The year 2020 was a rollercoaster for everything, even content strategy. UMSocial kicked it off in January by hosting its first conference, the State of Social, gathering thought leadership from across the country to discuss the impact and potential of social media. Soon after, as the world was turned upside down in March, our focus suddenly shifted to creating new and engaging ways to convey public health guidelines, advance researcher expertise, explore critical conversations, and celebrate students virtually. With record-breaking numbers, UMSocial this year created not only innovative content and engaged countless opportunities to serve as a catalyst for change, increase transparency, facilitate community building, and propel the perception of strategic social communication forward into 2021.
Highlights of new initiatives launched in 2020:
State of Social
UMSocial’s first conference, the State of Social was designed to set the tone for an exciting and engaging decade. Never, in January, could we have anticipated the boundless heights to which the already existing need for proactive strategic social communications would grow.
CONVERSATIONS FOR CHANGE
Examining race and law enforcement through the lens of education and scholarship, a virtual town hall on June 5 brought university leadership, students, staff, and faculty together in a show of solidarity to discuss the ongoing fight against racism in an engaging and supportive platform.
MICHIGAN MINDS
Faculty from across U-M have been conducting research in the areas of society that the coronavirus has impacted the most to help our communities through education, outreach, and advocacy.
UMICH 101
With students being unable to visit Ann Arbor for tours, orientation, or exploration, we leveraged campus staff and interns to reimagine how to help prospective and new students learn about campus life and what it’s like to be a Wolverine.
DEMOCRACY & DEBATE THEME SEMESTER
An unparalleled effort to create opportunities to engage students, faculty, and staff on an exploration of free speech and exchange of ideas in a year roiled by a pandemic, protests, and a presidential election.
VIRTUAL CELEBRATIONS
Without an in-person commencement, our six-week series of interactive events and social media content envisioned a virtual way to honor, engage, and celebrate the U-M 2020 graduates.
STUDENT LEADERSHIP SERIES
Through authentic conversations reflecting on the evolving needs of campus and concerns of students, U-M students connected directly with leadership to ask important questions and discuss how the university can continue to be supportive and engaged to enhance the student experience.
CAMPUS REIMAGINED
Without students on campus, capturing images was difficult, so we revisualized campus in ways in which endorsed safety guidelines and public health behaviors.
10,000 FOLLOWERS ON @UMICHSTUDENTS
The @UMichStudents Instagram account showcases the importance of student voices by allowing students to take over the account to share campus life from their point of view.
EARTH DAY
To celebrate Earth Day at 50, this series featured U-M researchers sharing their commitment to enhancing sustainability efforts and advancing solutions to address human-influenced global climate change.
