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Social Media Best Practices

General Usage

Social media is a tool for information and idea sharing, and community building on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.

Each social media platform can have differing goals, target audiences, cultures and messaging approaches. They also have different written and unwritten codes of conduct. It is essential that your content is being shared through the right channel, in the right format, and to the right audience.

Creating Social Media Accounts

If you are creating net new accounts, you must notify the University Relations team (tmubrand@torontomu.ca) and provide the account name and contact information for all account administrators.

Before creating a social media presence for your office or department, please consider the following questions:

If yes, identify who your audience will be. This will help determine which social media platform(s) you should be using. The platforms used by the university at large are: LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X/Twitter.

Understanding the type of content will help inform which social media platform(s) it is best suited for, or if another method of distribution (such as e-newsletter or campus screen) would be more favorable.

Consider the intended target audience, timeliness, and relevance of your content to see if it would make sense to be distributed through an existing account that shares similar or complementary content. If there is an existing account, consider collaborating with their team to share your content rather than both channels occupying the same space.

At a minimum, you should have enough content to post at least once per week on an ongoing basis.

The handle associated with the new proposed University account must reflect the naming conventions of the University for accounts of that type to avoid confusion and to optimize discoverability.

The University’s central accounts have adopted the handle @torontomet. Functional Units should adopt the following alternatives: @nametmu and @tmuname. Should these not be available @nametorontomet or @torontometname can be selected. For more information please review TMU’s social media guidelines (external link) .

Creating Content

Consider your goals, objectives, target audience and resources to create a new social media account. It’s not necessary to have a presence on all social media platforms if it’s not serving your purpose or adding value to your story.

Note: There are several other social media platforms available to use, however these are the platforms used by the university at large.

Instagram

Highly visual platform. Good for creative profiles that have access to strong visuals. Perfect for art/media related accounts

Best Use

Images that tell a story, engaging video (IG Reels), time sensitive content (IG Stories), simple graphics/event notices

Target Audience

Students, alumni, faculty/staff, community at large

Recommended Specs

Content Type

Optimal Length

Aspect Ratio

Resolution

Frame Rate
Feed (portrait) n/a 4:5 1080 x 1350px n/a
Feed (square) n/a 1:1 1080 x 1080px n/a
Feed (carousel) 20 images max. 4:5 and 1:1 1080 x 1350px or 1080 x 1080px n/a
Reels 15-45 seconds 9:16 1080 x 1920px 30 fps.
Stories 3-5 frames 9:16 1080 x 1920px n/a

LinkedIn

Professional environment that has a very specific audience and is great for specific goals (e.g., recruitment), but not ideal for a general social presence

Best Use

Links to articles, photo galleries, reputational content (big research, awards, etc.), job recruitment

Target Audience

Alumni, faculty/staff, external stakeholders

Recommended Specs

Content Type

Optimal Length

Aspect Ratio

Resolution

Frame Rate
Text 3000 characters n/a n/a n/a
Photo 9 images max. 1.91:1 1200 x 627px n/a
Video 30-90 seconds 1:2.4 4096 x 2304px max. 10-60 fps

TikTok

Video-based platform with a strong focus on entertainment, trending content and the use of popular sounds

Best Use

Short form video, trends, student facing content

Target Audience

Current and prospective students, recent alumni

Recommended Specs

Content Type

Optimal Length

Aspect Ratio

Resolution

Frame Rate
Video 10-35 seconds 9:16 1080 x 1920px 30-60 fps
Photo (carousel) 35 iamges max. 9:16 1080 x 1920px n/a

X/Twitter

Used to communicate with the audience directly and immediately

Best Use

Short announcements and updates, links to articles, time sensitive pieces

Target Audience

Faculty/staff, academic community

Recommended Specs

Content Type

Optimal Length

Aspect Ratio

Resolution

Frame Rate
Text 280 characters max. n/a n/a n/a
Photos 4 images max. 9:16 1500 x 500px n/a
Video (landscape) 20-45 seconds 1:2.39 - 2.39:1 1280 x 720px 40 fps max.
Video (portrait) 20-45 seconds 1:2.39 - 2.39:1 720 x 1280px 40 fps max.

Facebook

Allows longer-form content, but is less immediate than other channels. Good for strong visuals and engaging posts

Best Use

Longer form text-based content, links to articles, photo galleries

Target Audience

Diverse audience - primarily alumni, faculty/staff

Recommended Specs

Content Type

Optimal Length

Aspect Ratio

Resolution

Frame Rate
Photo n/a 1.91:1 1200 x 630 pix n/a
Video 30-90 seconds 16:9 1280 x 720 px 30 fps.
Stories 3-5 frames 9:16 1080 x 1920 pixels n/a

Applicable Policies

There are numerous University policies and guidance that address individual conduct and internet usage. Read and understand these policies and guidance documents before creating a University social media account or posting on University social media.  

Below is a list of relevant policies and guidance documents:

Go to the University policies website to see the complete list of university policies.