For the Purdue University Life Sciences Initiative, social media holidays helped us increase brand awareness and reach through the use of hashtags, which drew non-followers to the posts. For X, we targeted life sciences researchers and journalists across the United States and beyond, and for Facebook, we targeted Purdue departments, alumni, staff and consumers.
During pandemic shutdowns in 2020, we asked staff members to submit photos of themselves working alongside their kids who were attending school virtually. We shared the posts on National Take Your Kid to Work Day, which resulted in engagement among staff members, within the university and with the sponsoring organization.
Incorporating holidays and observances also allowed us to repurpose content by creating a sense of immediacy around evergreen stories. Here, for World Password Day, we highlighted an internationally recognized professor on cybersecurity.
At world-class research institutions like Purdue University, researchers are heroes, bringing their discoveries into the world to improve lives. This post highlighted the work of an English professor who had attracted a cult following on the Great Courses for her Black Death series, which Prime Video streamed for free during the pandemic. Tagging the department, the college and the newspaper that had published the original article boosted readership for the message.
Getting coverage of scientific discoveries in earned and paid media adds credibility while communicating the societal benefit of research to consumer audiences. For Purdue Life Sciences, we shared these articles with our followers, incorporating stock images to draw their attention to the impact of research on daily life.
During pandemic shutdowns, when social media use surged, we significantly increased the number of posts to provide more helpful content while building followers. A team of social ambassadors assisted us in content creation and scheduling.
Hydrangea Studio 