Signposting your page

You’ve got a fantastic looking page, you’ve got a private group people can join, you’ve got events you’re advertising…but how do we point people towards it?

How are they going to find it? Here are some ways you can be sign-posting people towards your Facebook page.

• Use Instagram - Instagram is the platform of choice for most people coming up to university, so it’s important this is also up to a good standard and you can use it to point towards your Facebook page. Check out how Edinburgh CU used Instagram to promote their online events here. We've also got help to use Instagram effectively.
• Use other social media platforms – To reach even further you may want to consider using other social media platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, and WeChat. Check out this resource on using other social media.
• Create your own shareable videos - shareable videos always get the widest reach, so we recommend you get creative and start making and sharing videos that promote your CU and welcome new students. Need some help? Look at our best tips on how to create effective welcome videos.
• Create a shareable invitation – We’re used to doing this for our Carol Services and Events Weeks. Create a post/graphic that every current CU member can post on their personal social media account.
• Link all your platforms to your Facebook page - Ensure each of your CUs social media accounts has clear links to your Facebook page, use LinkTree or Unfold or something similar to have lots of links within one link in your bio.
• Tags and Hashtags - Make sure you tag your university and SU in your posts so they can see your posts and potentially repost them. It will also make your posts appear higher up the results when people search for their Uni or the SU. Use of appropriate hashtags has the same effect, but don’t overload posts with these. Your SU or university might have a hashtag it uses all the time like a slogan (e.g. University of Hertfordshire uses #GoHerts, Brunel University uses #IAmBrunel).
• Be consistent - Use the same handles/usernames across all of your social media platforms and make it easier to find your CU wherever you’re posting.

Stay on Message

In order to help new students link up with your CU you need to keep a laser-like focus in your social media otherwise the message will get lost in the noise of other posts.

We suggest you:

• Keep it Simple
• Keep it Clear
• Repeat it Often
• Make it Reproducible so others in the CU can share (encourage members to like and share posts from the CU page so that the posts get more traction and are seen by more people)

Watch your Language!

The language that you use in your posts has a huge impact on how people respond to your page. Without realising, we alienate whole groups of people just by using language that comes naturally to us.

Let’s have a quick look at some DOs when it comes to our language:

• Use vocab that everyone can understand. Avoid Christian jargon that can only be understood by those from a Christian background or aren’t familiar with the CU (e.g. “Lunchbar”, “Follow-Up”, “Mission Week”)
• Speak sensitively about those who aren’t Christians. Remember this is a public forum and your posts will be seen by people of all beliefs. Don’t speak dismissively or insensitively about the very people you’re ultimately trying to reach (e.g. “who is not a Christian” is friendlier description than the “non-Christian” label).

Examples of good practice:

Whoever you are, whether you’re from a religious background or not, everyone is welcome in this community where we explore who Jesus is together.

Here is a great example of Southampton CU giving a warm welcome through inclusive and sensitive language.

Now some DON’Ts:

• Don’t only address topics that are relevant for some people. If all you ever post about is how important it is to do evangelism, you’ll likely only appeal to enthusiastic Christians while alienating seekers or more timid Christians.
• Don’t over-complicate or over-load with complex information. We want our communication to be clear. Bear in mind international students who don’t speak English as a first language or may have different cultural understandings.

Example of good practice:

We believe Jesus has something to say about all of our lives. We believe He can make our life richer and deeper than we could ever imagine. Maybe you agree with that, maybe you don’t. Whoever you are, we’d love for you to spend time with us this year and explore more about who Jesus is.