The office of Web and new media presented a training on social media basics on Sept 25. The workshop answered questions including:

• Why social media is a worthwhile communication tool?
• What makes each social platform unique?
• What are some effective strategies for managing social media?

Why social media is worth your time:

Rather than having to seek your audiences out, social media platforms offer you the opportunity to connect and engage with your audiences in places where they already are.  In addition, social media can:

• Empower you to be your own journalist and share information from your own, unique perspective
• Facilitate opportunities to build relationships with people who are interested in your organization and activities
• Equip people to be ambassadors for your brand

It’s important to note that each social media platform has a unique user base, meaning that different platforms allow you to reach different key audiences. Demographic information for each platform is available in the presentation slides below.

Key practices for all platforms

There are a few, fundamental strategies that can set users up for success on a variety of platforms. Some of those strategies are:

• Integrate social media into your overall communications plan.
• Adopt a long-term philosophy. If you decide to commit to a page, stick with it and post frequently and consistently.
• Content is king. Share content that you and your followers will find interesting.
• Be authentic and infuse personality into your posts.
• Use photos whenever possible.
• Use hashtags on Twitter and Instagram.
• Tag relevant people, places and locations when possible.
• Whenever possible, provide a link for more information.

Review our basic tips for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube Instagram and Pinterest by downloading the presentation slides.

Learn more

Gain strategies for creating great content for your website, blog and social media accounts at the office of Web and new media’s next workshop, Short & Snappy: Writing for the Digital World, Oct. 26.

Registration is available in My Learning Connection.