About the Platform

Launched in 2004, Facebook is an online social networking service that connects people with the ability to share content and see what those in your network are sharing.

• According to 2021 Pew Research data, Facebook is used by 69% of U.S. adults.
• Only 51% of people aged 13 to 17 use Facebook (compared to YouTube at 85%, Instagram at 72%, and Snapchat at 69%). (2018 Pew Research)
• Though Facebook use is declining for 16-30-year-olds, 2021 data from Noel Levitz still lists Facebook as the third most useful social media network for teens to research colleges and universities (behind Instagram and YouTube).
• For UNLV’s main Facebook account, 38% of our followers are ages 35-34 (the largest age group) and 23% of followers are 35-44. Only 8% of our followers are 18-24–meaning Facebook is not a primary platform to reach a large portion of our student audience; however, it can be useful to reach families, parents, and nontraditional students or graduate students.

About the Facebook Algorithm

The algorithm is intended to serve Facebook users with the content they are most interested in. It tends to prioritize posts from family and friends (or people that a particular user interacts with the most) more than content from a page or organization. It may also prioritize content that could spark conversation or comments. In terms of types of content, Facebook tends to give more attention to videos, then photos, then links to websites or news articles. (Source)

How can you use this to your advantage? By understanding what your audience wants to see, you can work with the Facebook algorithm to create and share content that is meaningful to those who follow you. And, the more you do this, the more you can grow your audience. Start by analyzing the topics or subject areas that seem to get more engagement–do people tend to interact with posts about students or faculty more? Then take a look at types of content–do people tend to engage with links to the website, photos, or videos? As resources allow, try to create more of the content people engage with as often as you can to better serve your audiences.

Facebook is best used to

• Share university news and events that apply broadly to students, faculty, staff, alumni, fans, and the community.
• Promote what UNLV is like to prospective students by showcasing what current students are experiencing.
• Share engaging content that creates a sense of Rebel Pride for prospective students, current students, alumni, and stakeholders.
• Connect with the Southern Nevada community.
• Interact with your audience by responding to comments, answering questions, and participating in discussions.

Target audiences

• Alumni, donors, and fans
• Prospective and current students and their families
• Research community
• Las Vegas and the greater Nevada community

Post Frequency

Post when you have engaging content to share. Generally, if you can share as often as once a day, you’ll steadily grow an audience. However, refrain from posting just to meet a frequency goal and rather focus on creating valuable, engaging content. You can post the same types of information more than once as long as they are timely and relevant and take on different content types (for example, post a link to a News Center article and then at a later date, create a photo post summarizing information).

Sharing content and tagging accounts

We will create new posts tagging other UNLV pages or re-share their content. Phrases such as “Like this page,” “Follow this page,” etc. will not be used to promote other university pages. When referencing another college or department, the account tag should be worked into the content of the post so it reads like a natural sentence.

When using hashtags, always follow camel case and capitalize the first letter of every word (for example use #RebelsMakeItHappen rather than #rebelsmakeithappen). This is a better accessibility practice for people using assistive technologies.

Accessibility:

Always make sure that you provide a caption file for videos to meet accessibility guidelines. You can upload your own transcript or modify the automated captions to make sure they are correct. Add alt text to any photos or graphics that you upload.

About the platform

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. It’s primarily used to showcase career highlights, participate in discussions pertaining to professional interests or industries, connect with organizations or businesses, and build a professional network online.

• According to 2021 Pew Research data, 28% of U.S. adults use LinkedIn.
• There are more than 850 million members on LinkedIn, and more than 80% of users on LinkedIn also use Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. It’s most popular for adults aged between 25 and 34–nearly 60% of users fall in this age bracket. (Source)
• Users spend an average of 7 minutes on the platform per visit (compared to 10 minutes for Facebook and 5 minutes for Pinterest. (Source)

This is best used as a platform to connect with alumni, UNLV employees, and the Southern Nevada community–especially community partners and business connections or those we serve through outreach or development efforts. Though students may use LinkedIn to prepare for their future careers, they are not one of our primary audiences on LinkedIn.

About the algorithm

The factors that make the biggest impact on LinkedIn’s algorithm are similar to many other platforms–topics and interests, relationships, and types of posts. Additional indicators that are unique to LinkedIn are quality of content–so making sure your post is clear and concise, prompts a question, and uses three or fewer hashtags can help give you a boost. (Source)

How can you use this to your advantage? Knowing your audience is key to optimizing your reach based on an algorithm, and that applies to LinkedIn as well. Start by analyzing the topics or subject areas that seem to get more engagement–do people tend to interact with posts about students or faculty more? Then take a look at types of content–do people tend to engage with links to a website, photos, or videos? As resources allow, try to create more of the content people engage with as often as you can to better serve your audiences.

LinkedIn is best used to

• Share university news and events that apply broadly to students, faculty, staff, alumni, fans, and the community.
• Interact with your audience by responding to comments, answering questions, and participating in discussions.
• Share engaging content that creates a sense of Rebel Pride for alumni and employees (especially faculty, staff, student, and alumni accomplishments and achievements).
• Connect with the Southern Nevada community.
• Showcase content that supports fundraising and scholarship or campaign goals.

Target audiences

• UNLV faculty and staff
• Alumni, donors, and fans
• Las Vegas and the greater Nevada community
• Research and business community

Post frequency

Post when you have engaging content to share. Generally, if you can share as often as 3-5 times per week, you’ll steadily grow an audience. However, refrain from posting just to meet a frequency goal and rather focus on creating valuable, engaging content.

LinkedIn values consistently, so if you can make a posting schedule work for you (for example, posting every Monday and Thursday in the morning), then over time this will benefit you in the algorithm.

Sharing content and tagging accounts

When referencing another college or department, the account tag should be worked into the content of the post so it reads like a natural sentence whenever possible.

When using hashtags, always follow camel case and capitalize the first letter of every word (for example use #RebelsMakeItHappen rather than #rebelsmakeithappen). This is a better accessibility practice for people using assistive technologies.

Accessibility

Always make sure that you provide a caption file for videos to meet accessibility guidelines. You can upload your own transcript or use the automated captions, but it is best to make sure they are accurate and correctly transcribed. All images and graphics that you upload should contain alt text.