Trevecca Brand Manual

Tone

Tone should vary slightly by audience and medium. Generally, Trevecca’s tone is friendly and welcoming. Our tone is conversational, but more formal when needed. It should never feel stuffy, overly academic, institutional or pretentious.

Sub-Messaging

• For prospective students and families, Trevecca is the university that will guide students to discover and nurture their God-given callings because Trevecca is dedicated to helping students achieve their potential and adequately prepare for the future.
• For faculty, administrators and staff, Trevecca is the university that mentors and pours into the lives of students because we are dedicated to being champions, collaborators, guides and teachers.
• For alumni, Trevecca is the university that feels like home, providing a sense of pride and a network of friendly connections because of shared foundation, focus and ideals.
• For Nashvillians, Trevecca is the university that helps people discern their callings, finish degrees and make a difference because Trevecca is committed to bettering our students, community, city and world.
• For fans, Trevecca is the University that delivers a tradition of winning the “right way” and a family-friendly experience because Trevecca is an inclusive university with strong student-athlete support and a welcoming game day atmosphere.

Unified presence

It is important that the University has a unified presence on Facebook and all other social networks. To maintain a consistent tone of voice and brand identify, avoid splitting our community and avoid duplicate content, our strategy aims to keep the number of University-official social media accounts to a minimum.

Creating new accounts

On occasion, it may be appropriate to create a new Facebook page or group for a specific and well-defined audience with a specific, well-defined aim. Before creating a new social media presence, you’ll need to consider and ensure you have sufficient time and resources to support a new page. Before proceeding, please contact the Office of Marketing to explore the best path forward and for setup assistance if a new presence is agreed upon. A three-month content plan will be required in all instances.

Maintaining accounts and standards

Poorly maintained social media accounts can be damaging to the Trevecca brand.

University-official accounts must meet the following performance standards:

• A minimum of one post a week or four posts a month
• If direct/private messages are activated, response time must be no longer than four hours (excluding weekends and holidays).

In addition to the following brand standards:

• Using the Trevecca voice and maintaining brand consistency in all posts and responses (as determined by the Office of Marketing)
• Posting content relevant to the page’s area of interest
• Posting content appropriate for the specified target audience
• Posting content that complies with Trevecca’s mission and values

If an account fails to meet these standards, the account will be put on “improvement probation” for one month. If no improvement is seen, the account will be shut down.

Removing accounts

To align our objective of a unified presence on social media, it will be necessary to evaluate and remove accounts in some cases.

If an account is created without complying with the account creation policy, in most cases, it will be removed.

Marketing access to all University platforms

It’s imperative that Trevecca’s Office of Marketing has shared access/logins to all Trevecca social media profiles, to ensure assistance can be readily given in crisis situations and avoid situations where an official account is not able to be accessed after a staff member leaves the university.

Facebook groups

Facebook groups are an excellent way to create community among a small group of people. They serve as an excellent alternative to Facebook pages and often accomplish the goals that users are seeking even better than a page can. Facebook groups are an excellent solution for disseminating information, creating a space for discussion, planning and promoting events, connecting people who don’t know each otherwise and so on. While pages can be limited by algorithms that inhibit content visibility and engagement, groups create a level playing field for people looking for tailored info.

At Trevecca, Facebook groups can be used for:

• Departments/schools
• Residence halls
• Incoming freshmen classes
• Club, organizations, etc.

The university’s policy for university-official accounts also applies to Facebook groups.

Hashtags

To represent the different and unique aspects of Trevecca, the below hashtags have been created for use and promotion to users on University-official accounts. Trevecca-related hashtags that are not included on this list should not be used on University-official accounts. If you see a need to create a new hashtag, please contact the Office of Marketing. To validate a new hashtag, a plan for consistent content is required.

• #ExperienceTrevecca
• #ExperienceNashville 
• #IChooseTrevecca
• #HumansofTrevecca
• #TreveccaStories
• #LeadersSince1901
• #TNUChapel
• #TNUClassof___ (for graduation content in the spring)
• #HometotheHill___ (for Homecoming with last two digits of year added)

No-delete comment policy

Online etiquette and the Trevecca social media policy dictate that we allow both negative and positive comments about Trevecca on social. In general, criticism should not be deleted. Often, negative comments that are emotional and unconstructive in nature should be left alone. Complaints that are specific regarding an issue you can help with should be responded to promptly with a kind, customer-first attitude. In all cases, avoid being defensive. If the comment is defamatory of the university or individuals within the university or you are not sure how to respond, contact the Office of Marketing. Only profane, explicit or potentially defamatory comments should be deleted. Contact the Office of Marketing for advisement if these comments arise.

Negative and controversial content

You must report any and all potential crisis situations. If you are made aware of content online that could result in trouble for the University, act quickly and notify the Communications Director, Brian Bennett, in the Office of Marketing and Communications with concerns: 615-248-1695 or bwbennett2@trevecca.edu. Also, if you become aware of a situation that has not been referenced by anyone online, but likely will, follow the same protocol.

Do not respond or engage yourself unless you have been approved by the Office of Marketing and Communications to do so.

