Services team will create a templated account image that meets University branding guidelines. If other pictures are necessary, such as banner images, please consult with the UComms Creative Services team.

Bios and Website Links: An account bio should succinctly describe the school/department/group. Link to your specific school/department page on the Simmons University website to give followers direct access to more information.

Use of Text in Graphics: Limit text in social media graphics to ensure clarity and visual appeal. Overly text-heavy graphics can be overwhelming and less accessible. For detailed information, use the post's caption or link to a website rather than crowding the graphic with text. Aim for simplicity to enhance engagement.

Integrating Photos: Graphics incorporating photos tend to be more engaging and blend seamlessly into social feeds filled with personal and professional photography. Opt for unique, interesting photos that capture attention. For stock images, use copyright-compliant sources to avoid copyright issues. Images that include students or other members of the Simmons community may be used when appropriate permissions/consents are in place.

Alt Text Inclusion: Always add alt text to graphics to describe the visual content for those using screen readers or with visual impairments, making your content more inclusive.

QR Codes: Refrain from using QR codes in social media graphics since scanning them from a mobile device, where most social media is consumed, is impractical. Use direct links in your post instead.

Accessibility 

Our goal is to be inclusive and reach everyone who engages with our content, ensuring our communications are accessible to individuals with a broad range of abilities. This commitment aligns with state and federal regulations and is integral to the Simmons University mission.

Guidelines for Enhancing Accessibility:

• Alt Text for Images:
  • Always include alternative text ("alt text") with your images. This written description helps those using screen readers understand the image's content, ensuring they receive the full context of the post.
  • When writing alt text, provide a concise description of the image focusing on essential details such as the presence of people, activities, or important elements like clothing if relevant.
  • Aim for a balance in your description, avoiding overly lengthy text that could delay screen reader output.
• Graphics with Text:
  • Avoid using graphics-heavy text, like print flyers, as they are difficult to read on smaller screens.
  • For better accessibility, use eye-catching graphics with minimal text and include the bulk of the information in the post's text or link to more detailed content on a website.
  • Ensure any text on graphics is also included in the alt text.
• Video Captioning:
  • Include captions (or subtitles) on videos to make them accessible to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and those who watch videos without sound.
  • Understand the difference between closed captions (able to be toggled on or off) and open captions (permanently visible on the video), and use them appropriately to enhance accessibility.
• Capitalization for Readability:
  • In cases where social media requires combining multiple words without spaces, such as hashtags or usernames, capitalize the first letter of each word (e.g., use #SimmonsUniversity instead of #simmonsuniversity).
• Stylizing Text:
  • Custom fonts and stylizations (bold, italics) are not universally supported across social media platforms and can make text less accessible.
  • Avoid using special characters to mimic these effects, as they can be inaccessible to screen readers and individuals with visual impairments.

Termination of Any Simmons-branded Accounts

Simmons University reserves the right to terminate, delete, and/or unpublish any Simmons-branded account at any time for any or no reason.

Communications Standards and Policies

University Tools

These policies and standards relate to the various responsibilities of managing a social media presence that represents Simmons University. Visit the Simmons University Brand Hub for a complete database of information and resources, including those related to:

• Brand Guidelines
• Photos and Logos
• Simmons Style Guide
• Stormy the Shark 

Administrative Access to Affiliated Accounts

To ensure continuity and prevent blocked access to social media accounts due to the departure of an account administrator, login information and passwords for official Simmons social media accounts must be shared with the Social Media Team. Any employee with responsibility for and/or access to a University social media account must be removed as an administrator upon leaving the University.

Live Streaming 

All live streaming on behalf of the Simmons University brand on social media must be approved by the Social Media Team.

Stagnant Accounts

The University reserves the right to disable or temporarily unpublish Simmons social media accounts that are dormant (no posts, no activity) for more than 30 days.

Departed Admins

When page editors and administrators, especially students, have left the University and no longer require access to social media accounts, account managers must update/adjust the page roles immediately. Notify the Social Media Team anytime an admin is removed or added.

Advertising

College employees and departments are not authorized to enter into an advertising agreement with social media sites or third-party vendors without prior authorization by and explicit approval from an authorized representative of the University’s Digital Marketing Department.

