Case Study

Social Media Strategy

University of Alberta

While the University of Alberta (U of A) has a long history of academic excellence in the province, its approach to social media at an institutional level was outdated. As the U of A’s executive team introduced its “One University” vision, rallying Colleges, Faculties and Departments under one brand, the University needed a contemporary social media strategy that took into account many of the changes that had occurred in that space since its last strategy was created in 2016.

In 2022, Adverb developed a social media strategy for the U of A. This process began with community engagement, which included more than 50 interviews with faculty, students, staff and community members. It also included an audit of more than 800 branded and brand-adjacent social media accounts, a nationwide analysis of post-secondary communications and marketing, and a lengthy engagement process with university leadership. 

Through this engagement process, we identified several opportunities to bring the university’s social media presence in alignment with its brand identity and improve performance. Our strategy focused on exploring these opportunities and identifying the communications goals, messages and tactics that would deliver on the university’s strategic objectives. Our strategy also included detailed frameworks for crisis communications, timely approvals and community management, as well as other processes pertaining to day-to-day social media management. 

Our goal is to make strategies that get implemented—not gather dust on a shelf. After completing the strategy, we led a series of presentations that guided team members through implementation and equipped them with the tools to brief other team members. We also developed a roadmap for the U of A to implement this strategy using a Now/Next/Later framework.

The University’s social media strategy has led to significantly increased engagement and awareness for the university on social media. Additionally, it has led to a more strategic and branded account structure for the university on social media, with clearer rules and regulations for creating, managing and maintaining accounts. And, this strategy has created the structure for other university accounts, such as the Student Life account noted above, to successfully contribute to institutional strategic goals. 

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