Web and Social Media

Communications and Brand Strategy manages university-level web and new media and works with MSU units to increase awareness of the university to maximize the institution’s reputation through effective electronic communication in online environments.

University-level web pages

Communications and Brand Strategy manages the design and content of the msu.edu home page, second-level university pages, and related websites that serve as a portal into MSU’s online presence.

Communications and Brand Strategy staff also designs and develops institutional-priority websites in collaboration with MSU units and provides web standards and guidelines that support the institutional brand, including how to:

• Engage and inform primary target audiences
• Enable secondary target audiences to easily locate common and frequently needed information and services
• Improve usability and accessibility in line with the most current industry standards
• Improve web metrics reporting to facilitate continuous improvement and a more dynamic website

Official MSU social media networks

Communications and Brand Strategy develops strategies and implements tactics for engaging online audiences through social media networks, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. The use of social media extends the presence of the institution and related brand engagement to social networks in which Spartans and the MSU community are active.

Web and social media consulting

Communications and Brand Strategy provides consulting services on the following topics:

• Websites—how to analyze sites for maximum effectiveness
• Social media strategy—how to evaluate existing and emerging tools, establish objectives and select supporting tactics, interact with audiences through social media, and measure effectiveness of communications and engagement
• Search engine optimization—how to publish content that is easier for people to find using search engines and how to increase the potential for content to achieve a high rank in search engines
• Content management system use and adoption—how to plan for and use the Cascade Server content management system (CMS) (three options are available, including an MSU Web Team-developed framework that is brand-aligned and opportunities for customization)

MSU has adopted the Hannon Hill Cascade Server as its enterprise-level content management system. Adoption of the CMS—which is managed by the MSU Web Team, a collaboration between Communications and Brand Strategy and IT Services—is ideal for any unit that desires to align a site with the university brand look, enable staff to manage content through a user-friendly web interface, ensure compliance with the MSU Web Accessibility Policy, and share content assets with MSU web publishers. To initiate use of the CMS, please complete the request form on the Cascade Server site.

Contact

For more information, e-mail contact@cabs.msu.edu or call (517) 355-7505.

Web and Social Media staff directory