Athletes

NCAA regulations prohibit coaches from friending/following prospective

student-athletes. Coaches, current student-athletes, or representatives of the athletics department may not publicly communicate or post with prospective student-athletes on social media. All communication is limited to private messaging. Pursuant to NCAA Bylaw 13.02.11.4, on or after May 1 of a prospective student-athlete’s senior year in high school, there shall be no limit on the forms of electronically transmitted correspondence that an institution may send to a prospective student-athlete, provided the institution has received a financial deposit in response to the institution’s offer of admission.

Be Aware of Liability

You are personally responsible for the content you publish online. Individual bloggers have been held liable for commentary deemed to be copyright infringement, defamatory, proprietary, libelous, or obscene (as defined by law). Be mindful that what you publish will stay in the public domain for a long time—be sure that what you post today will not come back to haunt you years from now.

Personal Sites: Don’t Use the Simmons Logo or Make Endorsements

Individuals are strictly prohibited from using the Simmons seal, logo, or any other Simmons marks or images on their personal, online sites. Do not use Simmons’s name to promote or endorse any product, cause, or political party or candidate. Simmons logo guidelines can be found in the Brand Guide.

Simmons Faculty and Academic Freedom

The Simmons Faculty Policy Manual addresses the intersection of academic freedom and faculty members communicating on topics that are of professional or personal interest to them.

Section 1.4 states, in pertinent part:

Colleges and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and institution by their utterances. Hence, they should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.

Social Media Administrator Expectations 

A social media administrator is the person responsible for the management of approved Simmons University branded social media accounts. Once the creation of an account has been approved, responsibilities of a social media administrator include:

• Create, maintain and monitor relevant social media channels and content.
• Ensure content is on-brand, accurate, accessible, and is in compliance with the University’s social media policy.
• Be responsible. What you write/post is ultimately your responsibility. Communicate with the Social Media Team about any questions or concerns. Communicate any emerging or potential crisis communications issues in a timely manner. Elevate questions as needed to Associate Vice President of Communications.
• Actively monitor conversations on platforms and ensure content and comments meet University social media guidelines.
• Respond to questions in a timely manner and when appropriate move the discussion away from social media to another communications channel.
• Create a content calendar and track account performance against established benchmarks and school/departmental/office strategic goals.
• Remain updated on trends and industry changes. Become familiar with standards and policies related to accessibility, copyright, and intellectual property. 

Social media administrators must not:

• Post content that violates University policies, or city, state, or federal laws and regulations.
• Use University branded accounts to endorse any view, product, private business, cause, or political candidate.
• Represent personal opinions as University-endorsed views or policies.
• Share content that is profane, off-topic, or violates copyright rights.

Social Media Best Practices

The tools, tactics, opportunities, and challenges associated with social media and its many platforms continue to evolve. The Simmons UComms team works to stay up to date on the latest changes, trends, and offerings so that the University can effectively use social media to engage key audiences while maintaining brand consistency.

Simmons University approves the social media platforms where branded accounts may and will appear. Currently, the active social media sites for Simmons University are Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. We have also established an account on Bluesky. 

