"Using Social Media to Achieve Goals, Engage Citizens, and Improve Outreach" was presented at the Center for Health Literacy Conference 2001: Plain Talk in Complex Times by Sam Loewner, Social Media Specialist, MAXIMUS. Description: Learn what makes social media a uniquely useful tool to communicate with diverse audiences. This hands-on workshop will cover the uses of social media, the privacy and security concerns associated with new media, and how to write to reach your intended online audience.

1. Plain Talk Social Media Workshop
Using Social Media to Achieve Goals, Engage
Citizens, and Improve Outreach
Presented by Sam Loewner
9/22/2011
Plain Talk in Complex Times
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2. Workshop Goals
• How to think about social media: the basics
• Generating “good” content for social media
• Useful social media tools
• Measuring your social media success
• Activity
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3. SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINITIONS
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4. 4

5. 5

6. 6

7. Plan. Implement. Operate.
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
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8. Social Media Strategy
• The model: this presentation
• The components:
– Audience
• Who are “they?”
– Speaker
• Why should “they” listen?
– Objectives
• What are “we” going to accomplish?
– Content
• What are “they” seeing (or hearing)?
Overview  Audience  Speaker  Objectives  Content 8

9. Audiences – The Users of Social Media
• Although younger generations are more prolific users of social
media, older generations are rapidly adopting the services.
• Social media is popular across all racial demographics, and
different racial demographics use social media in distinct
ways.
• Social media, and the internet as a whole, are used by both
high- and low-income users. Low-income users may be more
likely to look for government resources online.
• Social media isn’t just for college students. Both Twitter and
Facebook are popular among those without college degrees.
Overview  Audience  Speaker  Objectives  Content 9

10. Audience Information
• Put your audience first
• Keys for learning about your audience
– Know the demographics
– Learn what commonalities exist
– Understand how and when they are listening
– What do they want to learn?
– Ask them about themselves
• Use this information to determine what kind of social
media channels to invest in.
Overview  Audience  Speaker  Objectives  Content 10

11. Types of Speakers
• Users expect different content from different sources
– Personal
– Organization
– Government
– Corporate
• Give people a reason to pay attention to you
Overview  Audience  Speaker  Objectives  Content 11

12. Objectives
• Don’t use social media just to say that you are using it.
• Determine what makes your presence different
– What are you going to offer that isn’t already out there?
• What are your “real life” information goals?
– Those goals should look very similar to your social media goals.
• Consider print or email outreach: social media can be another channel for
that AND accomplish things that those channels can’t.
• Examples:
– Customer Service
– Feedback and Reviews
– General Outreach
Overview  Audience  Speaker  Objectives  Content 12

13. Content
• The Four Keys of Good Content
– Make it personal
– Make it interesting
– Make it urgent
– Make it shareable
• Remember, it’s a conversation, not a lecture.
– What would you tell a member of your audience if you were on the
phone?
• Things to include
– Links, Questions,
Calls-To-Action
Overview  Audience  Speaker  Objectives  Content 13

14. Tools. Measurement. Privacy and Security.
SOCIAL MEDIA MECHANICS
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15. Introduction to Social Media Tools
• Websites and resources that make your strategy a
reality
• Tools change frequently
• The best way to learn about tools and services is to
experiment and use them.
– Talk to friends and family who use these services.
• We will cover: Blogs, Twitter, Facebook.
– It is also important to understand LinkedIn, YouTube, and
smaller networks.
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16. Blogging – Wordpress
ToTo you
visitors
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17. Twitter – Twitter.com
• 140 characters
• Symbols to know:
–@
–#
• Links
• Lists
• Making Twitter more
manageable: Hootsuite
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18. Twitter - Hootsuite
• Multiple sources of information • Organization
• Scheduling •Shortened Links
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19. Facebook – Facebook.com
• Host conversations
– Post news, videos, and
useful links.
• Keep updates short
• Customize wherever
possible
– Landing pages, apps
• Use with Hootsuite, if
necessary
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20. Measurement – Google Analytics
• Learn about your
audience: where are
they?
• When do they visit
your sites?
– Are you fighting the current
or moving with it?
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21. Measurement – Facebook Insights
• Who are the people that like your page?
• Are you preparing content that makes sense for your
audience?
• When do people like to visit? Are people interacting with
your content?
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22. Measurement – High Level Thinking
• What do you want people to know or do?
• Attempt to measure how social media impacts an
audience’s knowledge or actions
• Don’t get caught up in the numbers
• Don’t forget: ask your audience
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23. Privacy and Security
• DO NOT: create an
environment where it
seems acceptable to share
protected information
• DO: Create a comment
policy AND a monitoring
policy
• DO: Attend the eHealth Privacy and Security
breakout tomorrow morning
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24. Review and Activity
CONCLUSION
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25. Review
• The element of a social media strategy
• Useful social media tools
• Measuring your online outreach strategy
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26. Use what you’ve learned.
ACTIVITY
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