Social media: visuals + stories that drive results
In July 2024, I took over management of all of Indiana University’s international affairs social accounts. I streamlined what started as 40+ accounts into the five key areas in which we could reach our audiences: Posting 3-5x/weekly across 5 distinct brand accounts (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) with a collective audience of 33.2K users and 1.1M views in 2025. Student-focused, visually driven content on Instagram yielded the biggest results, with two of the flagship accounts growing engagement 6 fold. A newsworthy and celebratory LinkedIn doubled its following over two years.
Instagram Views
Instagram Reach
Working with part-time staff, I managed five key accounts and was responsible for 800+ posts annually
Here is a selection of high-performing posts
Playful, authentic, and timely posting along with strategic collaborations with power-users generated engagement & follows.
This post is part of a series generated from user-submitted content. I created a mobile-friendly form that asked for images, quotes, and Instagram handles, then posted a clickable link in the account’s bio + posted a story inviting users to submit their own.
A short & sweet caption paired with a Reel that interviewed an international student, scheduled to align with early-action deadlines.
Consistent, polished posts that positioned the account as a thought leader and source of information doubled the account’s following during my management.
This post series highlighted power users. Once identified, I collected written quotes for the caption & sent out our photographer for a portrait. Collaborating on the post and tagging partners yielded high engagement.
LinkedIn prioritizes and celebrates networking, so posts like this one that showcased a researcher’s department-funded data gathering trip performed well.
Highlighting staff accomplishments and being able to include visuals & quotes that kept the conversation within LinkedIn generated high engagement. Photos and quotes were collected as a part of grant reporting, making this an easy social media win.
Eye-catching, professional visuals convey this post’s content at a glance, but encourage click-throughs to find out more. Quotes and photos make the content feel authentic while reinforcing the brand.