Social Media Roundup/Online Engagement

Social Media Roundup
Online Engagement
Connecting with an Online Audience

Agenda
This week’s Social Media Roundup will take a look at how to engage online audiences, and how to keep them coming back.
Introduction
Establish a dialogue
Ask for content
Keep it fun
Listen and learn

Talk to the audience, not at them
Social media is more than just a platform to push command messages, it’s a social community.
Platforms like Facebook and Twitter, help people bridge enormous geographical gaps to connect, talk and interact.
Using social media can be incredibly valuable to a communication strategy, but it needs to be more than just a sounding board for organization messages.
It’s important to use social media to facilitate the conversation, engage the population and keep people interested in what’s being discussed.

Establishing a dialogue
Starting the conversation and keeping it fresh

Social media has taken water cooler discussions online. Now instead of small conversations among friends and colleagues, social media allows for world-wide discussions.
In order to harness the power of conversation, it’s important to facilitate discussions. Asking questions on social media platforms helps bring higher visibility to the conversation.
While the conversation may not always be favorable to an organization, it’s important to be open to different opinions. Online discussions can spark change, inspire leaders and inform the public.

Creating a conversation online can be a simple as posting a question to Facebook or tweeting out a link.
It’s important to realize that soliciting individual experience can sometimes outweigh the power of simply distributing links and information.
Asking people to tell their stories allows others to learn from their experiences. Creating dialogues can empower an online community and connect people with similar stories.

Asking for content
Empower the audience

Asking for content
In addition to starting a dialogue, one way to engage an audience is to ask them to submit content for social media platforms.
On the left is an example of how the Army’s Facebook site approached this year’s Army/Navy football game. The Online and Social media team asked for Army/Navy artwork, and then featured it on its Facebook site.
Appealing to the creative side of an online audience can provide fresh and unique content for a social media platform.

Asking for content
The content of a Facebook site, Twitter site, YouTube channel, Flickrphotostream or official blog can be enhanced with audience-submitted material.
Audience-submitted content helps keep social media platforms fresh, but more importantly, it demonstrates a commitment to the audience.
An organization’s online credibility grows when an online community believes the organization is listening.

Asking for content
When soliciting content, it’s important to have an email address prepared to receive the content.
Do not authorize or advise online audiences to post photos, links or videos directly to the wall of the Facebook site.
While most audience members have the best intentions in mind, authorizing or advising an audience to post links, photos or videos can lead to spamming, and the posting of inappropriate photos and videos.

Keeping it fun
Photo naming, trivia and challenges

Keeping it fun
One way to keep online audiences interested in an organization’s social media platforms is to keep the interaction light and fun.
It’s important to find new and interesting ways to engage an audience.
On the right is an example of the Army’s “Name the Photo” feature. The Army’s Facebook site asks the online community to name an untitled Photo of the Day. At the end of the day, the social media team renames the photo on Flickr.
New photo name

Keeping it fun
Trivia and challenges are also a good way to keep an online audience engaged.
Friendly competitions with sister units or organizations can lead to a spike in audience participation.
On the right, at the top, is an example of a trivia question asked on the Army’s Twitter page. And below that is a screenshot of a friendly competition where the Army challenged its followers to keep pace with the U.S. Marine Corps Facebook page.
While it’s encouraged to keep content light, never provide monetary prizes to an audience. Polling the audience is also strongly discouraged.

Listening and learning
Reading comments and asking for audience feedback

Listening and learning
While it’s important to engage an audience and let them lead the conversation, it’s equally as important to listen to what the audience is saying.
By watching the wall on a Facebook site, or by reading the comments on a blog post, social media managers can get a feel for what the online community wants to hear about.
Sometimes, it’s useful to talk to an audience directly. Ask for feedback and suggestions, and then act on that feedback.
A social media platform accomplishes very little if the online audience is not interested in what’s being said. Listening to an audience can mean the difference between maintaining a successful social media presence or an irrelevant one.

Summary
Encourage online audiences to participate in the conversation. Ask questions about topics that matter, and don’t shy away from negative opinions. Social media is a great place for discussion, it’s important to be a part of the dialogue.
Ask users to submit content. Audience-submitted content will keep a social media platform fresh while at the same time establish credibility for an organization. If an audience knows an organization is listening to them, they are more likely to keep coming back.
Balance the fun with the medicine. It’s important to put out command messages and organizational information, but it’s also important to have fun from time to time. Don’t be afraid to have fun by posting interesting links or asking trivia questions.
Listen to the online audience. Comments and wall posts can provide great insight into what the community is interested in. Asking how a site can be improved can enhance the effectiveness of a social media presence.

Contact information
Have questions? Please feel free to reach out to us at the Online and Social Media Division
Email:
Ocpa.osmd@us.army.mil
To review and download past editions of the Social Media Roundup, visit our Slideshare site at: http://www.slideshare.net/usarmysocialmedia
12/8/2010
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
PENTAGON
17

Social Media Roundup/Online Engagement

by U.S. Army on Dec 08, 2010

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Social Media Roundup/Online Engagement Presentation Transcript