by Jaclyn Y. Garver
NCMPR National Office
Fort Wayne, IN
Once or twice a month, an NCMPR member will take over our Instagram account. We tested it out last fall, soft launched after the Seattle conference, and officially kicked things off this month – and this social media manager could not be more thrilled. The main thing, the top thing, the No. 1 thing, of course, is that member-to-member connection between remote coworkers and sharing college and personal successes and opportunities with one another.
But I’m an honest person and … honestly? Oh man, Instagram is tough. Of NCMPR’s three platforms (we’re on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn), Instagram is the hardest to crack. Because it’s so personal and thrives on authenticity. I’m not gonna get you to sign up for a webinar on Insta, but I might make you giggle with a relevant meme. As all you fellow social media managers know … that’s not the easiest thing for an organization to do.
NCMPR’s Social Media Team is currently sitting at 18 people from Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, New York, Illinois, Virginia and more. When they volunteered, I asked them all to share an Instagram account they enjoy. Man, did we get a range, from university mascots to hair products. If you’re looking to an account to add to your feed – or one to turn to for some inspiration – here’s what they said:
National Park Service: This was far and away the most popular Ig feed among the team. @nationalparkservice
Butler Blue IV: He’s the official mascot for Butler University @thebutlerblue
Divi: They sell scalp serums for hair health. @diviofficial
Southeastern Conference: The college athletic conference. @sec
City of Lakewood: It’s the government account for Lakewood, Colorado @lakewoodcogov
Carlo and Sarah: It’s a lifestyle account for Carlo and Sarah, who are married. Carlo’s from Italy, and Sarah pokes gentle fun at certain American culture things he doesn’t quite get. I’m a fan of this one, too, especially the reels. @carloandsarah
NBA: You know, the National Basketball Association. @nba
Tieghan Gerard: She’s the founder of halfbakedharvest.com, a food and recipe site. @halfbakedharvest
National Geographic: The mag. @natgeo
National Habitat Shorts: A funny animated account that teaches animal facts. @naturalhabitatshorts
Instagram’s @Creators: The creator’s guide to Instagram … by Instagram. @creators
Virginia Tech: A good mixture of trendy and institutional messaging. @virginiatech
The Umbrella Academy: The Netflix show. The posts connect on the larger grid but also work well individually. @umbrellaacad
Manal/dicas de moda: A Portuguese-language account for fashion, style and beauty tips, based in Brazil. @manalsoumaili
Ace: He’s the doggo of the president at Danville Community College. @dccprezpup
Canva: The design service. A great learning tool. @canva
The community colleges: I love seeing how much our members appreciate one another’s work. Here are the community college feeds their peers can’t get enough of:
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- Cape Cod Community College @capecodcc
- Bergen Community College @bergencc
- Cape Fear Community College @capefearcc
- Danville Community College @dccpr
- Lone Star College-CyFair’s student-run page @lsccyfair_falconforce
What Ig feeds do you turn to when you need inspiration (or a break!)? Share them in the comments.
Jaclyn Y. Garver is the communication and DEI manager at NCMPR and resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
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