Behind the screens: UW’s social media specialists tweet their way to top

The specialists who run the UW’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook use a love for social media, UW to reach diverse audiences

by Gerald Porter

July 18, 2015

Marissa Haegele

For University of Wisconsin students, connecting with their school directly and instantaneously is just a tweet away.

The @UWMadison Twitter account’s engagement, impact and responsiveness is what made it surpass all higher education institutions in the United States based on a June study by social media research firm Engagement Labs of Toronto.

Its success can largely be attributed to UW’s executive director of communications John Lucas and social media specialist Nate Moll who spend countless hours running and maintaining the official UW social media accounts.

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The two have been tasked with engaging a following of 100,000 Badger students, alumni and fans since the account broke six figures at the end of June.

Rain or shine, #Badgers still Terrace. pic.twitter.com/mUI17fXEFn

— UW–Madison (@UWMadison) July 13, 2015

Moll and Lucas said the overall goal of UW’s activity on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook is to tell the campus’ story.

“It’s trying to tell the story of the university and the contribution that it makes, whether it’s in teaching, research or outreach,” Lucas said. “It’s using this medium to share that story and information with the people that are interested while trying to get new people interested.”

Working to “establish a voice,” Moll said UW’s exploration of social media began between 2006 and 2007 and at the time, Lucas ran it all on his own.

But as account popularity and other work responsibilities grew, Lucas found less time to manage all the social media burden. Now, Moll said he posts around 90-95 percent of the content seen on the university’s pages.

Anybody wouldn’t be able to successfully manage UW’s social media accounts, Moll said. The job requires a love of social media and everything UW has to offer, and this allows him and Lucas to more effectively connect with their audience, Moll said.

Lucas said telling UW’s story to a large audience requires a healthy mix of research stories, athletics, student life and entertainment.

This effort was evident throughout the year when Moll would start entertaining interaction with opposing university accounts during sport seasons over Twitter.

University of Oregon finally responds to UW on Twitter before third round matchup

I love the @UWMadison Twitter account. Hilarious conversations with other schools! 😂

— Jacob Lenzendorf (@JacobLenzendorf) March 26, 2015

Moll likens these kinds of posts to “junk food,” in the sense that they should be used in moderation.

“We could do all ‘junk food’ posts all the time, but that wouldn’t advance the university’s name,” Moll said. “So we have the broccoli posts, but it’s my job to coat that broccoli in a nice layer of cheese sauce.”

#MyLifeCouldUseMore cheese curds. Just sayin’. #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/EaevNWp9cD

— UW–Madison (@UWMadison) July 8, 2015

Lucas said content is chosen based off the account’s core goals, which are built on the pillars of storytelling, engagement and listening.

“This piece of engagement is essential,” Lucas said. “The university wants to have relationships with people, and if you can create new relationships or strengthen the relationships that you have, you provide a better feeling about the interaction. The contact through social media improves the outcomes.”

After evaluating what could be social media worthy, Moll said the accounts showcase the best of what’s going on at UW. Given the vast amount of activity at UW, he said he would never run out of things to post.

One of the great wonders of the world is surely the gif folder that the @UWMadison Twitter account possesses

— Dr. Simply Amazing (@HorsesForever97) January 20, 2015

When it comes to how the university manages each individual account, Lucas and Moll both agreed the constant conversational aspect of Twitter makes it the hardest to manage. But, finding themselves on the platform a great deal, this conversational continuity demands Moll’s and the university’s ability to listen to the audience well.

“There is a great community here that’s been created around social tools, and there are a lot of people looking to help you out and engage with you,” Lucas said. “So the more people that decide to be a part of the social community, the stronger it is overall.”