- Know your audience. Reflect on who you are most likely to be communicating with online. Tailor your content to the specific audiences you want to reach.
- Choose the online platform(s) that best meets your online community’s needs. Understand how the platform functions in terms of post frequency, and type of content being uploaded.
- Build a framework to establish basic guidelines on what is or isn’t appropriate to post in your social media space and consider having a moderator who approves community posts to uphold those guidelines.
- Make a schedule of what and when you will post online and stick to it. Prepare posts ahead of time to help you maintain your schedule.
- Post consistently on your social media platforms so people know what your program is doing and feel connected through your updates.
- Be clear, concise, and informative when posting. Include as much information as possible, but be clear on what information you can or can’t post (such as sensitive data or preliminary information).
- Take Lots of Photos. Having consistent documentation of your program allows your community the ability to see what has been going on in their territory.
- Use hashtags consistently in all your posts.
- Respect privacy by carefully reviewing your written posts, photos, and videos for personal information that you do not have consent to share (such as license plates or children’s faces).
- Maintain your tone, stay consistent, stay positive, and be genuine in your engagement. Sharing your personality when you are posting will resonate with your audience and communicate that you are a real person who is learning every day.
- Engage and build relationships with people in the community you serve. Engaging in positive communication can get your community excited about your work and make it easier for them to contact you directly for information.
Special thanks to Chelsie Parayko, Amberly Quakegesic, Nicole Morven, Jimmy Morgan, and Pamela Vernaus for contributing their expertise to the TST webinar, Communicating About What You Do.
