Branding : Social Media : Texas State University

Facebook Page Names

Use the full name of your college, department, group or program for Facebook page names. If possible, include the words "Texas State University" or "Texas State."

Examples:

Texas State University - LBJ Student Center

The Graduate College at Texas State University

Twitter and Instagram Account Handles

Handles are more limited by character count and naming will have some flexibility. If possible, usernames should include the abbreviation “TXST." This brings recognizable affiliation with Texas State to your accounts.

Examples:

@TXSTCE (Common Experience)

@TXSTBobcatClub

Twitter account of Bobcat Club

@studyabroadtxst

Study Abroad's twitter account

@txstatecheerleaders

Instagram from the Texas State cheerleaders

Avatars

To create a consistent look and feel across Texas State's social media accounts, avatars should be created by the Office of University Marketing. Use the same avatar on all your accounts. Contact us to request an avatar for your accounts.

Do not use the TXST logos as avatars.

Cover Photos

Choose or capture an image that best represents your unit. Make sure it’s in a landscape format and is cropped to the correct dimensions. Refer to Sprout Social's spreadsheet that lists all the dimensions for all social network photo sizes.

If you need a little help finding the perfect photo, we have plenty of high-quality images covering everything from student life and athletics to our beautiful campus and the San Marcos River available for you to use.

Hashtags

Approved Hashtags

Please use approved hashtags. Using the correct hashtags will maximize the reach and effectiveness of your tweet.

Hashtag	Purpose
#txst	For general posts regarding Texas State University
#txst21, #txst22, etc.	For posts intended to engage students of a particular graduating class
#EatEmUpCats	For posts regarding athletics or student, faculty or staff achievements
#beabobcat	For posts regarding admissions or student, faculty or staff achievements
#BobcatFamily	For posts regarding the Bobcat Community

Hashtag

Purpose

#txst

For general posts regarding Texas State University

#txst21, #txst22, etc.

For posts intended to engage students of a particular graduating class

#EatEmUpCats

For posts regarding athletics or student, faculty or staff achievements

#beabobcat

For posts regarding admissions or student, faculty or staff achievements

#BobcatFamily

For posts regarding the Bobcat Community

Note: Use all-caps #TXST at the beginning of a sentence or before a proper noun. Use lowercase #txst in other cases.

Event Hashtags

When creating a hashtag for an event, be sure that it contains a connection to the university.

Use	Don't Use
#TXSTgrad	#Graduation
#TXSThomecoming	#Homecoming
#TXSTmovein	#MoveInDay
#BobcatSoccer	#Soccer

Use

Don't Use

#TXSTgrad

#Graduation

#TXSThomecoming

#Homecoming

#TXSTmovein

#MoveInDay

#BobcatSoccer

#Soccer

Examples:

@PepsiAlmondJoy That's great to hear! We are glad you decided to #beabobcat!
— Texas State Official (@txst) August 21, 2015

Getting ready for #TXSTmovein this weekend? Be sure to follow @txstatehousing for all the latest information! #TXST19 pic.twitter.com/SVz6xJwEUD
— Texas State Official (@txst) August 14, 2015

Social Media Editorial Style Guide

You’re encouraged to follow the university’s Editorial Style Guide when possible, but the unique nature of social media means these guidelines are flexible. Here are some specific editorial guidelines for social media, especially for platforms with limited character counts.

Expand or Collapse all.

Abbreviations

Be wary of using abbreviations and acronyms on social media. Always ask yourself if your audience will know what an acronym means before using it.
Alum

You may use "alum" as a short form of alumnus, alumna or alumni when necessary. A person who attended Texas State but did not graduate from the university should be referred to as a former student or former Bobcat.
Ampersands

You may use the symbol “&” instead of the word “and” if necessary.
Contractions

Contractions are acceptable.
Dates and Times
- Abbreviate months according to AP Style: Jan., Feb., March, April, May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.
- Never add “nd,” “st” or “th” to a date.
- You do not have to use the day of the week with a date.
- You may cut the year from the date if the event is happening in the current calendar year.
- Abbreviate days of the week only if necessary: Mon., Tues., Wed., Thur., Fri., Sat., Sun.
- If an event is occurring within the next week, you may use just the day of the week without the date.
- You may leave the periods out of am/pm: 7 am, 8 pm
Examples:

The transfer student welcome will be Wed. from 11am-1pm on the 2nd floor of the LBJ Student Center. Read more here: http://t.co/i9a1t9JX4u
— Texas State Official (@txst) August 24, 2015

Financial aid refunds begin processing today. Please allow 24-72 hours for processing. Visit http://t.co/eGQ96bWmBj for more details.
— Texas State Official (@txst) August 17, 2015
Emojis

Emojis may or may not be appropriate for your social media account depending on the account’s purpose and voice. For example, emojis would be more appropriate for a student-run organization than for an English Department account. Make sure your use of emojis matches the voice and tone you’ve chosen for your account, and be consistent with your use of emojis.
Exclamation points
Exclamation points have a different connotation on social media than they do in print. You may use exclamation points on social media to convey friendliness and excitement and soften the voice of your messages, but limit your exclamation points to one per sentence.

Examples:
- We love everyone's #beabobcat photos. Keep them coming!
- Our username is txstateu!