View source for Resource:How to leverage your campus communications office

= <span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Introduction</span></span> =

<span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take 4 seconds and find your college’s website home page. Go ahead, I’ll wait...</span></span>

<span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What do you see? Usually, you will see several pictures that spotlight students and faculty endeavors, academic success, research progress and cultural growth. The home page should capture the pillars of your University, and the organization that ensures that the University brand is well represented online and in print is the campus communications office.</span></span>

= <span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">What Is A Campus Communications Office (CCO)?</span> =

<span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CCOs are filled with experts in mass communications. Whether through social media, alumni magazines, community publications, photos, videos, administrative speeches, emails and press releases, CCOs know how to spread the word. Campus Communications Office is a general term that may describe different things at different universities. Some universities require people in charge of communications for individual departments, for individual colleges, athletic departments, and the entire university. The size of your university will dictate the size of its communications office.</span></span>

= <span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can a CCO do for you?[[File:Newspaper.png|thumb]]</span></span> =

<span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a UIF, you are no doubt hard at work preparing some kind of workshop/program/maker space/entrepreneur network/world changing phenomenon, but if no one hears about it, will it even make a sound? A great way to advertise your events is through the different campus communication networks. They can get the word out and stir up excitement for your cause along with broadcasting important information to the campus.</span></span>

= <span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How To Develop A Relationship With You CCO</span></span> =

== <span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reach Out</span></span> ==

<span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Identify the hierarchy of communication at your school. Does your department have a specific person in charge of communication? Does your college have its own communications team? Is the university small enough to have one office in charge of all messages expressed by the university?</span></span>

== <span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Document Your Work</span></span> ==

<span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Document everything! CCOs love pictures, so make sure as soon as you start breaking out the white board markers and sticky notes, someone is capturing it all in photos. This will help later if you want them to help advertise your group or project.</span></span>

== <span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make Progress First</span></span> ==

<span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t depend on CCOs as the only source of advertising. CCOs want stories that sell the university. This usually requires evidence of progress. If you are still in the idea phase looking for alumni to help bring your idea forward, you may want to reach out to the alumni network directly. CCOs need activity to present, they won’t build your core group of stakeholders.</span></span>

== <span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Invite Them To Events</span></span> ==

<span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Invite CCOs to your events! No one likes being left in the cold, least of all your friendly neighborhood CCO. It’s always easier to show than to tell, so if you want to get your vision across to a broad audience through the CCO, make sure they can see your vision first hand.</span></span>

== <span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Plan Ahead</span></span> ==

<span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Align your venture/endeavor with a core value of your university. Many universities have a few guiding principles that appear in most university advertising. If you can show how your event or program moves the university closer to its own goals, that will improve the chances of your university wanting to spread your word through its CCO.</span></span>

= <span id="docs-internal-guid-fbadc9ce-66e3-5442-fbe4-6ad3ffddf6d0"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When A CCO Is Not Enough[[File:Social media.jpg|thumb]]</span></span><br/> =

<span style="font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do not rely solely on your campus communications office as the only source to get your information out there. If your college’s CCO just does not have everything your looking for, don’t fret! There are other options. Social media is a great outlet to spread the word and get people involved in your cause. Look for student newspapers or means of communication that do not go directly through your college. There are often other organizations that would love to help you with your cause.</span>

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