This document provides guidance on leveraging social media during a summer program to promote engagement and marketing for the following year. It recommends focusing social media efforts on target audiences like current and past participants and their parents. Suggested tactics include using images and video to show the program experience, encouraging participants to share using program hashtags, playing games to generate engagement, and linking social media content back to the program website to grow the mailing list for next year. The goal is to get people who have a need for the program to know, like, and trust it through social media interactions over the summer.

1. SUMMER LOVIN’
Leveraging Social Media During Your Summer Program
For Marketing and Engagement for Next Year
Lisa Colton
June 8, 2015

2. MARKETING IS…
GETTING SOMEONE
WHO HAS A NEED TO
KNOW, LIKE & TRUST
YOU

3. MARKETING IS…
GETTING SOMEONE
WHO HAS A NEED TO
KNOW, LIKE & TRUST
YOU
What do you now know about what
know, like and trust means?

4. What is their NEED?
MATCH IT WITH YOUR
UNIQUE OFFERING.
HOW DO YOU
MESSAGE
THAT EQUATION?

5. FOCUS ON TARGET AUDIENCES
• Who is your ideal
participant?
• How will you reach
them?
• What is their need?
• How will they trust
you?

6. #1 HOW TO REACH THEM
1. Participant networks
2. Parent networks
3. Referral networks

7. Parent networks
What are the key stories you want parents to
tell to their friends?
– Building maturity while having fun
– Resume building
– Empathy/social action
– A real SUMMER (outside, relax)
– Structured (safe) independence

8. Participant networks
• What content and opportunities do participants
want to share?
• How can you make sure your name is associated
with their amazing experience?
• Encourage them to use your hashtag because
you’ll regram some of them. Maybe you want
to offer an end-of-summer (or weekly) prize to
the best Instagram images shared?

9. Referral networks
If any of your
participants came
from there, tag them
in a post about that
teen sometime in the
summer to get their
attention.
Make a checklist!
Follow schools, youth groups, other programs
that might refer teens to you next year. What do
they need to know, feel, do?

10. #2 Make it come to life
1. SHOW, don’t tell – images, videos
2. STORIES (about participants, and intention)
3. Content that’s SHARABLE
Not just “this is what I
did”, but “this is how it
felt, and this is why it
matters.”

11. Pictures and video > than words
• Use Vine and Instagram video. Really! Can be
short and fun, or really focused.
• Consider handing over the keys of the official
account to participants to create and curate
content for a day through their eyes.
• Add a role for the program to have someone
do “day in the life” videos. Teens have skills!

12. Get ready, BE present
• If you’re not already established on Twitter,
Instagram – do it NOW!
• Google+ and YouTube are great for search
engine optimization. Add content there if you
have bandwidth.

13. Hashtags and usernames
Put on EVERYTHING – handouts, paperwork, signage.
Get participants using your name everywhere.
Share Your
SunriseWALKS Ex perience!
@Sunrise Day Cam p
@SunriseDayCam p
@SunriseDayCam p
#SunriseWALKS

14. #Hashtags and @Usernames
Tip: Follow people in your program. When
they talk about (and mention) you, follow them!
What are they talking about and sharing? Offer
more of that to help them share more.
Tip: Offer usernames (Twitter, Instagram) of
other staff and collaborating orgs if they are
willing to be mentioned. Make it personal!

15. Ask Questions
• Engagement is still the name of the game. Who is
listening to you and how can you engage them?
• Ask questions around the lessons and messages you
want to amplify. (Remember your audiences) E.g.
– What was the most profound summer experience you had
as a teen?
– Who are you still in touch with that you met during a
summer experience? (encourage people to tag those
friends!)
– What was the most important lesson you
learned in an internship?
– Thank a camper – who invited you to be part
of a Jewish summer experience? (tag them!)

16. Play Games
• Throwback Thursday – can teens working
with elderly ask to see photos of them in their
youth and post about those throwbacks?
• Trivia – what are your teens learning that you
could ask of the wider community?
• Photo caption – interesting photos that show
something about your messaging or are a
close up and pique interest
• Have participants create Snapchat
Stories (e.g. “A day in the life”)

17. Expectations
Be clear about media expectations
with participants.
You WANT them
sharing, but be clear
on what’s encouraged,
what’s sensitive, and
what’s out of bounds.

18. Connect it Back
• If your goal is to engage more people next year,
you want to connect back to your website.
• Have a form to get on the mailing list. Make it a
really easy, “we aren’t going to hound you”,
form.
• If you have a blog, that’s a great place to link
back for longer story telling. Have a link on
EVERY BLOG POST to fill out that form to learn
about next year’s program.

19. THE GOAL:
GETTING SOMEONE WHO HAS A
NEED TO KNOW, LIKE & TRUST YOU.
1.See and build awareness
2.Like and follow you
3.Sign up for your enewsletter/info
4.Share with their networks

20. Present Experience + Future Thinking

21. HAVE FUN THIS SUMMER!
CALL (or text or tweet) US WITH ANY
QUESTIONS or for SUPPORT!
Lisa Colton @lisacolton lisa@see3.com