Digital display signs at the School of Medicine Columbia (SOMC) are used to welcome students, faculty, and staff; celebrate the accomplishments of our community; promote upcoming events; and create awareness for campus programs and resources that support student success and involvement. Screens displaying digital signage at the SOMC are located in various locations on the VA Campus.

Any member of the SOMC community may promote university-approved events and official announcements. Learn more about the digital display program.

Keeping up with logos and branding guidelines can be a challenge, but we’re here to help.

Logos and branding – The university-wide branding guidelines are housed in the university’s online Brand Toolbox. School-specific logo files and branding guidelines are available on the Logos and Branding webpage.

Art approval – If you are ordering print materials, apparel or promotional items, please send your art to Emily.Miles@uscmed.sc.edu to verify proper brand/logo usage before printing.

Sponsorship – The School of Medicine has limited funds for sponsorships. Sponsorship requests will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Advertising – The Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing can help connect you with the appropriate resources for placing traditional or digital advertising.

One of the functions of the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing is increasing public awareness of the School of Medicine through media relations. Media relations can take a variety of forms from pitching subject matter experts to press releases:

USC Daybook – The USC Daybook goes out daily to nearly 400 reporters in South Carolina and surrounding areas. The email communication includes short entries about subject matter experts who are available to comment on current events and news.

The Conversation – The university is partnered with The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit, digital media outlet that features articles written by academics for a lay audience. The format allows for more in-depth news coverage. Faculty work with professional editors to develop story ideas and craft easily digestible stories.

Targeted media pitching – Have you ever wondered how a media outlet came up with a particular story idea? Odds are the story was “pitched” to them by a communications professional. Our office has access to a subscription-based database of local, regional and national media contacts who we contact with suggestions for story ideas.

Press releases – Press releases (also known as news releases) are less common in today’s quick moving world, but a press release may be appropriate for more formal announcements.

Media training – Would you like to promote your work more broadly, but don’t know where to start? The Office of Communications and Marketing can help. We can schedule one-on-one media training or do a departmental training event.

Another valuable communication tactic is newsletters.

Internal newsletter – The School of Medicine launched Accolades, a monthly, internal newsletter in the Fall of 2019. This publication highlights the achievements of our students, faculty and staff.

USC Today – The Office of Communications and Marketing also can help you share your news in USC Today, the university-level, internal newsletter. The School of Medicine regularly submits feature stories, news items, and faculty and staff notes to the editor of USC Today.

Additional Newsletters – The Med School Minute is a weekly publication produced by the Office of Student and Career Services. The Garnet Microscope is a monthly publication produced by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations. Some departments and centers also produce newsletters.

There is a lot of emphasis on digital communications these days, but print publications and materials are still an important piece of the communications and marketing puzzle.

SC Medicine magazine – SC Medicine magazine has historically been a biannual, print publication targeted toward our alumni. Recently the publication has gone to an annual piece and is moving toward a more general audience.

Brochures and other print collateral – Printed materials can be an invaluable asset for recruiting students and faculty. In order to ensure brand quality and consistency, we encourage departments to work with the communications resources available at the School of Medicine to design and print your print materials.

Social media – Currently, the School of Medicine has an official presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The Office of Development and Alumni Relations also has a Facebook group for alumni. If your department would like to launch a social media account, please coordinate with the Director of Communications.

If you ask someone where they get their news, they’ll most likely say online or social media. Having a presence in the digital world is increasingly important.

School of Medicine website(s) – The Office of Communications oversees the development and content management for the School of Medicine websites with the assistance of departmental web liaisons. The external School of Medicine website has a news page for general news items and the internal site has an announcements page for more operational information.

The Office of Communications and Marketing also offers limited graphic design, photography and event planning for projects that align with the strategic goals of the school. If we aren’t able to assist you with your design, photography or event needs, we can direct you to other campus resources.