Social Media Profile Guidelines

UB social media accounts that abide by these guidelines and are in good standing will:

1. Be part of University Communication’s social media governance team consisting of the unit’s social media lead, a designated social media account owner and manager, which collectively provides:
   • Social media tips and best practices.
   • Issues management guidance.
   • Content opportunities.
   • Updates on UB guidelines.
2. Be eligible to have their content shared and amplified by UB’s institutional social media accounts.
3. Be eligible for additional content collaboration opportunities as they arise.

Please work with your unit’s senior communicator and/or social media manager to determine the best profile image for your channel.

The stand-alone interlocking UB is strictly reserved for the main university accounts managed by University Communications.

Units with brand extension lockups may use either a photograph to depict their channel’s purpose or the white stacked master brand mark on a blue background.

Units with a sub-brand lockup may also use a photograph or the blue stacked master brand mark on a white background.

• Select an iconic UB photo to represent your page from the curated image gallery below.
• If you do not wish to use an option from the gallery, you may choose an image of a brand mark, iconic UB landmark or idea/concept that depicts the purpose or function of the account by exploring options below.
  
• When choosing an image that is not from the curated gallery, make sure that the image is simple with minimal detail so that it reads well on a mobile device. Please work with your senior communicator and/or unit’s social media manager to identify an appropriate image that is sized correctly.
  
  Example: Solar Strand representing UB Sustainability

• Profile images cannot be a new graphic that combines an entity’s name with the university’s name or any official trademarks.
• Social media managers and/or senior communicators should monitor usage of their unit’s profile image selection.
  

Please note: This gallery will be updated periodically.

• Use the full “University at Buffalo” name as space allows. Including the full name in the profile name distinguishes the account from other colleges/universities that also have UB as initials. It also helps when users are searching for official UB accounts.
  
• Avoid acronyms for entities whenever possible. While you may be familiar with what these acronyms stand for, new audiences may not be. When a channel’s character limitations prevent using the full department or unit name as well as the full university name, abbreviate as necessary. In this case, UBuffalo is an acceptable abbreviation for the university name in social media only.
• To save characters, do not use “School of” or “Department of.”
• The university name can appear before or after the entity name.
• Use a | (pipe) or - (dash) to separate the university from the entity name when the entity name is presented first (character use depends on channel). Doing so provides clear separation between UB accounts when searching within a channel.
  
• Reference the school or division name that the entity is part of in the bio or about section.
• Using full names improves SEO through Google as well as the social network’s native search function.

Please note: Whether you can use a pipe or dash is channel dependent.

• TikTok, YouTube and Facebook: dash
• TikTok, X and Instagram: pipe
• LinkedIn: depends on page type

• Acronyms and abbreviations are acceptable but should always be clear.
  
• Always include UB or UBuffalo. Examples: @UBSchoolofMgt @UBdeptART @UBstudentexp
• If your username/handle contains multiple words, make sure it is easily scannable and cannot be misinterpreted with unintentional double meanings.

• Reflect the full university name in the first sentence of the account’s about section or bio if unable to include in the profile name to accurately identify the account as being part of the university.
  
• #UBuffalo can be used here but not to replace the full name.

• Demonstrate uniqueness of account through photograph(s) or type.
• Do not pair university trademarks with the unit’s identity, phrases or graphics to create a new mark.
• Always follow identity and brand standards as outlined on the brand site.

If your account represents a service at UB rather than a specific unit or department, or you share a social media account with other UB departments or units, use your profile name, username and bio to reflect the purpose of your account instead of listing departmental names. Shared accounts or service-related accounts should follow the brand extension profile image guidelines, as detailed above.