Here's your reminder to prep that Valentine's Day content
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It's time to talk TikTok
About half of the states in the U.S. have prohibited the use of TikTok on state devices. At many public universities, students, faculty and staff aren’t able to access the platform on Wi-Fi or state devices. Although the states that have issued these bans say they are for security reasons, some faculty members see the bans as a breach of academic freedom. Staff feel limited in their ability to reach priority audiences on the go-to social media app for prospective and current students. In case you need a reminder at how popular the platform is: Gen Z is almost as likely to search TikTok than to search Google.
Auburn University’s TikTok went silent after an Alabama state ban in December, but posts started back up this week. We sympathize with the institution’s conundrum. Our advice for higher ed social media managers who are feeling uneasy about the platform’s future: Unless you’ve been instructed by leadership or state guidelines prohibit it, there is no national ban (yet), and we think it’s best to keep up the TikToks for now if you already have an established channel that has been a successful part of your larger strategy.
I spend a ridiculous amount of time looking at college and university Instagram accounts, and I’ve noticed the institutions that are most successful on the platforms have figured out a way to have fun. Sure, there’s a place on the grid for important, professional pieces — a breakthrough in research, a presidential statement, a polished marketing video — but every post you make doesn’t need to be perfectly curated. Take risks. There will be flops, but we learn from them. The most-viewed video on a brand account I used to manage nearly went unposted because the first time I watched it, I told myself it was too silly. So glad I allowed myself to step outside my comfort zone that day. That’s how we get the big wins.
Is your channel hurting for a new Reel or TikTok video but you don’t have the time to shoot new footage? Here’s a hack that you can use once in a while: Find a video you previously posted on your channel that performed very well — one of your greatest hits — and recut it using a new sound and format that’s trending right now. Then, repost it with a new caption and thumbnail. If Williams Sonoma and other big brands can get away with repurposing like this, so can you.
RWJ Social helps higher ed institutions shape social strategy through a variety of services, including influencer engagement, benchmarking, monitoring and more.
