With the fall semester in full swing, it’s the perfect time to promote Missouri State’s environment and culture on your blog. Going maroon can mean participating in extracurricular events, sharing academic achievements, celebrating Missouri State’s public affairs mission or enjoying our beautiful campus.
5 ways your blog can Go Maroon
- Family weekend is Sept. 12 – Sept. 14. Does your program or unit have a unique resource or tradition you’d like students to share with their families? Use your blog to let them know about it.
- Public Affairs Week is Sept. 15 – Sept. 19, and it features an exciting schedule of events — all developed by and for students. Are any of your students involved? Consider soliciting a guest blog post from one, and take advantage of the Public Affairs Week social media kit to help promote this event.
- Showcase is Sept. 27. Prospective students will be on campus, and there’s a good chance that they will follow up by checking out your blog. It’s a great time to highlight students, faculty, alumni or opportunities that make your program stand out.
- This year’s Common Reader is The Heart and the Fist. Consider gathering a few reactions from students, faculty and staff who are reading it; share their quotes on your blog.
- Exciting updates have been completed on facilities throughout campus — from Plaster Student Union to Glass Hall and many other locations. Has your program or unit benefited from one of these improvements? Post about it on your blog; be sure to share photos!
4 points of pride
- The Football Bears get their first kick-off in the renovated Plaster Stadium this Saturday. This video will bring you up to speed on how to support them.
- The new Center for Community Engagement, which will advance the University’s involvement in local, statewide and regional efforts, kicks off with the Conference on Civic Engagement, Sept. 17.
- Bear Country at the Dickerson Park Zoo — now sponsored by the Missouri State Foundation, Alumni Association and Student Government Association — will be dedicated on Sept. 27.
- Green Revolution, a Smithsonian traveling “eco-zibit” currently at the Discovery Center, is co-sponsored by MSU’s College of Natural and Applied Sciences. This hands-on learning experience focuses on waste, gardening and green engineering and runs from Sept. 9 – Jan. 4. Members of the Missouri State community will enjoy a free day on Oct. 1.
3 resources to help you Go Maroon
- The hashtag for Missouri State spirit is #GoMaroon. Use it to join spirit-related conversations on social media.
- Go Maroon-branded materials are available to download, including digital wallpaper, PowerPoint templates and more.
- Missouri State videos are available for you to use on your blog. Follow the Web and new media blog for roundups of the latest videos.
2 free training opportunities
- Social Media 101 on Sept. 30 – Learn about the most popular social media platforms. Get demographic information and content considerations along with some best practice tips for all platforms. If you’re considering how to dive in to social media or wondering if you should add another platform to your communication strategy, you’ll enjoy this introductory-level information session.
- Short and Snappy: Writing for the Digital World on Oct. 28 – Uncover users’ expectations for your website, blog and social media and get tips for communicating throughout the Web. This interactive workshop focuses on strategies for creating and distributing content and will help you take your online communications to the next level.
1 to watch: Missouri State Family Association
Research indicates that many of today’s students are very close to their parents, and the separation that can accompany college may prove challenging. The Missouri State Family Association helps families stay connected to their students. Its active blog and social media not only keep families updated, they provide new conversation topics for parents who’ve already exhausted, “How’re classes going?”
Like what the Family Association is doing? Remember that families might be following your blog as well, hoping for an inside look at the student experience. Reward that interest with frequent updates, and use your blog to celebrate student victories of all sizes.
Latest technical tips
Amp up your communication strategy by following blogging how-to tips like the ones below:
- How-to: Build an editorial calendar
- How-to: Schedule a blog post
- How-to: Share your blog on Facebook and Twitter
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