Lesson 10 – Social Media Strategy (Part 1)

Social Media Strategy (Part 1)

To explore how social media can help build a brand, and determine what social media platforms to use depending on your goals and audience.

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Lesson Resources – Social Media Strategy (Part 1)

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Video Transcript – Social Media Strategy (Part 1)

Objective: To explore how social media can help build a brand, and determine what social media platforms to use depending on your goals and audience.

“Welcome back, Volunteer Managers! It’s time to get social with Social Media Strategy.

We’ll be breaking up this Module into two parts:

• Part 1 will focus on the social media fundamentals. We’ll explore the importance of social media skills, what you need to know to be successful, and explain a bit about each of the main platforms and the strategies used there.

• In Part 2, we’ll apply what we learned as Volunteer Managers to establish, manage, and grow online communities to propel our mission forward!

Sounds good? Great! Let’s get started.

Social media is more than just a way for us to stay connected with our families, friends, and loved ones. In fact, it’s estimated that 4.62 billion people in the world use social media – that’s over half of the entire population of the planet! The ratio is even higher in Australia, as nearly 80% of our population is active on social media; in December 2021, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter were Australia’s most popular social media platforms.

Social media is a way to communicate with friends, network with professionals, and build organisations. Each of these platforms holds endless possibilities, with each one catering to niche goals and purposes. For example, Facebook is designed for friends and family to stay in touch. Users can create Facebook Groups in which like-minded communities can connect. Facebook Ads is also a great tool to help organisations promote their cause and spread awareness.

Instagram is a more visual platform that caters for personal and business users alike. Recently, it’s become a hotspot for businesses to build their brand presence and for creators to share photos, videos, and designs.

Pinterest is less of a social-sharing platform than it is an idea-generating website. Users save and share pictures, videos, articles, and ideas they are inspired by, making it a great place to promote educational and inspirational content.

LinkedIn is the social networking platform for working professionals. It helps users find jobs, build their circles of influence, and expand their careers.

Twitter is a social platform that’s less visual than it is textual. Many celebrities, news reporters, businesses, and individuals share brief thoughts here regularly.

Don’t worry – we’ll dive deeper into some of these platforms in the accompanying Reading Portion, so you can use them to create opportunities for your team and organisation (and perhaps for yourself, too!).

We’ll also explore the power and purpose of developing a brand. You see, a ‘brand’ isn’t just a name, logo, or label on a product… In the social media and marketing world, a brand is an identity and personality that an organisation (or even an individual) develops by consistently communicating in a certain way with their audience. This can include a logo, slogan, and other traditional brand components. However, organisations use social media to build a relationship with their stakeholders. They use the platforms to speak to their target audience in authentic, consistent, and powerful ways that help them reach their goals.

By understanding how to use social media to build a brand, you can open up endless opportunities for your teams, programs, and organisation. Social media is another digital skill that can be learned outside formal education. It’s an accessible platform – you can get the most out of it with a smartphone and some practice. Nearly every business has a social media site, as it’s a way to drive traffic to their website and create relationships with their customers and followers. In fact, 55% of customers discover a brand through social media. It’s one of the most powerful ways to spread the word about a cause – and for the most part, it doesn’t cost any money! It only requires time, practice, and determination… Of course, you’ll need foundational digital skills and awareness to understand, harness, and realise this potential – which is what we’re here to do! Ready to learn more about how to use social media to build your digital skill portfolio? Let’s get started in the Reading Portion of this Module!”