Guidelines

• Read and understand Simmons University’s Social Media Guidelines.
• Receive approval from the UComms team before creating any new University-branded or affiliated social media account.
• Carefully evaluate the need for a new account. It takes significant time, planning, and resources to create and maintain a new social media account that can engage key audiences and build followers. Before creating a new account, explore opportunities for collaboration that are available through already existing University-branded accounts – which have strong engagement and followers.
• Define the goals, objectives, and what you hope to accomplish with a new social media account. Verify that the necessary resources – including staff – are available to manage the account effectively.
• Determine what social media platforms are most relevant and essential to reach your target audiences. Depending on the goals and specific audiences, different platforms may or may not be appropriate or relevant. It is important to research the audiences and prospective audiences on each platform that you are seeking to reach.
• Understand the Simmons brand and voice. The Simmons’ brand is important and meaningful to our many constituencies and stakeholders. Understand the University’s personality and voice. Avoid statements or posts that give the perception that you or your school/department are speaking on behalf of the University.
• Create a content strategy and content calendar. Effective social media use requires extensive planning and strategy. Create a plan that includes objectives, engagement tactics, and planned posts to ensure you have enough content to achieve consistent and compelling engagement with target audiences. Potential ideas for content include:
  • Helpful hints, information or reminders
  • Links to relevant parts of the Simmons University website
  • Current or historical facts about the University or your school/department
  • Faculty, staff, student and alumnae/i news
  • Awards, achievements and college rankings
  • Posts of interest from related websites
  • Campus ­related photos
• Have a plan to measure success. Establish metrics to evaluate the overall success and impact of a social media account – including engagement rates, number of followers, content reach, and conversion rates.
• Avoid scheduling posts too far ahead. Accounts holders at Simmons can pre-write and schedule posts using a variety of software. If an account holder schedules social posts, they must ensure that duplicate content is not being shared on every social media platform and that the software’s scheduler tool allows for the immediate pause of automatic posts should the need arise. In addition, posts should not be scheduled more than a few days ahead of time. Conversations and current events can change quickly, and posts can become irrelevant or even insensitive depending on the context or moment.
• Avoid automated posts. No Simmons account may use any social media software, apps or RSS feed to automatically generate social media posts. Social media algorithms value organic content over automated content, and the Simmons social media strategy focuses on authenticity, engagement, community building, and meaningful contributions.
• Elevate and collaborate. Sharing posts from the main Simmons University accounts and other affiliated Simmons University accounts is an effective way to amplify important communications, relevant institutional news, and advance strategic goals.
• Be thoughtful with liking and following. Carefully consider the implications of friending, following, or accepting such a request from another person. There is always the potential for misinterpretation of the relationship or the potential of sharing protected information.

Platform Best Practices

Each social media platform features unique functions, formats, and communities. Social media goals and overall engagement can suffer if content is not created with the end delivery and platform in mind. The following provides additional information about some of the most popular social media platforms. Contact UComms with any questions. 

Facebook

Facebook is still the world’s biggest social media platform, expected to surpass 3.1 billion monthly active users by 2027.

Number of monthly active users: 3.065 billion

Largest age group: 25-34 (31.1%)

Gender distribution: 43.2% female, 56.8% male (no data on other genders)

Time spent per day: 32 minutes

Primary Audience: Alumnae/i, parents of current students

Secondary Audience: students 

Post Types: News articles, photos, videos

Largest spread of audience ages and demographics

Web traffic driver

Performance metrics: Impressions, reach, engagement, link clicks, and other analytics are important metrics to measure success. The Meta Business Suite provides an in-depth analysis of the page activity, post results, and reach per media type and will help you explore a variety of analytics, including individual post performance, follower growth, frequency and consistency in posting, audience insights, an overview of the content styles that are performing well, and tips for improving engagement on content

Instagram

Instagram continues to be a Gen Z and millennial favorite, with 60% of users under 35. The 18-24 age group (31.7%) makes up the largest share, showing that Instagram is still a go-to for younger generations. Simmons University-affiliated Instagram accounts should be created as professional accounts instead of personal accounts, as they represent the institution. When they have a question or need help, 72% of Gen Z users turn to Instagram for customer service. For brands, being responsive in DMs and comments isn’t optional – it’s expected.

Instagram is primarily a visual platform, so photos and videos are the main features. It provides an opportunity to show off aspects of campus life, promote university programming, and share memorable moments, both past and present. With this in mind, captions can be shorter and should not include links as they are not clickable on Instagram posts to the feed. For photo posts, there is a carousel option for adding up to 20 photos per post. 

Number of monthly active users: 2 billion

Largest age group: 18-24 (31.7%)

Gender distribution: 49.4% female, 50.6% male (no data on other genders)

Time spent per day: 32 minutes

Primary Audience: Undergraduate, students, graduate students, recent alumnae/i

Post types: Campus beauty shots, Nostalgia (throwback photos from Simmons archives), Photos from Simmons News articles, Photos from campus events 

Instagram Reels: These short video clips are a must if you want to stand out and appeal to the younger Gen Z audience. Generally, the shorter the reel, the better it performs. Reels can be fun and trendy while showing the Simmons student experience 

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network. LinkedIn is bigger and more active than ever, with 1 billion members and growing. But the professional network is not just for older audiences. Millennials make up the majority of LinkedIn users, and Gen Z is catching up fast.

Number of members: 1 billion

Largest age group: 25-34 (50.6%)

Gender distribution: 43.6% female, 56.4% male (no data on other genders)

Average visit duration: 11 minutes and 19 seconds

Primary Audience: Current students, alumnae/i, faculty and staff. 

