Social Media Guidelines

The Mississippi State University Social Media Guidelines have been developed to assist units at MSU with their social media presence. These guidelines provide direction to areas of the university interested in utilizing social media as a tool for marketing, PR, crisis communication and student relations purposes. These recommendations are encouraged by the Office of Public Affairs when managing a social media account affiliated with Mississippi State and will evolve as social media evolves.

If you have questions about material included in the MSU Social Media Guidelines, please contact the Office of Public Affairs at tbroadus@opa.msstate.edu or 662.325.8170.

Purpose of MSU Social Media

  • Build resonance with key audiences (students, prospective students, alumni and faculty/staff)
  • Align content with university priorities
  • Maintain consistent brand voice and visual identity
  • Reflect MSU's global brand and institutional values

General Guidance

All MSU accounts reflect on the university, its students and its employees.

  • Follow MSU Verbal and Visual Standards for any MSU social channels, and ensure content aligns with our brand identity.
  • Conduct yourself online as you would in public. MSU's credibility in the social media world, just as in the real world, depends upon your credibility.
  • Include language such as "posts and opinions are my own" if your personal social media accounts mention an MSU affiliation.
  • Do not incorporate "MSU" into any personal social handle.

Professional Conduct and Boundaries

  • Maintain separation of personal and professional social media.
  • Never use MSU branding in personal usernames or icons.
  • Do not promote personal causes, products or political candidates.
  • Represent MSU values professionally in all content and conduct.

Before You Create an Account

  • Consult with the Office of Public Affairs (OPA).
  • Contact the Social Media Strategist to set up a meeting.
  • Define the purpose of your account: student recruitment, grow social engagement, department promotion or general university promotion.
  • Identify your audience (prospects, students, faculty/staff, alumni).
  • Choose the right platform (Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube).
  • Consider collaboration with existing accounts vs. creating new accounts.

Registering and Managing Your Social Media

All MSU-affiliated accounts must be registered with OPA.

  • Provide a primary contact and a list of all users with access to each account.
  • Designated social media managers must meet with OPA — contact the Social Media Strategist.
  • Register any official MSU social media account with the MSU Office of Public Affairs by completing the Social Media Registration Form.
  • Designate a single point of contact for social media efforts and provide that information to OPA when you complete the form.
  • Check all social media accounts and corresponding activity each weekday, at a minimum.
  • Ensure all university information on your social media pages stays up to date.
  • Post with frequency; any account that is inactive for more than four weeks is subject to deletion.

Accounts must be registered, monitored and maintained to stay active.

Social Media Registration Form

Goal Setting

  • Use SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
  • List three goals per account.
  • Define what success looks like.
  • Ask: Can you post consistently and at a high level of quality? If not, consider alternative ways to share content like partnering with existing accounts or newsletters.

Choose Your Platform

Each platform has different audiences and different content that performs best, so be strategic in where you post.

Platform Audience Best For
Facebook Alumni, parents, faculty/staff, local community High-quality content, university news or information, success stories, cross-generational engagement
Instagram Prospective and current students, young alumni Short-form video, high-quality graphics or photos, student and campus life
X (Twitter) Alumni, faculty/staff, media, students Real-time updates, news, research highlights, pride points, event coverage
LinkedIn Alumni, faculty/staff, industry partners Professional achievements, research impact, career outcomes, networking, departmental updates
YouTube General public Long-form video for search engine optimization

Post with a Purpose

  • Post at least weekly with intentional content.
  • Follow MSU brand voice and design standards.
  • Submit all AI-generated media to The Hub before posting.
  • Reflect good taste: respectful language, no polarizing or inappropriate content.
  • Use platform-specific content — avoid duplicating the same post across platforms.

 

Defining High-Quality Content

High-Quality Attributes Low-Quality Attributes
Well-composed photos or graphics (avoid blurry or overly filtered images) Low-res images or screenshots
Text overlays are legible, not overcrowded, and properly branded Generic Canva templates
Video and audio are clear and edited for clarity, pacing and audience engagement Inconsistent tone (too casual, sarcastic or off-topic)
Aspect ratio and pixels are optimized for the platform Posts with typos, broken links, QR codes or unapproved AI-generated assets
Captions are concise, platform-appropriate and free of spelling or grammatical errors Captions with overly long, unspaced text
Content aligns with MSU brand voice and reflects the university's values and priorities Content that reflects poorly on the university or sacrifices credibility for a trend

Monitoring and Moderation

  • Monitor comments and respond promptly.
  • Delete offensive, profane or threatening content immediately.
  • Do not engage in arguments or share negative posts — even to correct them.
  • Block repeat offenders if needed.

Media Interactions

  • If contacted by media due to social content, immediately alert OPA.
  • Media outreach can boost MSU visibility, but please handle these interactions professionally.
  • OPA will help craft responses that reflect MSU's voice as needed.

FAQs

What should I do on social media during a PR crisis?

Check your scheduled content. Pause anything that could be viewed as related or insensitive. Social listen and report anything concerning to OPA. Defer to OPA for approved public-facing language.

How do I know what can be shared publicly?

Partner with OPA if you have questions or concerns.

What if I want to build my engagement through paid social advertising?

Connect with OPA to discuss budget, objectives and potential impact.

The Bottom Line

OPA reserves the right to limit official, authorized university accounts to maintain the integrity of the MSU brand.

Need help?

Thomas Broadus, Chief Marketing Officer

Office of Public Affairs

662.325.8170 | tbroadus@opa.msstate.edu