Making the Biggest Splash: Lessons in Social Media Strategy for Pursue and Persuade
As a class, we came together to make content for X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram. Here is what future Duquesne students can do to achieve higher reach, engagement, and clicks.
My Start in Social Media
In 2018, I was managing social media for a small grant-making nonprofit. With a borrowed camera and an eye on Canva, I’d post partner headshots during business hours and hope for likes. Sometimes it worked. Often it didn’t. Back then, I thought showing up online with a decent image felt like a win (even if my strategy wasn’t, well, strategic).
Social media and how we consume it has changed so much since then; the need to grab attention, though, remains the same.
Today, grabbing attention requires more than a clean visual and a relevant caption. It demands intentionality: Platform knowledge, cultural fluency, accessible design, SEO, and regular testing.
In this blog post, I’ll unpack how our class campaign used these tools across three platforms (X, Instagram, and Facebook) – and offer ways we can deepen our approach going forward.
Platform Knowledge & Culture
Gary Vaynerchuk defines Platform and Culture (PAC) as the core of strong strategy:
“First, you have to know the platforms, or more specifically, the creative units and features on the platforms you’re posting […] The other aspect of PAC is culture […] Do you know how to speak to your cohorts, based on their interests and slang?” (Vaynerchuk 10).
While we often cross-posted identical content, each platform has a distinct rhythm. Instagram Reels are fast and expressive. Facebook posts lean longer and rely on text and external links. X rewards tight, scroll-breaking messaging.
We could have strengthened our PAC strategy by leaning more into video and movement, especially on Instagram. Our static graphics performed adequately, but short-form video remains the most efficient way to communicate tone, showcase personalities, and make the algorithm work for you.
“Building brand through organic content is more imperative than ever,” Vaynerchuk adds. “Today, the best way to reach high-intent audiences is through well-made content” (Vaynerchuk 75).
Accessibility is Engagement
Creating engaging content means ensuring everyone can access it. That includes the 1 in 4 Americans with a disability. Accessibility and inclusion isn’t just ethical – it’s strategic:
“We all want access to good services and products, which is why it is important that your website be accessible to people of all abilities,” Nathalie Nahai explains (81–82).
This includes alt text, keyboard-navigable links, and transcripts for videos. These features benefit all users by increasing readability and engagement.
Our campaign could have been stronger by including video captions natively, writing more descriptive alt text, and designing with high contrast in mind. Accessibility laws, including Section 508 and the AODA, recognize the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as a key standard. Even though WCAG isn’t itself a law, “it’s widely recognized as the web accessibility benchmark for legislation and court decisions” (“What Is WCAG?”).
The Power of Testing and Analytics
Another opportunity for growth is analytics-driven testing. According to Moz, “No matter which analytics software you select, we strongly recommend testing different versions of pages on your site and making conversion rate improvements based on the results” (“Beginner’s Guide” 49). While we monitored impressions and engagement, we didn’t run many A/B tests or track post conversions in a structured way.
X post on SEO and digital accessibility posted on March 26, 2025. Text: “#DigitalAccessibility isn’t just about compliance — it’s about reaching more users and ranking higher. Learn how inclusive design can enhance your #SEO.”
For instance, the content that I produced that included human faces and/or a quotation in the first person led to higher engagement on posts and longer reading times. The best example of this was the content I produced for X, which had over 80 views, three interactions, two saves, and an average 22 second page session time.
This suggests our audience responds more to informal, human content, which we can apply to future campaigns to drive them to our blog and read our content for longer.
SEO Isn’t Just for Blogs
Yes, SEO matters on social too.
Social search is on the rise – especially for younger users, who often search within Instagram or TikTok instead of Google. Moz puts it plainly: “For marketers, the Internet as a whole, and search in particular, are among the most important ways to reach consumers and build a business” (“Beginner’s Guide” 7).
Optimizing our captions, display names, and even alt text can improve searchability across platforms. For example, ensuring your Instagram bio contains relevant keywords (“mental health resources,” “student advocacy”) helps with visibility when users search in-app.
To further improve SEO, we could:
Include keywords in video captions
Add accessible image descriptions
Link back to our website using the Linktree or “link in bio” tool (platform-permitting)
a Consumer-Centric Strategy
What makes social media work for organizations? It’s consumer-centric, flexible, interactive, simple, and engaging (Blakeman 279). These principles must guide not only what we post, but how we respond to comments, how we time our content, and how we iterate.
Consumer trust is also increasingly tied to transparency and ethics. “We are increasingly making purchase decisions based on a brand’s authenticity and sustainability,” Nahai writes, citing a Nielsen report that shows this trend holds even across income levels (Nahai 162). While our campaign didn’t explicitly center sustainability, the broader takeaway is to build campaigns around shared values, especially if we want audiences to move beyond a “like” to take real action.
PAC + Accessibility + SEO = Strategic Growth
My first Instagram post in 2018 might’ve gotten a few likes. But our class campaign and the tools we have now reveal the complexity and opportunity baked into today’s social platforms. By deepening our understanding of PAC, prioritizing accessibility, using SEO strategically, and testing content, we’re better equipped to break through the noise.
The medium may shift, but the mission is the same: Make the biggest splash possible – and bring your audience with you.
Works Cited
“Beginner’s Guide to SEO.” Moz, https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo. Accessed 5 May 2025.
Blakeman, Robyn. Integrated Marketing Communication: Creative Strategy from Idea to Implementation. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
Nahai, Nathalie. Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion. Pearson, 2017.
Vaynerchuk, Gary. Day Trading for Attention: How to Actually Build Brand and Sales in the New Social Media World. VaynerMedia, 2024.
“What Is WCAG?” WCAG.com, https://www.wcag.com/what-is-wcag. Accessed 5 May 2025.