Social Media Guidelines

At Gustavus Adolphus College, we recognize that social media platforms serve as powerful tools for communication, engagement, and brand representation. As such, we have formulated guidelines to support social media communication while safeguarding the College’s reputation.

We aim to uphold uniformity and coherence across all institutional social media platforms overseen by the Marketing and Communication Office. This involves ensuring that our institutional reputation, messaging, and branding are aligned consistently across flagship platforms and officially recognized student organizations. Furthermore, our objective is for the Marketing and Communication Office to collaborate with Institutional and affiliated College social media accounts. This information is intended to act as a reference for accounts representing the College. All channels should honor Gustavus’ core values of Excellence, Community, Justice, Service, and Faith.

General Guidelines

All material posted on institutional platforms and recognized student organizations must be consistent with the mission of the College and not be in violation of College guidelines or civil law.

Going forward, if you want the ability for the Gustavus Adolphus College page to share your content, your account must follow these social media guidelines. 

Accounts Connected to Gustavus

Gustavus acknowledges the large number of social media channels in relation to the college. We have provided a key to help one better understand what category an account falls under.

Flow chart of Gustavus social media accounts

Getting Started

When creating your account, ensure that your bio and username clearly convey the purpose of your account and its affiliation with Gustavus. 

  • BIO: Share the organization that the account is associated with
    • Example: The official Instagram account for Gustavus Adolphus College Fine Arts
  • Username: Ensure that your account's identity is clear. This account might pertain to a club, group, workplace, division, or sports team, and it should incorporate Gustavus or Gustie into its username.
    • Examples: @gustieathletics @gustavuslibrary @gustie_reslife
  • Dedicated Social Media Oversight: Each account must appoint a dedicated employee to oversee your channel's social media presence. For instance, a coach should supervise the social media page of an athletic account, while an Advisor should oversee those of a club, organization, or Greek Life.
  • Students access: If you decide to allow students to post on accounts, please ensure they’re working under close supervision of a faculty or staff member. 

The implementation of these guidelines during the setup process serves to enhance the discoverability of your account. Additionally, by assigning a Gustavus employee as a monitor of the account offers an additional layer of vigilance and streamlines the login procedure.

Consider Before Creating

Before you begin crafting content, it is imperative to recognize that your content serves as a representation of the College.

  • Institutional channels: Gustavus Fine Arts, Gustavus Adolphus College, Gustavus Admission, and Gustavus Athletics and Alumni are recognized as main communication channels of the college. Affiliated accounts should tag one of these channels when sharing information on behalf of the college.
  • Ensure Accuracy: Prior to posting or sharing content, ensure that all facts and information are accurate before posting.

If you have any doubts about the appropriateness or potential reputational impact of a post, we encourage you to reach out to the Marketing Office for guidance. In cases of uncertainty, it is advisable to refrain from posting until you receive clarification.

Content Creation & Distribution

You are not required to use the College’s official fonts and colors when posting to your channel, however we would encourage all pages affiliated with Gustavus Adolphus College to look as uniform and complementary as possible .When creating content for your page, you should follow the Gustavus Brand Guide for all posts, including colors, fonts, etc.

The Gustavus Registered ® logos and Athletics logos are placed in a fixed relationship and should never be altered, modified, combined, or redrawn. Clubs and organizations who desire to use Gustavus Registered logos and Athletics logos should seek approval before use. 

Tips for Managers

A couple quick reminders for managers of accounts. Engaging with the community is important, but remember to be mindful with not only what you post, but also with connections, likes, and comments. 

  • Honoring Gustavus and Its Identity: Show respect for Gustavus and its unique voice.
  • Mindful Connections: Be cautious about your social media connections, as they might inadvertently suggest an endorsement of specific causes, groups, or organizations.
  • Maintain Connectivity: Keep your ties with Gustavus intact by engaging with our main social media outlets at @gustavusadolphuscollege.
  • Your Page Must be Active: To be active, your page must like, comment, post and share.
  • Platforms: Engage with community platforms by sharing content associated with Gustavus.

Comment Moderation/Oversight

It is crucial to keep track of your account. A couple negative comments left on a page could ruin a reputation. Here are a couple tips to remember when overseeing an account. Please contact the Marketing Office if you need guidance about specific posts or audience interactions.

  • Comment Visibility Management: When posting to Instagram or Facebook, there is an option to turn off comments.
  • Discreet Comment Moderation: On Facebook, concealing an individual comment. The commenter retains visibility but remains unaware of the comment's hidden status.
  • Regular Channel Monitoring: Review social media channels daily, even during periods when you have no new posts.
  • An Error Made On Your Part: If you make an error in a post, correct it as quickly as possible. Note that it never hurts to have a proofreader review the post before you share it.

A Message from the Office of Marketing & Communication

The Marketing and Communication Office must be notified when an account is created that is affiliated with Gustavus, along with contact information of the employee who is overseeing the account. This information should be sent to Sydney Noel, email sydneynoel@gustavus.edu 

Institutional Channels and Affiliated accounts must align with the College's core values and belonging statement.ccounts not affiliated with Gustavus and those utilizing the Gustavus name, image, or likeness will be observed from a distance. Should the reputation or safety of the College be at risk due to an account, the situation will be assessed, and necessary measures will be implemented. If the account is operated by a Gustavus student, you will be contacted.

If in violation of these guidelines, the Marketing Office will follow the appropriate procedures to find a solution by following the official student conduct policy and the employee manual.