Publications

Any printed collateral material or publications (brochures, fliers, newsletters, etc.) intended for mailing/distribution to external audiences must be approved by the Office of Marketing & Communications and designed professionally with appropriate UNT System brand usage. 

News

The Office of Marketing & Communications will communicate news regarding the UNT System to external audiences via the UNTS web site, UNTS social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn, as well as to local, regional and national media via press release. If you feel you have newsworthy information to share, please send a summary of the news item to the Office of Marketing & Communications. The information will be evaluated for distribution externally via social media, traditional media or the Internet.

New Leader Announcements

The Office of Marketing & Communications and/or the Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources will announce the hiring or promotion of any UNT System employees who are at the Director level or above, including: Vice Chancellor, Associate Vice Chancellor and Regents. These announcements will typically include an external news release, web site posting and internal email featuring a photo.

Employing departments should contact the Office of Marketing & Communications regarding any hiring/promotion announcements. All new hires and job status changes should be reported to the Office of Marketing & Communications by UNT System department heads in order to add/remove any new/existing UNTS System employees to the UNTS web site.
 

Media Relations

The UNT System’s Office of Marketing & Communications occasionally pitches newsworthy story ideas to the media with the intent of highlighting key people, projects, accomplishments, initiatives or milestones of the UNT System. Any other proactive media contact – for purposes of gaining media attention for a UNTS individual, department or project – must be coordinated with the Office of Marketing & Communications.

The Office of Marketing & Communications will also handle all incoming media inquiries regarding the UNT System or requests for interviews with UNT System employees. Any UNT System employee receiving media-related phone calls, emails or written correspondence should consult with the Office of Marketing & Communications before responding in order to ensure consistency of key messages, institutional direction, facts and overall follow-up protocol are achieved. The Office of Marketing & Communications is available to help establish key points and provide coaching related to media interviews.

Crisis Communications

In the event of a crisis, the Office of Marketing & Communications will serve as the UNT System’s public information officer under direction of the Chancellor, Office of the General Counsel or other designated parties. UNT System staff should continue to refer any and all media contact to the Office of Marketing & Communications in crisis situations unless otherwise instructed. Please note, the Office of Marketing & Communications is “on-call” at all times to handle media relations related to emergencies and crises involving the UNT System

Media Training

Media training is offered to departments and employees as needed for formal presentations or media interviews. Training includes assistance with messaging, positioning, appearance and speaking points, as appropriate. Contact the Office of Marketing & Communications for more information.

Advertising

All advertisements placed in local, state, and national media representing the UNT System must be approved by the Office of Marketing & Communications or the Chancellor. The only exception to this is personnel advertisements, which must be  approved by Human Resources. Promotional advertising must be placed using
non-state funds.

Advertising on behalf of the UNT System, its departments, programs and organizations without proper approval is prohibited. The Office of Marketing & Communications is available to provide guidance related to copy, design and placement of advertisements.

Social Media

The UNT System uses social media strategically to help communicate its messages to internal and external audiences. The Office of Marketing & Communications is responsible for the UNT System’s official pages on social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. Any UNT System departmental social media pages must be approved by the Office of Marketing & Communications. Any UNT System employee wishing to post information or photo(s) to UNTS social media outlets should email the information, photo(s) or proposed content to the Office of Marketing & Communications.

ALL APPLICABLE UNT SYSTEM POLICIES APPLY TO USE OF BLOGS, SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, OR ANY OTHER ONLINE FORM OF COMMUNICATION.

Guidelines for using social media as a designated UNT System employee:

• Do not use personal or organizational blogs or social media sites to communicate sensitive or private work-related information.
• Consult the Office of Marketing & Communications before starting a blog or social media profile for your UNT System department or group.
• Comply with the terms of service of any social media platform that you use.
• Comply with copyright laws and do not use copyrighted images or materials without permission.
• Do not speak on behalf of the UNT System on any blogs or social media sites, including personal sites, unless you are authorized to do so by the Office of Marketing & Communications.
• Do not use the UNT System Wordmarks without approval from the Office of Marketing & Communications.
• Only use approved institutional colors in your approved design
• Check all facts to ensure accuracy before posting institutional information.

Best practices for personal use of social media:

• If you participate in personal blogs or social networking sites at work, follow the UNT System’s Acceptable Electronic Use Policy.
• Use your personal e-mail address on your blog or social media profiles. All UNTS e-mails are considered state records; personal use of your UNT System e-mail address should be limited.
• Clarify that your opinion is your own. Where your connection to the UNT System is apparent, make it clear that you are not speaking on behalf of the UNT System. For example, add “The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the UNT System,” or a similar statement to your blog, social media profile or bio, and/or along with comments you post on other blogs regarding the UNT System.
• Do not speak on behalf of the UNT System without approval of the Chancellor or the Office of Marketing & Communications.
• If you are unsure if it is appropriate to post any information about the UNT System on a personal blog or social media profile, consult the Office of Marketing & Communications.
• If communicating on a blog or social media site about the UNT System, identify your connection to and your role at the UNT System.
• If you see information or comments about the UNT System on a blog, web site or social media site that you think requires a response, contact the Office of Marketing & Communications.
• Consider everything that is posted on social media sites as public.
• Ensure you have the appropriate permission to use any photos acquired from other online resources.
• Always remember that conversations and comments can turn up in web searches and should be considered public record.