Social media 101

1. Social media 101 Session 2 – tips for getting started

2. Four sessions • Session 1: Overview of Platforms, Terms, and Demographics • Session 2: Tips for Getting Started – Strategy, Goals, Branding, Hashtags, and more • Session 3: Basics of How to Write for Social Media & Engagement Best Practices • Session 4: Designing and Selecting Images for Social Media

3. Who am I?

4. Building your strategy Tips for making your efforts more meaningful & impactful

5. Common mistakes • No strategy • No clear goals or objectives • Inconsistent • Gave up too early • Did not make it a priority

6. Foundations of strategy Determine: • Goals • Audience • Focus • Platforms Then get organized!

7. Going beyond the #selfie

8. Setting goals • Decide what you want to accomplish: • Tell your story • Increase attendance • Promote a cause or event • Expand your reach • Engage with the community

9. Determining audience Who do you want to reach? Consider: • Location • Age • Gender • Race/Language • Interest • Need

10. Focus your message What are you offering? • Brand • Product • Service etc. Brands that focus on a specific theme tend to perform well on social media and attract an interested, target audience.

11. Choosing platforms Choose a few platforms based on: • Your target audience • Your product/message • Your goals • What you can manage well

12. Posting frequency Quality of content is more important than quantity. Instagram: 3-5 posts per week Twitter: 1-2 posts per day Facebook: 3-5 posts per week Pinterest: 5-7 posts per week Snapchat: 1-2 posts per day if relevant

13. Keep it interesting Diversity is Key: • Keep it interesting • Create content for multiple channels • Experiment to determine what engages • Give your audience something special • Stay relevant • Use a variety of media types

14. Be Consistent Train your fans to know when to look for content: • Post regularly • Learn your optimal post times using analytics • Become an expert at your audience • Test & test some more Image Source: My Clever Agency

15. Organization • Develop a content calendar • Share calendar with your entire communications team • Schedule posts in advance (increased flexibility) • Plan across multiple platforms at once

16. Branding Simple tips to establishing your online brand

17. Keep the same name and look Make sure all your social media profiles look consistent and use the same name. • Reserve your name on all platforms • Check Knowem.com for availability • Use a consistent name • Use the same profile photo & a consistent design look • Use the same headline, blurb or bio

18. Rule of 7 & Integrated marketing The Rule of 7 states that a prospect needs to be exposed to a message at least 7 times before they’ll take action.Multiple touchpoints across different channels: • Print • Email • Social Media • Radio • Television

19. Branded hashtags Hashtags are a way for people and brands to create conversations, interact, and promote their message to interested audiences. Create your own unique hashtag to: • Brand your message/product • Guide the conversation • Create a curated stock of content that tells your story • Enable your audience to engage with you, contribute to the conversation, and become part of your story

20. Verify your organization/ministry facebook account More than 1 billion people visit Pages every month, and many of those visits are by people looking up businesses on mobile devices.

21. hashtags Joining the conversation

22. What is it & What is it used for? A hashtag is simply a way for people to search for posts on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+ & Instagram) that have a common topic and to join or begin a conversation. Formally known as the pound sign.

23. Why use them? Vital tool for increasing exposure to audiences that share your interest. Use a combination of: • Popular (widely used or trending) • Branded (unique to you/tells your story) • Niche (less used but reaches a targeted audience) Instagram posts with the highest number of engagements have 11 or more hashtags attached.

25. Use FREE sites like hashtagify.me, trendsmap.com or ritetag.com to find strong hashtags related to your messages or to capitalize on what is currently popular.

26. Trending #TWDatSI

27. In summary • A well calculated approach to digital communications needs to become part of a comprehensive communications strategy. • Create a roadmap, and be strategic. • Our goals must serve to direct people from the digital conversation to an in-person experience. • Make sure your goals are measurable. • Determine your target audience and focus your message. • Choose a few platforms and do them well. • Quality of content is more important than quantity. • Be consistent and leverage a diversity of content. • Get organized. • Make sure all your social media profiles look consistent and use the same name. • A hashtag is simply a way for people to search for posts on social media that have a common topic and to join or begin a conversation.

28. Questions? Follow @DigiEvangelismon Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more digital marketing tips and tricks. Visit SDAdata.org for more resources, blogs, and upcoming videos. The next class will focus on: How to Write for Social Media & Engagement Best Practices