Twitter Guidelines

Twitter is a great way to stay in contact with a broad audience of followers. It can be best utilized to have discussions with people who want to interact with your department. Think of it as the water cooler discussion spot on the internet.

Twitter overview

No matter what type of Twitter account you create (University unit, alumni and development, student affairs, marketing and communications, etc.) you should always engage your audience by responding to questions promptly and providing more information when warranted. While it may seem obvious, please remember that you are tweeting on behalf of Missouri State University.

Strengths

  • Allows you to connect with people who are interested in your organization’s activities
  • Enables you to be your own journalist and tell your own story
  • Can empower others to be ambassadors for you
  • Provides opportunities to connect to broader messages and conversations
  • Enables time-sensitive and immediate coverage

Challenges

  • Tweets move off of followers’ news feeds quickly
  • As a result, you need to be willing to post more frequently than you would on other platforms
  • Growing your audience requires patience, consistency and quality
  • The platform prioritizes concise messaging

Audience

According to Pew Research Center, Twitter has:

  • 310 million monthly active users
  • 83 percent of active users on mobile devices
  • 37 percent of adults between the ages of 18-29
  • A great platform for a younger crowd
  • More than half of users who have graduated college or have some college

Discover more about Twitter demographics

Checklist

  • Keep followers up-to-date by sharing easy-to-read content on a regular basis
  • Generate compelling stories by sharing expert information
  • Serve key audiences by answering questions and encouraging dialogue
  • Tag other accounts with @____ to connect Missouri State audiences
  • Provide hyperlinks to encourage readers to find more information
    • Drive traffic back to MissouriState.edu whenever possible
  • Think visually and strategically use photos and videos
  • Utilize strategic hashtags such as
    • #BearGrads (commencement)
    • #CitizenBear (public affairs)
    • #BearsHomecoming (homecoming)
    • #GoMaroon (spirit, new students)
    • #MSUBears (athletics)
  • Increase the portability of your stories by providing mobile-friendly content