Imperial public engagement workshops: Social media for public engagement Simon Levey 11 February 2015 #impPEworkshops

Who uses social media? Users of social media include: Students and schoolchildren Researchers/academics Funding organisations and charities Philanthropists and entrepreneurs Companies Universities and academic institutions Pensioners Doctors and nurses Celebrities Sports stars and athletes …in short, every demographic now uses social media, so the opportunities for engagement have never been better! 2 #impPEworkshops

Why should you use social media? Social media for public engagement Direct interactions with the public Opportunity for two-way conversation regardless of location Share your message widely, quickly and with people who might otherwise not hear about it Encourages you to think creatively about your content Get engaged in discussions where you have expert opinion to offer Find out what people think about your work Ask questions and engage in debate with other people in your field in a public arena 3 #impPEworkshops

Familiarise yourself Social media at Imperial Guidelines and usage policy (HR) guide/tools/social-media/ Accounts at Imperial (official Departmental/Faculty channels) #impPEworkshops

Do you need a channel? Consider these factors before committing to running a dedicated channel or account: Time commitment Content and frequency Creativity and multimedia What do you want to achieve? #impPEworkshops

Choose a platform Different social media channels have different benefits and shortcomings, and audiences expect different things. Twitter – 234m active users. #impPEworkshops

Choose a platform Different social media channels have different benefits and shortcomings, and audiences expect different things. Facebook 1,366m active users. #impPEworkshops

Different social media channels have different benefits and shortcomings, and audiences expect different things. Instagram – 300m active users Choose a platform #impPEworkshops Completely photo-led, so all posts must contain image. Good images with right hashtags do well, and can be posted across other social media too.

Choose a platform Different social media channels have different benefits and shortcomings, and audiences expect different things. Video – Vine (60m active users), YouTube (1 billion users/month) #impPEworkshops Content needs more production value, but can be more engaging. Need to ensure it is quick and snappy, like all other social media.

Setting up your channel Make sure to include the following information: Your real name - even if you are using a moniker or different handle Who you are and what you represent - e.g. ‘I’m Simon, I work on events and public engagement. I like cats and #science.’) Photo or image – something that reflects you or what your account will represent and talk about What people can expect to see posted by following you How often you will post (where relevant) – Think about setting yourself a target (eg 1 tweet per day) and see if you can stick to it, #impPEworkshops

Good practice tips Be authentic and honest Be timely and relevant Be collaborative Mistakes are OK Be playful, but avoid sarcasm ;P Use images/multimedia in posts Hashtags and handles Analytics and measurements #impPEworkshops

Express yourself (10 mins) In teams, come up with posts for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for: Imperial Fringe: Lit Up Hashtag - #impfringe Link: Key message: Come to the Fringe! To consider: Length of post Hashtags/handles Images or video Creative opportunities or ways to be funny #impPEworkshops

Added extras For events or special occasions, there might be scope to do fun things like: Twitterwall – everyone using the approved event hashtag has Tweets that appear on a screen at the event or conference. We did this with Imperial Festival 2014 and will do it again this year (#impfest) Storify – produce a news story for your website/College website that pulls together posts around a topic or event (e.g. Fringe or Festival, World Cancer Day etc.) Analytics/measurement In-built ways to measure social media statistics in most platforms. Can give you insight into what type of posts are most popular, same as with Google Analytics providing that insight for a website. Can then guide the content you produce and overview of your audience. #impPEworkshops

Next sessions – Read Lecture Theatre 18 Feb Interactives 25 Feb Impact evaluation 4 March Festival briefing 11 March Telling a story 18 March Drop-in session #impPEworkshops