Before setting up any new social media accounts affiliated with the University, you must ensure you've read our Social Media Policy. There are certain permissions you'll need to acquire before you're allowed to set up any new accounts so please ensure you've read the policy in its entirety. Refer to section five on the responsibilities of site administrators to find out more about the permissions required. You may want to consider the information below when seeking approval as it is likely you'll need to provide justification for your new accounts. If it is agreed that there is a need and use for the account then please use the information below.
If you're starting to think about setting up new social media accounts, you'll need to decide is which platforms are right for your needs. Here we provide a run-down of each platform to help you decide which ones are best for what you're trying to achieve. Remember there are always exceptions to the rules when it comes to the types of content you can use on each platform – this is simply guidance based on what has worked well in the past.
Facebook is a social media platform that allows individuals or brands to connect with others online. It allows you to host a profile where you can share images, videos and much more.
Audience:
Facebook audiences can be quite varied. The main London Met account has an audience consisting of primarily international students and also some other prospective and current students. Once you've had your Facebook page up and running for a while you'll be able to look at your own Facebook Page Insights to find out more about the audience you're attracting.
Content:
Videos, blogs and live videos tend to work well on Facebook. Live videos work well but should be approached with caution – please refer to our Creating Content page for further guidance on them. Stories and interactive content are also successful on Facebook as people are prepared to spend a longer period of time browsing the site.
Instagram is an image and video sharing platform.
Audience:
The audience on Instagram can vary. The main London Met account has an audience made of primarily current and prospective students. Once you've started sharing content and building an audience you can monitor the demographics you're attracting in your Instagram Insights (you'll need to have a business account to do this).
Content:
We recommend using high-quality imagery and video on the Instagram grid. Instagram users appreciate grid post content that looks clean and well thought through – it needs to stand out when they're scrolling through their feed.
Instagram Stories can be less polished as authenticity is one of the most important factors.
Twitter is a microblogging social media platform. It allows users to share short posts (Tweets) of up to 280 characters. The Tweets can include links, images and videos.
Audience:
The audience on Twitter can vary. The main London Met account has an audience made primarily of staff, academics, journalists, businesses and a mix of current and prospective students. Once you start posting content you'll be able to monitor your audience demographics using the Tweet activity dashboard.
Content:
News links, imagery and blogs tend to work best on Twitter. Twitter users are normally expecting to digest information quickly so this is key when creating content for that platform.
YouTube
YouTube is a video sharing platform.
Audience:
Audience demographics will vary depending on the channel. The main London Met channel has an audience of mainly prospective students. Once you've started sharing content and building an audience you can monitor the demographics yourself in your channel's YouTube Analytics.
Content:
Video content that is authentic tends to work well. However, this will vary depending on your audience.
LinkedIn is a social media platform for professionals. It is used to promote jobs, network with other professionals and keep people updated with any company changes and news.
Audience:
The audience tends to be professionals of various ages. The main London Met account has an audience made up of alumni, academics, staff and those from the higher education community. You can monitor your own LinkedIn audience within the LinkedIn Page Analytics.
Content:
Career information and acheivements of graduates or employees work well on LinkedIn. We love sharing alumni stories on our LinkedIn and lots of past students use it as a community to catch up with old friends and classmates but also to keep an eye on University updates.
Long-form blogs, video interviews and infographics always do well!
TikTok
TikTok allows users to create short video clips that are accompanied by music or voiceovers.
Audience:
The audience is varied.
Content:
Humorous or informative content that is relevant to your field tends to work best.
Not sure? Get in touch
If you need any help with any of the above, please feel free to email social@londonmet.ac.uk.
