Many of Elizabethtown College’s departments and offices have recently utilized social media accounts, such as Twitter, to convey information to their students.

Career Services has embraced this idea through their hire of Ashley Horst as Coordinator of Social Media, Publicity and Special Events.

“Originally the office did not have any involvement with social media other than the use of LinkedIn. However, they had hoped to provide information in a way that students would readily and easily access it. We discussed ways of growth. This recently resulted in starting a Twitter page. We also hope to add a Pinterest account for ‘Evergreen Material’.”

However, Donna Talarico-Beerman, director of integrated communications, feels that certain criteria must be met in order for these accounts to be successful.

“I’m all for each academic department and individual office to have its own Twitter account. However, managing these accounts should be done right or not done at all,” Talarico-Beerman said.

“It takes a lot of time, energy and effort to hold a following and nurture that following so people stick around. Admins must post three to five times a day, including weekends. Social media never ends, so new ways to update it must always be found,” Talarico-Beerman said.

Talarico-Beerman has found ways to update the official College Twitter accounts, resulting in the official College Twitter accounts quadrupling in followers. In the past three years, they have gained 2,500 new followers.

“I take pride in responding to people, for example, thanking students who tweet that they have been accepted to Etown,” Talarico-Beerman said. “It is also important that I use the official accounts as tools in customer service. The best way to respond to negative feedback is promptly and truthfully. I may not be able to fix the problem, but I try to refer students to a person or department who can. Twitter is limited on space, so it is also a good practice to take conversations offline whenever possible. I recommend this approach to other offices as well.”

Talarico-Beerman has found some Twitter accounts run by Etown departments and offices particularly successful: Called to Lead, Career Services, Residence Life and The High Library.

“I think that Twitter is an excellent tool for departments to use as a way to connect with students through a medium that they use constantly. It shows that you are relevant and willing to interact with students on their turf. Also, it’s a lot of fun to think in 140-character thoughts and hashtags!” Stacy Zimmerman, director of Called to Lead, said.

“Departments might want to think of job descriptions and acknowledge the investment and importance of social media,” Talarico-Beerman said.

Talarico-Beerman warned departments and offices of the commitment needed to run social media and advised departments to use caution when assigning a student to manage the accounts.

“A lot of offices do not have a staff or faculty member that has the time to maintain social media, so often times, students are recommended. I caution when appointing a student to run any social media account,” Talarico-Beerman said. “We can all figure out how to update Twitter, or post on Facebook, but managing social media for a brand is completely different. I think offices and departments need to recognize that.”

She advises that a staff or faculty member be the admin in charge of any account, though a student can manage the day-to-day running with training and support. It is also essential that a staff member keep a record of the username and password to accounts.