The document provides guidance on using social media, particularly Facebook, to promote an organization's initiatives and build community support. It recommends posting engaging content like photos, videos and infographics to increase interactions and reach more people. Posts should be concise, positive and reinforce the organization's message. Images perform particularly well. The document also cautions that Facebook is not the place for nuanced arguments and instead issues the public cares about should be discussed.

1. Dinica Quesada, OEA Communications Specialist, quesadad@ohea.org

2. 2nd
11th
most visited
site in the
country behind
Google
3rd
56th
15th

3. Building Community Support

Increase awareness of specific OEA initiatives

Build / Reinforce OEA’s reputation as proactively working to
improve schools and advocating for the right of every child to a
high quality public education

Build / Reinforce public perception of OEA as the preeminent
source on education policy and issues

Enhance understanding of the union’s activities and services
Mobilization & Organizing

Gain volunteers and activists

Move activists to take action

4. TWITTER
 Connect with like-minded organizations
 Connect with the media
 Provide real-time updates
BLOGS
 Publicize your expertise
 Advance your issues or educate people
 Tell stories about your day-to-day work
 Promote your website

5. YOUTUBE
 Host videos
 Create content for website and Facebook
 Follow others
PINTEREST
 Drive traffic to your website and blog
 Become the go-to-source for information
 Crowd-source for content

6. FACEBOOK
 Increase feedback and discussion
 Drive traffic to your website and blog
 Spread information
 Attract event attendees
 Get people to take action
 Attract donations
 Build a community – increase members’
connection to your association

8. To reach the most
people you have to
play into Facebook’s
newsfeed algorithm,
and you can do that
two ways:
 Post rich content
like photos,
videos, and links.

9.  Get people to
engage with your
content. The
more often people
interact with your
page, the more
often Facebook
will show your
content to them.

10. It bears repeating: Post tons of images!

Make a graphic out of
information instead of just
typing it in the status
update. Simply overlay the
info in big, bold text over a
relevant image or a plain
colored background.

Find cartoons about
education

Take behind-the-scenes
pictures of your members
and events
Try www.pixlr.com or Picasa.

11. 
Create memes — you
can do it quickly on
www.quickmeme.com

12. 
Publish infographics. Publish a
chart or graph with data your
members would care about

13. 
Publicize events and programs

Share videos

Share tools & tips

Use petitions and other easy calls to action.

Message discipline! Make sure all posts, even the fun ones,
further your association’s overall message.

Make posts very short. If your info is long/complicated, link to
more information. (Note: Keep your website current — website
and social media go hand in hand)

Be positive.

Be informal and use organizing language. Posts with selfreferential words like ―I‖ and ―we‖ tend to get more likes.

14. 
Posts published on Saturdays and Sundays get more likes than
those posted during the week.

Content posted later in the day get more likes and shares —
likes peak around 8PM EST, while shares peak around 6PM EST.

Deliberate pacing gets more attention.

Facebook pages versus groups: no data with groups/no privacy
with pages

15. From Education Minnesota, Adapted from U.S. Air Force

16. Strongsville EA

17. 
Pictures are worth…

Establish Solidarity with
other OEA Members

Show a concrete action

18. 
Too Long

Link Says the Same Thing
as the Post

Alternative: Link and
Quote Only

19. 
Re-enforce Idea that you
are fighting for the
children

Establish Value of Teachers
to Children

Non-traditional Strike
Photo

20. 
Know Your Audience

Use Tips for Responding to
Negative Posts

Make Sure There Are
Members and Community
Members Who Will Post
Positive Comments

21. 
Avoid Temptation to “Do
the Math”

Facebook is Not the Place
for Reasoned, Well
Articulated Arguments

Alternative: Use Issues the
Public Cares About, for
Example: Class Sizes

22. 
Picture Instead of Text

Time, Date, and Location
all Clearly Visible

One Clear Message

24.  How to Get More Likes, Comments and Shares on Facebook:
http://danzarrella.com/infographic-how-to-get-more-likes-comments-andshares-on-facebook.html#
 Facebook for Nonprofits: Your Questions Answered [Speakeasy #18]:
http://blogs.constantcontact.com/product-blogs/social-mediamarketing/facebook-nonprofits-podcast/
 VIDEO: 5.5 Best Practices for Unions using Facebook:
http://youtu.be/EQqGjJVV6-A
 Your burning questions (& our answers) on Facebook metrics and
strategy!:
http://labs.mrss.com/your-burning-questions-our-answers-on-facebookmetrics-and-strategy/
 Social Media Tips on Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/dinicaq/social-media-tips/