From eye-catching posters around campus to viral TikTok videos, student clubs at Hunter College are promoting events and boosting recognition through both traditional and digital marketing tactics to attract regulars. While their strategies vary, one constant remains: social media.
Marketing plays a critical role in helping clubs find their footing or stay relevant as new students arrive each semester. It’s how they share their mission, attract curious students, and build a sense of community. Choosing the right platform and message can take some trial and error, but when clubs find what works, engagement follows. From long-established groups like Filipinos of Hunter (POH), founded in 2005, to the recently revived Queer Student Union (QSU), and newcomers like the Mexican Student Union (MEXSU), each club uses social media to amplify its identity and connect with students in real-time.
Founded just two years ago, MEXSU has quickly built a strong following–853 Instagram followers and counting–thanks to its creative and culturally grounded posts, and less than one-minute Instagram reels and TikTok.
Keily Luna, the Mexican Student Union’s social media chair, said, “My inspiration lies in current social media trends and Mexican culture. I think about ways to tie them to our events, such as giving lyrics a second meaning and weaving Mexican culture throughout our graphics.”
Some clubs find that the traditional tactic of using cute fonts and colors on printed paper has stopped providing enough traction while they’ve been active. Now, they find success in boosting who they are and where students can find their events on their preferred social platform. And with the wave of trends coming from a specific app, it’s safe to say that TikTok is becoming the app to establish a fanbase.
Luna recalled a recent example from MEXSU’s Cinco de Mayo promotion: “I got a couple of messages expressing love for the content we posted, and that made my heart full.” One of their Instagram reels even ended up on a New York University student’s Instagram explore page, who then passed the event info along to a friend at Hunter. The sound in the reel was a funny and trending audio on TikTok, which Luna thought was the right choice as the audio could provide a second meaning.
Having a dedicated executive board (e-board) member responsible for social media, design, and promotion allows MEXSU to maintain consistency without burning out its team. “Now we can focus on presenting the same inviting energy and help students take a step back and have some fun,” Luna said.
The Queer Student Union, revived in fall 2023 after its 2020 dissolution, Instagram has also proven key. The club has gained over 700 followers by maintaining a clear, themed aesthetic and engaging directly with members.
“There was a noticeable increase in attendance and overall interest,” said Litzy Antonio, QSU co-president. “But we’ve also found that talking to members directly, both online and in person, helped build stronger connections.” This year QSU also had the opportunity to collaborate with a list of clubs that helped grow their following as well.
QSU also boosts their presence through eboard member takeovers–where members answer questions and share a day in their life, helping followers connect personally with the club. They’re also looking to expand their content with polls, Q&As, reels, and member shoutouts. Collaborating with other clubs is another way QSU broadens its audience.
Emphasizing that community building is crucial for the club, they plan to continue using the affinity space not just for holding club events but to house more consistent, safe conversations.
“We want to turn our space into a go-to hub for connection,” Antonio said.
Social media takes time and effort, and while it helps to boost general outreach fast, some clubs have a different approach to retaining their followers.
But not all clubs take the same approach. Philipinos of Hunter, established in 2005, has a strong presence, with more than 1,000 Instagram followers, but chooses not to chase trends. Instead, they focus on consistency and authenticity. Especially when posting, POH is strict in maintaining this through their graphic design style. Their marketing is rooted in word of mouth, in-person relationships, and campus flyers. Certainly unusual, as most clubs tend to want to use trends or popular social media engagement tactics to stay relevant. POH instead doesn’t have much concern for broadening their audience.
“We have a very specific demographic that might want to come and hang out with us,” said Cian So, POH co-president and graphics chair. “If that sounds cool to them, we hope our posts get through.”
Their Instagram posts consist of updating Filipino students at Hunter and solely that. And while they have a few exceptions on posting on TikTok, So argues that their more recent TikTok wasn’t intended to build hype, but to pass along information about their end-of-the-year showcase.
“With our mission, our current following base, and how we approach community building, it just doesn’t make sense for us”, said So.
Even though their methods vary, one thing unites these clubs: an understanding that promotion, especially on social media, matters. Whether building a niche community or reaching a broader audience, clubs at Hunter are redefining what it means to connect on campus. In this digital age, social media isn’t just a trend—it’s essential.
