Reaching Out with Social Media

Andrew Youngkin, MLSNNLM-SE/A

University of Maryland, Baltimore

Topics

• Discuss why social media can help• Review “Big 3” Social Media sites• Considerations when starting out• Building an Audience• Using social media for marketing & promotion• Evaluating social media efforts

Why Social Media

• Increased Visibility

• Increased Reach

• Audience Awareness

Getting Started

Who will set-up, monitor, administer? Who might our audiences be?What is appropriate, useful, relevant content?

The Big Three

• Facebook• Twitter • YouTube

Facebook Goals

• Getting “likes” connects you to Facebook users

• Posting content of interest to Facebook users• Building an audience

Content for Connecting

• Contact/About• Announcements • News• Events• Photos/Videos• External/Shared Content • Polls/Questions• Trivia• Links to other media (blogs, Twitter, Youtube updates,

etc.)

Build an Audience

Promote Social Media

• Email Invitations• Website• Business Cards• Email Signatures• Brochures, banners, posters, etc.• Other Social Media Sites• Be Search Engine Findable

Reach by “Liking” & “Sharing”

• Post “sharable” content• Post “likeable” content

User Analysis

• Reach Trend• Gender• Language• Geography

TWITTER

• Social Networking site limiting users to 140 character “tweets”

• Relies on “following” and “being followed”• Great for sharing announcements, relevant

stories, connecting to/conversing with specific users

• Lighter than Facebook

Twitter Goals

• Clearly stated contact/overview• Posting unique content, positioning as

expert/eyewitness• Get “Followed”• Being “Re-Tweeted”• Having event hashtags used, re-used• Having @call tag used, re-used

Unique Tools

• Tweet• #hashtags • @callsigns • Retweet• Searching• Trending

Twitter Tips

• Promote, address, reference, “shout out” a specific entity by using that entity’s assigned @ call sign

• Promote a specific place, event, group with a specific hashtag, beginning with #

• Share websites, links with shortened urls • Create as short a username as possible

YOUTUBE

• Video Sharing Site• Create Your own “channel”• Share videos, screencasts• Easy to upload and host from variety of

sources• Link to from other social media sites

Others

• Google+ • Linkedin • Pinterest

Google+

• Similar to Facebook• Networks are “circles”• Seamless w/other Google services• Hangouts• Some say will occupy more of social

networking market in future

LinkedIn

• Professional Social Networking• “Connections”• Online resume/CV/Portfolio options• Join Groups• Get Introductions • Create Events• Link Twitter, Blogs, contact information• Post announcements, news, articles

Pinterest

• Online Display Board• Graphical/visual sharing vs. text based• Create Boards, “Pin” Items• Libraries use to share collections

Recommendations

• Clearly identify responsibility for oversight/admin

• Clearly define appropriate, relevant, interesting content

• Align Facebook account with values, mission, purpose of organization

• Commit to consistency • Aim for objectivity • Measure effect/Assess ROI

ContactAndrew Youngkin

University of Maryland, BaltimoreHealth Sciences & Human Services Library NNLM, SE/A, Suite 508 601 West Lombard StreetBaltimore, Maryland 21201800.338.7657 (in region)410.706.2855Email: ayoungki@hshsl.umaryland.edu Skype: andrew.youngkin1

Blog: http://nnlm.gov/sea/newsletter/Web: www.nnlm.gov/sea