What is UNLV's Story? How Do We Tell It?

UNLV’s story is authentic, personal, and bold. We overcome challenges and take risks to achieve our goals.

We tell this story on social media to align with Different, Daring, Diverse branding efforts and strategies outlined in the UNLV Strategic Marketing and Communications plan. We will share content that supports these stories and interact with our audiences to build a community that reflects these values.

Content is selected that:

  • Supports and enhances our goals

  • Matches each platform’s content specifications

  • Represents UNLV’s voice and tone

Social media content is not just the words we use to share a message, but also the images that make up a platform and the multimedia we use to tell UNLV’s story. Content should:

  • Be authentic. Not every post on social media should be designed like an ad campaign. Social media should embrace in-the-moment, spontaneous content that still showcases the campus and the environment here. The energy at UNLV is contagious, and we will share this on our social platforms to highlight our atmosphere. And be respectful, positive, and honest. UNLV’s content is factual and representative of our university. We do not confront defeatist comments unless to correct an error or point to a resource to better an issue. Conversations with UNLV social media platforms will encourage thoughtful discussion or debate through respectful, civil responses.

  • Be visual. We use photos, videos, live videos, and GIFs in a way that supports the message we are sharing.

  • Be balanced. Photos, videos, live videos, and other forms of multimedia are key in engaging audiences. So are links to articles, emojis, status messages and re-shares. We strive to share different types of content supporting all areas of UNLV in a balanced way. When someone looks at our profile on any social media platform, they’ll see a variety of posts representing as many aspects of UNLV as possible but not necessarily the same posts on every platform. Posts will vary based on the identified audiences for each.

UNLV's Social Media Voice and Tone

Our voice and tone dictate the emotions that we convey via social media. We want to inform, motivate, inspire, and connect our audiences to UNLV.

Each platform has a specific tone because we are speaking to different audiences with different types of content. More information on each account’s specifications is in the official social media platforms section. Overall, we follow these guidelines when managing content:

  • Keep content light and conversational. Messages are light-hearted and informal but still professional. For example, we use “check it out” or “more” rather than “click the link below.”

  • Listen and engage with comments regularly.

  • Use “we” and “our” when referring to UNLV as a whole.

  • Use an active voice when writing sentences. For example, say “We created this new program today” rather than “This new program was created today.”

  • Express tones of excitement without overusing punctuation. Emojis are acceptable when reaching certain on audiences, but should not be overused, either.

  • Keep updates short but strong. We often create several super short sentences (five words or less) to convey a message. (Example: “15 years. 1,000+ interviews. The story of the storyteller.” instead of “Check out this story about our oral historian.”)

Target Audiences

It’s crucial to develop content in a way that is appropriate for the audiences we are reaching on each platform.

Internal community: Faculty, staff, and students

External audiences: Prospective students, parents, alumni, donors, fans, research community and industry partners, media, business leaders, and the Las Vegas and greater Nevada community

Specifically, we’ve identified the following sections of audiences for specific purposes on social media. The audiences below are our main targets on UNLV’s social media based on research for each social media platform. Each platform has its own target audience identified from industry research as well as specific UNLV social media analysis and surveys. More information on each account’s specifications is in the official social media platforms section.

External audiences

  • Prospective students: Content for this group will encourage students to consider UNLV as their college of choice and makes them part of the UNLV community before they even apply. Prospective graduate students are also a key part of this audience with content that showcases what UNLV has to offer for graduate programs and experiences.

  • Prospective parents: Because parents often play a crucial role in supporting the college search process, parents should also be recognized in content created for prospective students.

  • Alumni, donors, and fans: Use content that showcases Rebel pride; informs alumni, donors, and fans about UNLV news; and keeps them connected with UNLV long after they graduate, make a donation, or visit campus.

  • Research community and industry partners: Highlight the achievements of our faculty, undergraduate, and graduate student researchers as well as new partnerships and how our work is impacting the community.  

  • Media: Share UNLV news and promote campus experts to the media and reshare local news that informs our community and/or promotes our faculty, research, student, and alumni stories.

  • Las Vegas and greater Nevada community, legislators, and business leaders: Use content that showcases UNLV’s impact on the community through students, research, programs, activities, and partnerships.

Internal audiences

  • Current students: Share announcements that affect the entire study body, key campus events, and content that makes our students proud to be Rebels.

  • Parents: Parents still play a crucial role in the life of a student after they begin attending classes at UNLV, so we will be sure to share content that informs them about campus and keeps them connected to UNLV.

Monitoring Conversations

Listening is a key part of our social media strategy. We will monitor and engage with feedback on all social media platforms by responding to comments and public posts when appropriate. We also consult with the Offices of Media Relations and Public Affairs by reviewing our community’s content and identifying potential conflicts.

Responses represent UNLV as much as posts do, so we will respond carefully to feedback whether it is negative or positive. Not all responses require a comment, but we will answer questions timely, respond to criticism thoughtfully, and engage with positive and negative comments.

Advertising and Paid Promotion

Advertising on social media should be done strategically to further promote UNLV’s story. Ads should have a clear call-to-action such as pointing to unlv.edu, donations, applications, etc. Ads should not be used solely as a way to grow a platform or generate engagement for a post.

Similar to all other types of social media content, we must determine the right audiences, content, and delivery method for every ad shared on social media based on each platform and intended goal.