Social Media by Design

Social media has become a critical marketing expectation for any organization in recent years. “More social media” is actually written into the Lory Student Center’s strategic plan, and the building has nearly 40 different accounts under its umbrella. The day-to-day reality of managing multiple Instagram accounts is sophisticated. Understanding why a social media channel resonates with a specific audience takes care and intent. I lead content strategy across three major accounts: @csulsc, @csu_bookstore, and @RamEvents. These platforms each support different LSC business goals: increase traffic, raise sustainable revenue, and build a sense of belonging to a community for students.

@CSULSC

Our goal with the LSC's primary Instagram channel is to attract more visitors to this campus landmark.

We do this with a blend of photos and reels which highlight key partner events and services, plus content representing the variety of activities available to the community in this massive 380,000-square-foot space. With over 11,000 events scheduled in the building and on the outdoor plaza annually, there is always something happening, and it can be a challenge to determine what to prioritize. Through monthly team meetings to review content and statistics, we are constantly trying new things and tweaking our approach to resonate with a broad community.

In January 2026, @csulsc hit 4,000 followers, up from just over 2,600 in December 2022. That’s about 14% growth per year, well above the 5–10% typical for higher education accounts.

This consistent growth wouldn’t be possible without the team:

• Jill Jones, who managed daily content

• Ryan Haynes, who led building-wide campaigns like the bi-annual “Heart of Campus” initiative

• Student social media coordinators Sydnie, Hannah, and Caleigh, who kept content fresh, relevant, and student-centered
  

My role with this account is to lead strategy, give final approval of posts, and take original photos when I see an opportunity or a need. In this complex environment, we've found that the simple, spontaneous photo posts often get the most attention.

@CSU_Bookstore

A key performance indicator for the CSU Bookstore is to raise revenue. Positioning this channel thoughtfully supports that goal while also engaging with the community.

My early CSU Bookstore social media strategy focused on product sales, with basic branded graphics built around vendor product shots that linked to the website. I quickly realized this approach wasn’t working. Attempting to drive online sales had unexpected tax implications, and the content itself could be more engaging.

Using lessons learned from this pilot, during the 2024-2025 academic year, I shifted the strategy to center student support, alumni nostalgia, and in-store highlights, conveyed through original photography and captions. I used our Loomly platform to set up CSU Bookstore staff for direct post review and approval.

Now in our third year of managing this account, we added another nuance, as the CSU Bookstore merged with the on-campus computer store. Bringing in a big brand like Apple has been a careful balancing act, maintaining the local flavor of the store while partnering with an international brand. This has also been an opportunity to collaborate with Rocky Mountain Student Media to coordinate boosted social posts as part of Apple's cross-promotion with its vendors.

Candice Peters currently leads execution for this account, including scheduling, capturing photography, writing captions, and finessing the Apple promotions. She has leveraged cross-campus collaboration with other accounts, especially the Alumni Association and Athletics, to raise the profile of the channel.

Overall results of the channel have been encouraging. Since Fall 2023, @csu_bookstore followers have grown by 48.7%, roughly 18% per year.

@RamEvents

My team also supports @RamEvents, a channel managed by Campus Activities, which promotes opportunities for students to become involved in events for specific segments of the community. Collateral developed by LSC Marketing represents roughly 60% of the content on this channel,

Campus Activities is uniquely positioned to execute student-led events and programs by working through liaisons with multiple offices, including CSU's Cultural Resource Centers (CRCs). LSC Marketing's student graphic designers collaborate with students and staff from these teams to plan print and digital campaigns for nearly 60 student-run programs each year.

During 2026, I designed a template structure for collateral across CRC offices to ensure content was meeting federal guidance on on inclusive language. I also conduct a final review for text and color accessibility and brand compliance across campaign collateral before final files are provided to the partners. With the variety of themes and illustration styles, the @RamEvents content is a fresh contrast to the more uniform corporate communications typical in the university environment.

Conclusion

"More social media” is just more - unless there are clearly defined outcomes. Each account has cultivated an intentional personality, while also contributing to the LSC’s business goals of increasing traffic, building sustainable revenue, and engaging students. My focus across these channels has been to support the LSC's social media strategy with authentic, aligned content unique to each platform.

Thanks to everyone following along. We literally couldn’t do this without you.

Follow @csulsc here: https://lnkd.in/e7Y8PehY