Data Toolkit

Social Media

It’s likely that during your project you will want to promote it. As well as using more traditional channels like notifying the local press, you may want to use social media to publicise the work you have been doing. 

TOP TIPS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

• Offer something interesting – people are unlikely to subscribe to your updates on social platforms if all you do is advertise your project. Try linking to content from elsewhere that people are likely to share and point out how it relates to the work you are doing.

• Be concise – don’t annoy your followers with walls of text. Try to make your point in a few sentences (or the length of a single tweet) and it is more likely to be read.

• Tailor your posts to the networks you are using – different types of content can be more effective on different channels. Think about the type of content you see on each network, think about what makes it more suitable for that platform, ­­­and adjust your own posts accordingly.

• Use photos and video. Recent statistics show that photos receive 120% more engagement from followers and fans, and videos get even more.

• Use analytics. Is there any point tweeting into the abyss? Is your market even using twitter? Are they more likely to be on Facebook? There are many free social media software packages available to help you track your audience.

• Know your audience – while you should try to take advantage of multiple platforms wherever possible, if your target community is unlikely to use a particular social network then there is no point focusing on it.

• You should be updating your platforms when your users are most active; this is usually during the morning commute (06:00-09:00), in the evening and at the weekends.

• Following similar organisations and engaging in mutual sharing will increase your reach (and theirs).

• Use hashtags to reach a greater audience.

• Keep an eye out for popular and trending topics and try and make your content relevant to them.