To get the most out of using social media take some time to develop a solid strategy. When thinking about how they want to use social media, a lot of people start by saying, “We need to be on Facebook,” or, “Instagram is the hot new platform, we need to be there!” This is backwards because it focuses on technology rather than people and relationships. You need to start by mapping out who you want to reach out to on social media, what your goals are in reaching out to them using social media, and then determine which platforms will help you best meet your goals. Social media is not just about new technology, it is about people and relationships!

1. How To Develop a
Social Media
Strategy
Where Do You Start?
When starting a new project, no matter what it is, it is always good to have a plan. Who is going to be in
charge, when do you want to have it completed by, and how will you measure your success are all good
questions to ask at the beginning of your project. The same is true for social media. To get the most out
of using social media take some time to develop a solid strategy.
When thinking about how they want to use social
media, a lot of people start by saying, “We need to be
on Facebook,” or, “Instagram is the hot new
platform, we need to be there!” This is backwards
because it focuses on technology rather than people
and relationships. You need to start by mapping out
who you want to reach out to on social media, what
your goals are in reaching out to them using social
media, and then determine which platforms will help
you best meet your goals. Social media is not just
about new technology, it is about people and
relationships!
Think POST! 1
1. People - Figure out who you want to talk to on social media. What’s your target audience?
2. Objectives - Decide on your goals. What are you hoping to accomplish by interacting with people
on social media?
3. System - Create a system for managing your social media presence. Ask yourself some questions
like: Who’s going to be in charge? How do we keep people safe on social media sites? Who do we
need to talk to before setting up a social media presence? How do we track success?
4. Technology - Last, but not least, what social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,
Instagram, etc.) do you want to use based on your target audience and your objectives?
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“Social media is
about people and
relationships.”

2. People
Who do you want to talk to and engage with on social media? What people will help you to accomplish
your goals? Examples of some people that you might want to use social media to reach out to include:
• Professionals: caseworkers, foster parents, judges, lawyers, teachers, and service providers
• Policy Makers: state legislators, congressional members, local elected officials
• Volunteers: coaches, Court Appointed Special Advocates, mentors
• Community Members: youth and adults in the community, advocates, systems involved youth,
parents of systems involved youth
Objectives
Now that you know who you want to talk to on social media, what methods do you want to use for
engaging with them, and what are your goals? For example, when you first set up your social media
presence you may want to sit back and simply listen so that you can get a better sense of the cultural
norms on that platform, and how your target audience is using it. Or you might want to identify a few
members of your target audience and let them know about your plans and see if they’d be willing to
support you by retweeting you and sharing your Facebook status updates.
Here are some options for ways to engage with your target audience:
1. Listening - get on Facebook or Twitter and start following people
from your target audience to see what they’re saying.
2. Talking - start connecting with people and sharing information about
your organization.
3. Energizing - find the types of people you are trying to connect with on
social media and energize them by encouraging them to interact with
you and your organization.
4. Supporting - set up some spaces where youth, both within and outside
of your organization, can connect with each other and provide support
around the issues all youth face.
Set up a System
Now is the time to sit down and create a plan! You know you want to use social media, you know what
groups of people you want to reach using social media, you have some goals, and you know the ways
you’d like to interact with them, but how do you go about actually go about accomplishing your goals?
Follow some of the tips below:
• Create a plan that starts small but has room to grow. For example, start on only one or two social
media platforms at most.
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3. • Think through the implications of your plan.
- Map out sample scenarios that
might come up as a result of using
social media for your organization
and plan for how to handle them.
For example, what if someone
posts something really negative
on your Facebook page?
• Get buy-in from key supporters and
stakeholders.
- Let the right people know that
you want to start using social
media.
- Tell them about both the risks and benefits of using social media, and your plan for addressing
the risks.
• Put someone in charge of managing your social media presence, preferably someone who has
experience using social media.
- Recruit other people to help you monitor your social media presence daily.
• Develop social media user guidelines and policies.
• Identify what type of content you would like to post on social media based on your target audience(s)
and goals. For example, if you’re reaching out to youth to raise awareness about positive mental health
you would want to post content about positive mental health and well-being. This is called a content
marketing strategy.
Last But Not Least, Technology!
Once you have gone through all the other steps, you are ready to think about what social media
technology to use. Think about the types of people you are trying to reach on social media and select the
technology that they are using. For example, 40% of Facebook users are between the age of 13 and 25, so
if you are trying to reach youth, definitely get on Facebook! But if you want to reach behavioral health
professionals, consider using LinkedIn because that technology is used solely for professional purposes.
Here is a brief description of the most popular social media platform:
• Facebook - Facebook is the most popular platform. 50% of US adults use Facebook.
• LinkedIn - LinkedIn is used primarily by older, male professionals to market themselves.
• Twitter - Twitter is used primarily by young professionals to discuss current, real-time issues including
world events and business-related topics. Most Twitter users are between the age of 18-29.
• Pinterest - Pinterest is used primarily by women under the age of 50 to find and post lifestyle related
information.
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“Create a plan that
starts small but has
room to grow.”

