VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY SOCIAL MEDIA
One of the most exciting aspects of managing social media efforts for university flagship accounts is having a front row seat to the full scope of projects, campaigns and initiatives happening across the institution. The range of content that I help plan, create and share on social media for the Vanderbilt brand is incredibly diverse and ever-evolving. From groundbreaking research and institutional news, to pop culture moments, influencer collaborations and strategic campaigns, there is never a shortage of compelling stories to tell through a social lens. Take a closer look at the goals, execution and results of just a few campaigns below, including my involvement and contributions to each.
ANCHORED IN
Brand Awareness Campaign
GOAL:
Differentiate Vanderbilt from its peers by positioning the institution as a leader in academics, athletics and civil discourse.
EXECUTION:
Utilize third-party publications, proof points and testimonials from students, alumni, etc. for organic social content efforts.
Share and boost posts on a regular cadence as well as during spike moments- such as ESPN College GameDay- to capitalize on increased media attention.
Further the reach of the campaign by running correlating paid social ads in key markets outside of Nashville and Tennessee.
COMMENCEMENT
Engagement/Event-Based Campaign
GOAL:
Celebrate one of the biggest events of the year through unique social media tactics leading up to, during and after the ceremony.
EXECUTION:
Meet with units across the division to gather insights to shape a cohesive social media strategy that aligns with larger communications goals and drives engagement across platforms to various targeted audiences.
Share various types of content in the lead up to the event, including impactful photos and videos of graduating students, engaging graphics, user-generated content (UGC), etc.
Provide live social media coverage during the event that leverages clever copywriting, heartwarming photos and videos of the celebration, spontaneous moments, etc.
Extend the life of Commencement and maximize the impact of the celebration by continuing to share content the week after the ceremony.
RESULTS:
Content from Vanderbilt’s 2024 Commencement sparked a record-breaking 294,000+ engagements and 3.5M+ video views — the highest level of interactions ever for Commencement coverage on the university’s social media channels. It also led to the institution’s first substantial viral moment on social.
Similarly, content from Vanderbilt’s 2025 Commencement sparked 260,000+ engagements and 1.4M+ video views natively, with an additional 2.5M+ video views on ESPN.
During the 2024 and 2025 Commencement campaigns, I served as content lead for the university’s social media commencement plan across the institutional and alumni channels. In this role, I developed the content plan and ensured that it was executed before, during and after the event.
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE & GRADUATION GIFT GUIDE
Influencer Campaign
GOAL:
Promote Vanderbilt’s annual Holiday Gift Guide and Graduation Gift Guide through an omnichannel marketing strategy. Specifically on social media, utilize high-quality photos and videos, influencer partnerships and paid boosting to reach various Vanderbilt audiences and help increase conversions.
EXECUTION:
Collaborate with the marketing team and the visual media team to produce polished social media assets for the campaign.
Reach out and send merchandise to content creators and influencers within the Vanderbilt community.
Partner with two influencers to execute Meta Partnership Ads and TikTok Spark Ads.
Boost organic posts on social channels to extend the reach of the Holiday Gift Guide and the Graduation Gift Guide to targeted audiences.
RESULTS:
The 2024 Holiday Gift Guide generated a total of 3,500+ engagements and 145,300+ video views across Vanderbilt’s social media platforms and two influencer social media accounts. This marked the first time Vanderbilt implemented TikTok Spark Ads into a social media campaign, resulting in 500+ engagements and 105,000+ video views from just two Spark Ads alone.
The inaugural 2025 Graduation Gift Guide, which relied heavily on influencer collaboration, generated a total of 8,000+ engagements and 465,900+ video views across Vanderbilt’s social media platforms and one influencer social media account.
During the 2024 Holiday Gift Guide campaign and the 2025 Graduation Gift Guide campaign, I spearheaded all social media efforts, including caption copywriting, planning posts and paid boosting of content. I also led influencer strategy by working directly with Vanderbilt students and building the TikTok Spark Ads and Meta Partnership Ads that harnessed their content to promote the campaign.