DIGITAL AND ARTWORK
Please complete your induction tasks before continuing.
Learn how to manage your social media pages, order artwork and physical signage during your time as a Guild representative.
Submitting Requests
You will be responsible for making your own social media content and graphics except for larger scale events and campaigns where the Student Engagement team will create these for you.
The team is often working on several large projects at once so you need to submit your request:
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Four weeks prior for major events or initiatives, year round campaigns or one off projects
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Two weeks prior for small projects
If you are working with the Student Experience team on an event, they will submit a request on your behalf.
Social Media - Equity Departments
Equity Departments have a Facebook Page, Instagram page and some have Facebook groups as well.
Social media is one of the best ways to interact with students and keep them updated about your events and campaigns.
Social Media Handles:
International Students Committee: @curtinguild.isc
Postgraduate Student Committee: @curtinguild.psc
Accessibility Department: @curtinguild.accessibility
First Nations Department: @curtinguild.firstnations
Women’s Department: @curtinguild.women
Queer Department: @curtinguild.queer
Social Media - Faculty Departments
Faculty Representatives have their own Faculty Facebook group.
These groups are used for informal discussions between students and their faculty representatives.
See below for each Facebook Faculty group:
Faculty of Science and Engineering - Curtin Student Guild
Faculty of Humanities - Curtin Student Guild
Faculty of Health Sciences - Curtin Student Guild
Faculty of Business and Law - Curtin Student Guild
Planning Content
Students won't know what you're up to unless you tell them!
We recommend posting ONCE WEEKLY at the very least
Posting consistently online is the best way to share information about upcoming events, meetings, activities and campaigns. We recommend posting weekly to keep students updated!
Planning Weekly Content
How to plan content? Everyone is different and it's completely up to you!
You can write it down in a calendar, track it in a Google Doc or use free online management systems like Trello.
Structure your content how you wish! But keep important dates in mind when planning. For instance, you wouldn’t post about study tips after exams have finished.
Think of everything you wish you knew about your department when you first started studying. How can you provide value to students?
Creating Content
You are responsible for sourcing content (photos, videos etc.) for your social media posts and events except for larger scale events that require the Guild's event team.
Photos & Videos
Take as many photos and videos relevant to your faculty or department as possible.
Students love to see the real humans working behind the scenes!
EXAMPLES:
- A group photo from an event
- Introduce your reps with a fun fact – “This is Sam, he is your X Rep and enjoys the bao from Main Café!”
- A feel-good story from your department – eg. “Single mum, Claire, just passed her final exams for Sem 2! Congrats from the women’s department.”
- A group photo of your committee at a meeting
- Share an article or influencer post that students within your department will find interesting (fact check first)
- Use royalty-free stock photos if you don't have your own!
Requesting Artwork
For larger scale events, you will need to request artwork and graphics to be made, ordered and delivered. Examples are large format posters, custom event artwork, stickers, badges, business cards, flyers, etc.
Look up ideas on Pinterest, Google Image search or Instagram. We'll work to provide you with the best support possible.
Read more about submitting requests to the Student Engagement team.
Posting / Scheduling Content
Scheduling content ahead of time can be a great way to make sure that you're still updating students even when the semester gets busy with assignments.
Posting
When making any post, story or event – remember to:
- Tag @curtinguild and #curtinguild (so we can share your content!)
- Make the Curtin Student Guild Facebook page a co-host on all your events
Scheduling
Meta Business Suite allows you to set a time and date for a post to be published, so you can plan ahead and have more time to focus on the more important things!
Meta Business Suits is available for Facebook and Instagram pages (Equity Departments), not for Facebook groups (Faculty Representatives).
Tutorials & Downloads
Understanding Students and the Semester
Look at the calendar for the semester and think about what is going to bring value to the students!
When planning and posting your content, it's important to consider where the students are mentally during semester and what they might be interested in.
FOR EXAMPLE: Students don’t care about exam tips during Week One and they’re probably less likely to want to join an activity to make friends during exams.
Tips & Tricks
When should I schedule posts?
You can check the insights of your page to see when your audience is most active.
Generally we find more activity in the evening so play around with scheduling your posts then to see what gets more engagement.
How long should my posts be?
Short and sweet! Think about your own social media habits. Students are scrolling quickly through their feeds so make sure the first few lines really grab the readers attention!
If you're linking to an article or external content. Quickly summarise what it's about for those who won't click the link to read more.
What kind of posts are okay for me to post?
Adhere to the social media policy! Goes without saying – please have a read of the social media policy and ensure that you are adhering to the Guild’s standard of conduct online.
Write as if you're just talking to a friend but no profanity or offensive material. Memes are fine as long as they are relevant to students and not offensive.
If you're unsure, be on the side of caution and don't post it.
What can I do as an editor of my Equity Department page?
An editor of the page can:
- Create, edit and delete posts
- Comment as the page
- Go ‘live’ on the Facebook page
- Respond to messages the page receives
- View the page insights (all the data relating to likes, reach, etc.)
- Remove and ban people from the page.
How do I showcase my department?
Put a face to your department and let them know who you are. Make students understand that you are students as well and here to help and represent them!
Community
Creating an online community is more than just likes and shares. You're here to respresent and support the students.
How to get people to engage and build genuine connections?
It's important to engage with students at the start of the semester so that they know you're there!
Think about your community and what would provide value to them.
Reps are encouraged to engage in conversation, ask question for students to respond to and be an obvious point of contact for those who have concerns or are experiencing issues in their faculty.
- Sharing consistent content, links and memes that are relevant to your community is a good way to build and engaging platform and build genuine connections with students.
- Encourage your friends in the community to share posts, like and comment to get the ball rolling!
- Post about general uni experiences e.g. 'Who else is saving assignments, Final 1, Final 2, Final Final copy!'
- Share content or articles from pages relevant to your community
Reply to Messages Promptly
No one likes getting “seen-ed”. If someone messages your page, try your best to get back to them ASAP.
How do I make it interesting and relatable?
Students on social media like seeing familiar things – their friends, their campus, other students. Remember who your audience is and create content that is going to engage them. Make it funny, make it relevant and use language that will resonate with them.
Discord
Discord servers have been established for some Faculty and Equity Departments.
These are self managed by the representatives.
When to include Student Experience in a Discord event / activity?
- If you are running an already established event (e.g. Friend Speed Dating)
- If there are various stakeholders involved (e.g. Clubs, Curtin departments, external third parties)
- If your event has any costs involved (e.g. prizes, software expenses etc.)
- If you would like assistance planning / running / hosting / moderating an event
We essentially want to have a broad understanding of what's happening, even if it is just to see how things operate. We are a resource and always here to help, so don't hesitate to run anything by us as we may have some helpful advice or suggestions to enhance your event.