Flummoxed by Facebook, thwarted by Twitter… here’s you easy guide to the different social media networks
If your council isn’t currently using social media, now is the time to consider why that is. These days, online presence is everything, and it is important to interact with your residents in a variety of ways. It is a particularly good way to connect with younger members of your community. Here’s our summary of the main social media platforms, and things you should think about before deciding to sign up:
Interacting with your residents on Facebook gives you the opportunity to share content, advice and opinions, entering into a conversation with people who are interested in your work. You should make sure that your posts are interesting and original, and that you respond to any communication in a timely and professional manner, as it will be seen by a wider audience. Facebook has the oldest demographic of the main social media networks and the fastest growing sign-ups are from the over 50s.
Share short 140-character messages and links with followers, enabling you to send (and receive!) instant information about what’s happening in your area, or anything else you think your residents may be interested in. Twitter is a very good way to get out short snippets of information to your residents. You can connect with, and follow, other local councils and industry bodies such as NALC to see what is going on in the wider community. It can also be an invaluable resource for finding information about funding or issues affecting your local area.
This is a business networking site that is growing extremely quickly. It is mostly used for recruiting/finding work and connecting with others. You can get by simply by creating a profile, but to really use it, you need to regularly update your status and participate in discussion groups.
This is an image-driven social network. If you have lots of pictures of your area that you would like to share with a wider audience and would like your parishioners to be able to share their pictures to your space it is a good network to use.
I Want To Give It A Go – What’s Next?
If you’re a complete beginner in the world of social media, it can be a bit daunting to know where to begin. We will be writing a series of guides on how to set up and effectively use each of the social media platforms, so watch this space…