Requirements for employees outside of the Office of Marketing with permission to manage University-official pages

1. Voice. Assume the tone and voice of the Trevecca brand.
2. Content. Post good news and positive content. Avoid posting about and getting involved in sensitive and/or controversial topics (ex- ministry to sensitive people groups, criticism of Trevecca, theological debates, anything to do with a legal issue or other sensitive internal matter, anything that could be perceived as discriminatory). For any questions about whether or not particular content is appropriate for your page, please contact the Office of Marketing.
3. Engagement. As a representation of Trevecca Nazarene University, page managers are expected to respond promptly and in Trevecca’s voice to all direct or private messages and to any comments or replies that ask questions or warrant a response. However, page managers should also recognize when not to respond. If a comment is an obvious, malicious attack having nothing to do with the conversation, it may not warrant a response.

Policy for posting on your own personal accounts/profiles

This section is intended to give Trevecca employees encouragement to use social media professionally and personally and to provide policies for eliminating any confusion concerning its use. In general, what you do on your own time is a personal decision. However, activities in or outside of work that affect your job performance, the performance of others or Trevecca’s business interests are a proper focus for Trevecca policy.

1. You must reflect the character of Trevecca Nazarene University. As a Trevecca employee, positions and statements you make on social media can sometimes be construed as reflecting or advocating for the University’s official position. Your conduct and speech online should always reflect University values, but you are free to express your own opinions. Should your position or statement oppose that of the University, you should consider using a disclaimer statement that makes clear the views are your own, not Trevecca’s.
2. Be mindful of how Trevecca’s other policies apply online. Ensure that your social networking conduct is consistent with all other policies contained in Trevecca’s Policies and Procedures Manual, Faculty and Human Resources Handbook (including the Confidentiality and Disclosure policy and Sexual Harassment policy), and Information Technology Acceptable Use Policies. You must also ensure your social networking conduct complies with FERPA policies. Failure to comply with any of the aforementioned policies could result in consequences including termination of employment.
3. Do not misuse the Trevecca brand. Do not use Trevecca’s logo, unless specifically authorized to do so by the Office of Marketing and Communications. Rules and guidelines for acceptable use of the Trevecca brand can be found in the University’s Brand Manual Guidelines.
4. Discern whether information is public or private. Be mindful of information that is “for internal use only.” University intelligence that has been deemed for internal use only is absolutely not meant to be forwarded to anyone who is not employed by Trevecca. No exceptions. Messages from our president, deans, directors, managers or other University-authority to other employees are not meant for the media or any public organization or individual.
5. You must defer to public relations officials for handling official University information and commentary. Do not comment on Trevecca-related legal matters unless you are an official spokesperson and have been approved by the Office of Marketing and Communications to do so. In addition, talking online about non-public student enrollment data, future University changes, unannounced financial results or similar matters is not allowed. Trevecca’s marketing team oversees the release of all official University news and information to public audiences. Be sure any content you share online is okay to share with the public. Breaking news must always be shared first by Trevecca’s marketing staff on official University accounts; do not release Trevecca-related news or information before the University has officially done so.
6. You must respect your audience. Do not use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity or engage in any conduct that would not be acceptable on Trevecca’s campus. Show proper consideration for others’ privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory.
7. You must follow the proper procedure for press inquiries. Any press inquiries received via professional or personal social media sites regarding the University must be immediately referred to Brian Bennett, communications director.
8. You must always report a potential crisis situation. If you are made aware of content online that could result in trouble for the University, act quickly and notify the Communications Director, Brian Bennett, in the Office of Marketing and Communications with concerns. Also, if you become aware of a situation that has not been referenced by anyone online, but likely will, follow the same protocol.
9. Share content with integrity. Trevecca expects you to write knowledgeably, accurately and professionally. Respect differences and appreciate the diversity of opinions.

Utilizing your personal social media to promote the University

People like you sharing Trevecca content on social media is one of the most effective ways of growing the online reach of Trevecca and its brand. University employees are encouraged to share, retweet and repost Trevecca content on their personal social media accounts—news stories, videos, tweets and photos alike. Linking to a relevant trevecca.edu webpage further increases the online presence of Trevecca. Be sure to tag or mention Trevecca, too.

Recommended practices for interacting with students on social media

The following recommendations apply specifically to employee-to-student interactions in a social media environment.

1. Avoid initiating “friend” or “follow” requests with Trevecca students on social media. However, Trevecca employees and faculty may wish to accept “friend” or “follow” requests initiated by students. Note: Employees and faculty are not obligated to accept “friend” or “follow” requests and are encouraged to determine a personal policy to either accept all requests from students or none. Avoid being selective and portraying favoritism by accepting requests from certain students but denying requests from others.
2. Employees should interact with students online with the same professionalism and appropriateness they would adhere to on campus.
3. Avoid using social media platforms to communicate with students about courses or assignments. If a student initiates these types of conversations online, let them know you’ll email them using your University email account or set up a time to talk during office hours.
4. If you’re uncomfortable with a student’s behavior, interaction or content on social media, discuss it with your immediate supervisor. If a student expresses on social media the desire or intent to harm his/her self or others, document and report what you’ve seen to your supervisor immediately.