Rob Clark elevates GU's social media game

Published: February 10, 2023

Among social media fans, Rob Clark and his family are known as “That Tall Family.” And with good reason.

For one, they are very tall. Second, they have attracted more than 2 million followers and 2 billion views on various social media platforms.

Clark, 6’6”, is a native of Gillespie, IL. He attended Greenville University, playing on the basketball team and graduating in 1999 with a degree in history education. His wife, Rachelle, a 2001 GU grad, also comes from a tall family. On both sides, the men average between 6’4” and 6’6”. From that gene pool has come a son who stands 7’1”, two daughters (one 6’1” and another 5’10”) and a fifth-grade son who is 5’5” and growing fast.

Now, as a content creator for GU, it’s Clark’s social media skills, not his dunking abilities, that allow him to serve his alma mater by elevating its online presence. He still does daily posts about his family’s activities, but he’s also encouraging people across campus to share their activities through online posts.

“The beauty of social media,” he said, “is that we are in complete control of what we put out. As we go through our day, we try to find content that shares who we are and what we’re doing. Sometimes we find things that capture people’s interest, but there are no guarantees.”

For instance, the Clark family’s biggest post ever, which garnered 175 million views, featured the Clark children attempting to give their 7’1” brother a high-five as they left their home. Only Rob was able to give him a proper high-five; the rest of the family was well below the mark.

“It was kind of a dumb thing,” Clark said, “but people really responded to that post, and it took off. You just never know. Doing everyday things like that seems to give people a sense that they know us. It invites them into our lives.

“We try to create family-friendly content that lines up with the values we have as Christians,” he added. “We want to be salt and light in a place that’s shaping our culture.”

At GU, he posts from various places on campus, getting the message out about the school to those watching on social media platforms. Because young people are huge consumers of social media, the posts keep the school in front of them as they make decisions about college.

Even President Suzanne Davis has embraced the social media method of promoting the school, regularly posting on several social media platforms. She often posts with another member of the faculty or staff, allowing them to share about things going on in their area of responsibility.

“My job is to encourage more and more campus people to post on social media,” Clark said. “Once they see it done, they realize that they can do it, too. In the beginning, I encourage people to take selfie-style videos and send them to me so I can give them feedback. The more people we have posting, the more eyeballs we can get on Greenville University.

“Social media posting is really pretty simple,” Clark added. “My entire production studio is in my pocket, my iPhone. I always have it with me, so I can create a post anytime and anywhere. And the beauty of it is that I can produce something without paying a dime. Then I can post on multiple platforms– Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok – to give me more reach.”

After graduating from Greenville University in 1999, Clark taught high school history for two years while Rachelle finished her education here. They then moved to her native Saskatchewan, Canada, where he was involved in business and a church ministry for two decades. They returned to the Greenville area last year to be closer to his family; and, after talking with President Davis, he agreed to help ramp up the University’s social media presence.

He said that the University is averaging about three posts per day, and those have significantly increased the school’s contacts with alums and potential students.

“GU has had more than 250,000 views in the past two months on all our platforms,” Clark noted. “By continuing to do that over time, we will get eyeballs on the posts and connect those people to the University. Social media is both a connector and an amplifier. We want to use those contacts to share the message about what makes this such a special place.”