Engage with King's on TikTok

King's UC is having fun with video on TikTok. Join us!

Led by a research project started by Communications Interns from Fanshawe College and Western Continuing Studies, King's Communications Department launched a TikTok account, @kingsatwestern, this past August, in an effort to enhance the engagement with students and the community while having fun with short video.

The account, which has since been verified by TikTok, has seen a growth to 130 followers and thousands of likes on the nearly two dozen videos that King's has posted. The most viewed video is of the King's Cares Car Wash with over 650 views. Other videos have helped communicate events such as OWeek, Choose Your Major, King's Virtual Open House, the Off-Campus Don's BBQ, Christmas, Halloween, and even International Coffee Day and the first major snowfall of the year. The TikTok account has also provided inspiration and support during the COVID-19 pandemic with stress relief tips and empathy posts.

Fanshawe College and Western University grads work together

A communications plan for King's TikTok was developed last summer by Communications interns Dina Ibdah and Chloe Balmer of Fanshawe College's Graduate Certificate in Public Relations and Corporate Communications program and Farnaz Kouchaki of the Marketing Post-Degree Diploma program of Western's Continuing Studies. The interns researched the use of TikTok, especially among other institutions of higher learning across Canada, and made recommendations about the introduction and use of the platform for King's specifically. Student Social Media Squad Leader and fourth year Disability Studies and Thanatology student Elizabeth Hauspie has worked with King's Digital Content Coordinator Chantal Quagliara to create and post content to TikTok. Former Communications work-study student Amer Ajjawi, 4th year College transfer, also assisted in the TikTok content development. Quagliara has supervised the overall implementation of TikTok for King's.

"What I like about King's being on TikTok is it gives that community feel to students, during COVID-19 its nice to see student faces and interact. It really shows students that King's is a community," says Hauspie.

Connecting digitally

"We need to meet students where they're at, and right now, TikTok is one of those places. There are a number of diverse social media platforms that can help us connect and share information with a wide variety of audiences. Different platforms appeal to different people which is why it is important for King's to utilize a variety of social media channels to communicate," says Quagliara.

King's has implemented this emerging social media platform as a way to engage students with events and initiatives taking place within the King's community in a fun and whimsical fashion. It will complement our other social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Snapchat.