4. • Instagram - Instagram are primarily young adults who want to share fun pictures of themselves, their
friends, and their interests.
• Google+ - Google+ is used by young white men in the technology industry to connect with each other
and learn the latest industry information.
• YouTube - YouTube is used by 27-35 year olds to watch and share stories.
YouTube is a wonderful platform to consider using when you’re trying to reach out to other youth and
share what it feels like to be a youth. You can purchase a small HD video recording device such as a Flip
camera for as low as $99 and create videos that spread messages both about your organization and the
issues that youth in your community face. The comic strip below developed by Idealware will give you a
good place to start.
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7. Write Down Your
Strategy
Step 1: People
Who are you trying to reach on social media? Write a list of your target audiences and be as specific as
you can (the general public doesn’t count as a target audience!). Examples could include behavioral
health professionals, other youth, supportive adults, funders, etc. Try and map out demographic
information about each group such as race/ethnicity, age, and gender - you’ll use this information later
on.
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Do the groups you’ve selected use social media? If so, why do they use social media and how? Conduct
a little research by going to the Pew Internet and American Life Project (http:// www.pewinternet.org/)
and by using Forrester Research’s Social Technographic Profile tool (http://empowered.forrester.com/
tool_consumer.html).
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Step 2: Objectives
What are your long term goals in using social media? What are your short term goals? What do you
want to get out of a relationship with the people you listed above as a result of using social media? Based
on these goals, how do you want to interact with these people using social media? For example, if your
target audience is funders, a goal might be to let funders know about your work - this would be “talking.”
List your goals below and identify which of the five objectives to use to reach that goal: listening, talking,
energizing, supporting, embracing. Remember that sometimes you have to start small and just listen.
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Step 3: System
Map out a workflow and system for managing your social media presence:
1. Identify the person or people that will be in charge of managing the social media presence for your
organization.
2. List who you need to get permission from and what stakeholders you need to engage with in order to
launch a successful social media presence.
3. Write down some of the steps you need to take to develop a social media policy and user guidelines
geared for youth (resources to help you accomplish this are listed on the last page).
4. List some of the types of content you would like to post, for example: statistics about youth and
mental health, ways to stay healthy, tips for adults on how to talk to youth about mental health.
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Step 4: Technology
Based on your target audience, goals, objectives, and system, start brainstorming what social media
platforms you might want to use. The best way to do this is revisit what you wrote for Step 1: People.
Re-list your target audiences and their demographic information and match that information to the
research you did on how those people use social media. Examples of some ways to use social media
include: Facebook page, Facebook group, Twitter, LinkedIn group, LinkedIn company page,
YouTube channel, Instagram, Blog, etc.
As a reminder, here is a brief description of the most popular social media platforms:
• Facebook - Facebook is the most popular platform. 50% of US adults use Facebook.
• LinkedIn - LinkedIn is used primarily by older, male professionals to market themselves.
• Twitter - Twitter is used primarily by young professionals to discuss current, real-time issues including
world events and business-related topics.
• Pinterest - Pinterest is used primarily by women to find and post lifestyle related information.
• Instagram - Instagram are primarily young adults who want to share fun pictures of themselves, their
friends, and their interests.
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10. • Google+ - Google+ is used by young white men in the technology industry to connect with each other
and learn the latest industry information.
• YouTube - YouTube is used by 27-35 year olds to watch and share stories.
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Resources
• Getting Started with Social Media: A Resource Guide - http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/
getting-started/
• Build Social, LLC - http://www.buildsocialconsulting.com/resources/
• Pew Internet and American Life Project - http://www.pewinternet.org/
• Social Media Examiner - http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/
• Mashable - http://mashable.com/
Content Marketing
• Google Alerts - http://www.google.com/alerts
• Content Marketing - http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing/
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11. • Mashable - Content Marketing - http://mashable.com/category/content-marketing/
Social Media Policy and Disclaimer
• 10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy - http://mashable.com/2009/06/02/social-media-policy-
musts/
• Tips for Updating Your Company’s Social Media Policy - http://mashable.com/2012/10/06/social-
media-policy-update/
• The Nonprofit Social Media Policy Workbook - http://idealware.org/reports/nonprofit-social-media-
policy-workbook
• Online Database of Social Media Policies - http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php
• Boston Children’s Hospital Social Media Disclaimer - http://childrenshospital.org/patientsfamilies/
Site1393/mainpageS1393P461.html
Social Media Management Tools
• 5 Social Media Management Tools You Should Consider - http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-
social-media-management-tools-you-should-consider/
• 8 Tips for Using Facebook Scheduled Posts - http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-
scheduled-posts/
• HootSuite - http://hootsuite.com/
• Buffer - http://bufferapp.com/
• Pingraphy - http://www.pingraphy.com/
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For more information and resources visit www.buildsocialconsulting.com
or contact Brittany Smith at brittany@buildsocialconsulting.com