Marketing &
Social Media Strategy

As the Project Director for Black Voices of UCSD, I played and managed an intentional, equity-centered digital strategy aimed at uplifting Black student experiences, educating the broader campus community, and promoting inclusive engagement. 

The Black Voices Instagram (@bvofucsd) became our primary channel for community engagement, education, and advocacy while we worked behind the scenes to create our comprehensive website. Through curated campaigns, graphics, and multimedia content, I translated complex topics into digestible, compelling content designed for a student audience. Our platform not only served as a space for learning, but as a digital archive for storytelling, organizing, and joy.

Brand Development & Visual Identity

I established and maintained a cohesive visual identity for the organization across all platforms, using a standardized set of brand guidelines. All social media graphics were created using CanvaPro, utilizing a custom color palette, curated skin tones, and font hierarchy that reflected Black Voices’ mission and values. I ensured consistency in accessibility, clarity, and tone by adhering to specific design specifications for text, contrast, and layout.

Key tools and assets I managed:

Content Creation & Campaigns

Through our Instagram account @bvofucsd, I led the creation of diverse content types, including:

  • Posts covering legal cases and historical/contemporary issues affecting the Black community, such as Loving v. Virginia and the Model Minority Myth. Each post followed strict research and formatting guidelines to ensure factual accuracy and educational value.

  • Designed visual campaigns for events such as the "Black Law Panel: Connect & Reflect" and "Gender Buffet: Performative Activism," including collaborative post strategies, RSVP integration, and engagement hooks like food announcements.

  • Social media features based on responses to our Internal Google Form, spotlighting students, leaders, and achievements within our community.

  •  To engage our audience regularly, we implemented a weekly IG Story calendar with rotating content themes:

    • Community Sundays – Celebrating local Black community initiatives

    • Tiktok Tuesdays – Uplifting trending creators of color

    • Wholesome Wednesdays – Sharing uplifting moments of Black joy

    • Throwback Thursdays – Highlighting key events in Black history

    • Fashion Fridays – Spotlighting Black fashion designers and icons

Strategy & Planning:
Building a Framework

To plan ahead, our team developed and led a structured content planning process based on quarterly reviews:

  • Goal Setting: Increase engagement, elevate Black student voices, promote upcoming events, and deepen the impact of our research content.

  • Key Dates: Align content around relevant holidays and movements—Black History Month, Pride, Juneteenth, BHM, etc.

  • Monthly Campaigns: We intentionally structured our content around campaign themes to create space for multi-post series that explored vital issues from multiple angles. These campaigns allowed us to dive deeper into each topic, offering digestible, well-researched content that responded to the cultural zeitgeist and contemporary conversations happening both on campus and across social media.

Each theme was recorded and developed utilizing Notion, CanvaPro, and Google Suites, with corresponding visuals and captions prepared in advance.

Engagement & Community Responsiveness

Beyond posting, our digital presence was rooted in community building:

  • Instagram polls to ask followers what they wanted to learn about.

  • Post-performance reviews to assess which graphics or topics performed well and repurposed high-performing content with updated visuals or deeper research.

  • Audience interactions, responding to DMs and comments thoughtfully while also establishing safety protocols for responding to inappropriate or harmful messages (i.e., racist, homophobic, or otherwise discriminatory).

Tools, Tips & Team Training for Longevity

To ensure smooth transitions and organizational memory, my co-Project Directors and I developed resources and documentation, including:

  • A comprehensive Marketing & Social Media Guide for onboarding new team members

  • Canva & Research Workshops to upskill teammates in accessible design

  • A Transition Document with detailed SOPs for caption writing, branding, content strategy, and engagement best practices

These materials supported the sustainability of the Black Voices brand and ensured future teams could continue our work with ease and clarity.

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