This document discusses how Young Scot, a charity organization in Scotland, engages with young people aged 11-26 through social media. It provides an overview of Young Scot's services and impact, including information cards for 420,000 members. The document then focuses on Young Scot's approach to social media, discussing platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs. It outlines best practices for social media engagement and encourages organizations to interact, vary content types, and engage audiences through multiple channels.

1. Engaging with Young People
through Social Media
Young Scot

2. Young Scot
Young Scot is the national youth information and citizenship
charity for Scotland.We provide young people, aged 11 - 26, with
a mixture of information, ideas and opportunities to help them
become confident, informed and active citizens.
• Make informed decisions and choices
• Turn their ideas into action
• Take advantage of the opportunities available to them in
Scotland and the rest of Europe
• Have the confidence and knowledge to take their place as
active citizens in their communities- locally, nationally and
globally

3. Key Impacts
INFORMING
LEADERS OPENING
IN EUROPE DOORS
INFO
(UNCRC)
TAKING
IMAGE ACTION
CAPACITY
BUILDERS

4. Core Services

5. Some stats...
• 420,000 Young Scot NEC cardholders across Scotland
• Partnership with all 32 local authorities
• 10m page requests per year on www.youngscot.org
sites
• Young Scot NEC - 1,200+ discounts in Scotland
• 100,000 reciprocal deals across 42 countries
• 65,000 copies and 32 local versions of the Young Scot
Book published in 2012
• IIP Gold Accreditation achieved in 2009

6. The Changing Face

7. Tech Lives

8. Tech Lives

9. The Power Shift

10. What is Social Media?
Social media is the term commonly
given to Internet and mobile-based
channels and tools that allow users to
interact with each other and share
opinions and content

11. Sharing

12. Informing

13. Communicating

14. Gaming

15. Not Just Facebook…

16. The YS Approach

17. Facebook

18. Facebook – What to Look For

19. What is Twitter?
“Twitter has replaced muttering to yourself on the
sofa.”
Frankie Boyle
“Twitter is weird. Weird but lovely. That's over a
hundred comments on my socks. all positive I'm
pleased to say, but nonetheless....”
Stephen Fry

20. Follow YS

21. Stay on Top of Twitter

22. YouTube

23. Evaluating YouTube

24. Blogging the Truth

25. Gamification

26. Mixing Channels

27. Up Next...

28. Recent Trends
• Big increase in social media usage by young
people.
• Social media used as an information source.
• Interactive is best.
• Timeline FB – apps, creative content crucial.
• Response time significantly reduced!
• Young people will spread the word.

29. Do and Do Nots
Do
Engage in conversation - Interacting with an
audience through various social media channels
is key to creating a strong dialogue with
stakeholders.
Don’t
Forget that a social media presence becomes
part of a brand legacy - Posts, pictures, images,
tweets, status updates (content in general) can
stay online forever.

30. Getting Started
• What are your main objectives?
• Who is your target audience?
• Which tool is best for you?
• Do you have the resources to commit?
• How will you evaluate the success?
• Are there any barriers e.g. firewalls, company
policies?

31. Top Tips
• Let your objectives drive the tool, not the other
way around.
• Have a consistent voice.
• Plan ahead.
• Vary your content type.
• Cross link your content.
• Combination of tools is best.
• Don’t be scared to try something new.

32. Remember...
• It’s long term – don’t expect immediate results
• It takes effort – You must be willing to engage
• It’s about member engagement – Facilitate
conversations between, you and your members
and among your members.
• If you want your members to spread your
message you have to trust them

33. Where Next?

34. Be Social!
Martin Dewar, Digital Director
E: martind@youngscot.org
T: 0131 313 2488
Twitter: martindewar