Social Media: The Basics

Whether you're familiar with social media or still figuring out exactly what a "tweet" is, these resources will help you incorporate social media into your communication and outreach efforts by providing the basics of social media and how to use it effectively. You will also find ways to connect with others online as well as tools to create social media policies and practices for your organization.

How to become a social media champion
The resources in this section will help you understand the various social media tools and how they are used, basic information on how to get started using social media platforms, and principles of effective social media writing.

Social media plans, policies, and trends
This section includes resources to help you understand how to effectively use social media to achieve your agency's goals, craft a social media plan, and develop social media policies. Several resources highlight trends in social media usage.

A few steps to success

1. What do you have to say?

   What topics are you going to cover? (Choose areas in which you are influential or already reach a target audience.) With whom do you want to start "the conversation"? What other influencers in the field can you connect with? Start small. Pick one social media platform to start.

2. Commit resources.

   To stay on top of changing technologies, you need to engage current or budding social media champions in your agency, get senior level buy-in, and set up internal policies. A leadership that genuinely wants success will provide support when needed or when plans need to change.

3. Be human.

   Social media is more conversational than traditional media. People relate to each other, not to marketing or generic messages that do not embrace the feeling or benefits of social media.

4. Remember, it's SOCIAL media.

   Maintain an active presence. Build relationships. Build two-way communication, not a one-way or sporadic blast of information. Listen by paying attention to what your audience is seeking or responding to. Many social media tools have analytics to give insight into user behaviors. Read How "Social" Is Your Social Media? for more information.

5. Maximize the use of assets.

   Extend the value of something already online, like a video, by also putting it on Facebook or tweeting it. Get it out through the different types of social media.

These steps are adapted from Protecting Your Tweeps: Using Social Media in Child Welfare Organizations, a webinar presented by the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology on July 12, 2012.