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Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Social Media for Greek Life

Published on November 7, 2017, at 7:04 p.m.
by Parker Rocco.

Recently, university Greek life has been a hot topic in the news.

The problem
In the past year alone, there have been several allegations of hazing, sexual assault and underage drinking at large universities. Some of the biggest controversies have stemmed from prominent universities like Penn State and LSU. These occurrences have been tragedies for families and universities alike.

Photo by David Adams

Unfortunately, all fraternities and sororities have been cast in a negative light because of these recent news stories. While there are many aspects of Greek life that can be improved, the vast majority of Greek organizations have had a lasting, positive impact on their university campuses and the greater community in which they reside. For example, Delta Delta Delta has had a partnership with St. Jude Children’s Hospital since 1999. Tri Delta has committed to raise $60 million for St. Jude over the next 10 years.

The solution
How can Greek organizations ensure that their impressive academic and philanthropic accomplishments reach news outlets? The answer: positive public relations.

Photo by Sebastiaan ter Burg on Flickr

Greek organizations should take advantage of the free social media platforms at their fingertips. They can use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to highlight the activities their members participate in and the accomplishments they achieve each day. While posting every day may seem boastful to some, it is an effective way to make a lasting impact on an organization’s followers.

Tips for moving forward
1. Post often. Repetition is key for an organization’s followers to remember information.
2. Be consistent. All university students are busy, which can put important strategies like public relations on the back burner. Creating a scheduled content calendar is a great way for organization leadership to stay on top of their social media. In fact, many universities offer free tools like Hootsuite to help users post on their social media platforms consistently.
3. Show personality. Share information about your organization’s members doing what they love.
4. Be engaging. Share photos and videos along with your posts to keep your followers entertained. Don’t forget to tag members, local philanthropies and your university.

All university organizations, Greek or not, should take advantage of social media to share the positive impact they have on the community.

Opinions

  1. Post comment

    I agree, I feel sometimes sororities and fraternities don’t take enough advantage of the platform they have with social media. Being that there are so many outlets they should be utilized to show off the positive things greek organizations are doing. Greek life in general can sometimes get a bad name because the public will focus on the few big negative events instead of the overall many good things these organizations are doing . These organizations are built on brotherhood/sisterhood and philanthropy as they were formed as almost societal clubs originally. Overall if the greek organizations utilize the platform of social media there overall perception could greatly change.

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