Post types:

• News updates and announcements
• Thought leadership and topics relevant to higher education and careers/professions
• Current student, alumnae/i, faculty, or staff stories focused on their professional accomplishments or industries
• Academic Excellence: Highlight faculty research, publications, student awards, and university rankings.
• Alumnae/i Relations: Strengthen ties with graduates through spotlights, professional milestones, and networking opportunities.

Privacy and Security 

Social Media Monitoring

It is the expectation that all Simmons-branded social media accounts are continuously monitored. Social media monitoring and listening should occur daily. Administrators should not only monitor for concerns, but to understand how their platforms are performing, overall engagement levels, how content is being responded to, trending topics and current events, and to identify potential new opportunities to interact with key audiences. 

Be on the lookout for:

• Comments or questions that require a response. Whenever possible, take sensitive conversations offline. Comments or questions about sensitive topics should be directed to the Associate Vice President of University Communications for followup.
• Posts that could be shared (photos, events, etc.)
• Spam or advertisements that should be removed
• Followers that should be blocked (for spam or terms of use violations)

Any concerns, responses and issues must be addressed and elevated in a timely manner. Concerns must be elevated as necessary to the Social Media Team and the Associate Vice President of University Communications.

Media Inquiries 

If any media (including print, TV, radio, or online) contacts you regarding a post or issue related to Simmons University, immediately inform the Associate Vice President of University Communications who will respond.

Account Security

Account Security is critical. Accounts with email signups must use a shared Simmons.edu email that multiple people can access. All log-in information must be shared with the Social Media Team. If log-information is lost, it can be very difficult to access an account.

Protect Your Identity

While you should be honest about yourself, don’t provide personal information that scammers or phishers could use against you or to hack your account. Don’t list your home address, telephone number or other personally identifying information that you would not share publicly. It is a good idea to create a separate email address that is used only with social media sites. Reset your password in any instance of a breach. Always log out of your account when on any computer that is not your personal device.

Don’t Use Pseudonyms. Never pretend to be someone else. Tracking tools enable supposedly anonymous posts to be traced back to their authors.

Maintain Privacy

Do not discuss a situation involving named or pictured Simmons community members on a social media site without their express permission. As a guideline, do not post anything that you would not present in any public forum.

Crisis Communications

No statements on behalf of Simmons University may be made through social media. Any communications related to a crisis at Simmons will be shared by the main Simmons University accounts with other Simmons accounts resharing or retweeting the original content as appropriate.

Community Social Media Use Guidelines 

While we encourage our community to engage with Simmons University social media pages, we expect users to utilize these platforms responsibly. All commenters should engage in discussion with integrity, accuracy, and respect for others. 

Be accurate and transparent. Make sure that you have all the facts before you post. It’s better to verify information with a source first than to have to post a correction or retraction later. Cite and link to your sources whenever possible.

Considerations for University Leaders: University leaders should be especially aware of how their posts might be perceived as representing official University positions. Refer to the Simmons University Philosophy and Policy on Official Public Statements for more information. 

The University will not permit illegal, defamatory, or obscene content on any University social media account. Such content can and will be removed without notice at any time. Simmons reserves the right to review comments after publishing and remove any comment, including, but not limited to any comment that contains:

• Hate speech as defined as speech that attacks, threatens, or insults a person or group on the basis of national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age or disability
• Profanity, obscenity or vulgarity
• Nudity in profile pictures
• Defamation to a person or people
• Name calling and/or personal attacks
• Product or commercial venture promotions
• Petition solicitations
• Political campaigning
• Copyright infringement
• Spam, such as the same comment posted repeatedly
• Violations of intellectual property law
• Violations of the Simmons University Social Media policy or Simmons University
• Private information about an individual or group, including information which may be protected by state and federal regulations regarding privacy (medical information, for example)
• Other content that Simmons Social Media Team deems inappropriate or inconsistent with Simmons’s values and mission

Simmons University does not agree with, endorse or condone every comment that individuals post on our pages. 

Repeated violations of the Simmons University commenting policy may cause the author to be blocked from the Simmons University’s social media profiles. Simmons students may be subject to the conduct standards and other policies set forth in the Student Code of Conduct and employees may be subject to provisions in the Simmons Employee Handbook.

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.