SOCIAL MEDIA CRASH COURSE
SOCIAL MEDIA: THE BASICS
What is social media, and how can it be used for environmental communication?
Social media are online platforms where people can share, communicate and network. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter allow people to connect, post (photos, captions, videos) with and for friends, or reach people who follow their pages (followers). In addition to sharing personal information like recipes, holidays and so on, such platforms can also be used for activism, environmental awareness, and outreach for NGOs just like yours!
Twitter acts as an instant news and information deliverer, where each post has a limit of 280 characters. Users interact by sharing tweets (posts) and can see the posts of those who they follow. For nature organizations, Twitter can act as a great place to share information on upcoming events, organization news, and non-lengthy updates.
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For more information, here is a short video describing how to use Twitter!
Facebook is loaded with methods to communicate, share, and also can be used to promote information. On Facebook, you have a friends list where you can see posts of your friends, and what they share (videos, photos, articles, etc.). You also have the option to like different pages, where you can keep up with your favorite artists, organizations, restaurants etc. In case you are unfamiliar with Facebook, this page will help you get started!
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One great feature about Facebook is that it has an option for users to see upcoming events. For nature organizations, this feature could be a great tool for informing the community about upcoming events hosted by said organization. Through creating a page, organizations can also update their followers on news surrounding the organization.
Instagram is a platform where users are able to share photos and videos with their followers. Users also have the option to write captions (texts that elaborate on their posts). Here is a video to help you get started with using Instagram!
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Posting photos ad videos can be a great creative outreach method for nature organizations. For example, posting photos and videos from a wildlife volunteer camp could be a great way to inform the community (and global audiences) about what projects said organization is involved in.
A FEW USEFUL EXAMPLES
HASHTAG
Hashtags can be used for each platform previously discussed. Using the # (hashtag) symbol before a word or phrase will allow your post to click on the hashtag and see every post that has also used the same hashtag. For example, if you write #nature at the end of your post, your post will show up with every other post where #nature is also written. Here you can become more familiar with using hashtags!
SHARING
Sharing is an important aspect of social media outreach. By sharing a post, you are sharing that post with everyone who follows you, or sees your posts. This is how posts, and users, gain new followers. You can find more information on sharing posts on social media here!
POPULARITY
A post gaining popularity is connected to it being shared. The more times a post is shared, the higher chance it has of becoming popular. Gaining popularity also increases if those sharing your posts have a lot of followers. You can also be creative with your posts, and offer your followers something funny, interesting, or aesthetically pleasing. This article gives a few hacks on when the best times to post are.
BUSINESS VERSUS PRIVATE ACCOUNT
While twitter does not make a difference between private and business accounts, instagram and facebook do! Business accounts on those platforms can be tied to your personal account (so you don't need an extra password) and allow you to access features different and broader than what you get with a private account. If you do not have a business account for your organisation yet, you should set one up as soon as possible. You can also share the account with your colleagues.
Find out how to set up a business account for instagram here and for facebook here. For twitter, this blog gives you some advice on making an account for your organisation.
GOT IT?
Congratulations, you have just completed Module 1! We hope you know have a basic idea of the biggest social media platforms. If the information given on this site is not enough to satisfy your curiosity, don't forget to click on the sources linked in the sections above!
Otherwise, you are ready to...