Agenda
• Social Media Overview
• Best Practice
• Sites and Systems
Social Media Overview
Communication Evolution
Before Social Media Pushing out messages
Social Wisdom Inviting INTERACTION
Word of mouth
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EV
OL
UT
ION
© Fran Simon Copyright, 2012
Conventional Wisdom • Tell audiences
• Inform audiences • Educate audiences
Social Wisdom • Invite target audiences to engage
• Give them reasons to say good things
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Evolution of Communication in ECE
EV
OL
UT
ION
© Fran Simon Copyright, 2012
Who?
Parents Staff Funders
Partners Policymakers
Licensing Community
Donors
Target Social networking can help you connect with your target audiences
Engage(ment) • involve people intensely
• attract people
• draw people into conversation
• to take part or participate - World English Dictionary
It’s interactive!
Social Networking
Social =
9
Networking =
Social Media=
10
© Fran Simon Copyright, 2012 11
It’s social. This is early education! We’re doing business! Why do we
need social networking?
It’s just for kids.
It is one more thing to do.
Social Media Myths from the resisters!
We can’t keep it up. Privacy! Yikes!
Social Media Myths from the happy camp!
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It’s FREE!
It’s INSTANT!
It’s easy!
College kids are gr8 at it!
It will increase MEMBERSHIP!
Build it and they will come.
It is high-impact
It is pervasive
It’s just 21st century communication
Social Media Realities
© Fran Simon Copyright, 2012 15
Social networking will not solve all of your communication
and marketing problems
• Openness
Professional Social Media : is art and science that takes:
• Planning
• Persistence
• Policies
• Training
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Defensive: Claim org’s identity
Reach audiences where they go
Demonstrate accountability
Broadcast info
Respond to problems
Monitor/Listen
Build partnerships
Get and share information
Increased website traffic, SEO
Build Credibility
Social Media has everything to with providing
services to children
If they can’t find you, they can’t interact with, advocate for, or support you.
Tips: Best Practice
Do Not give It to the intern (without training and supervision)
Copyright, Simon and Donohue
Social media engagement
requires buy-in and support from the
program “ecosystem”
Director
Board
Families
Funders
Support Staff
Community Partners
Vendors
Main Office
I/T
Teachers
Tech Lead
Empower your teams…
…with positive social media policies 22 © Fran Simon Copyright, 2012
• Blog posts
• Videos
• Email newsletters
• Events
• News
• Website content
• Other Flavors
Post “Cravable” Content
Content is King!
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The right mix of engaging info
20% Promotion
80% About relevant, useful
information
What’s in it for “me”? Our program. Our needs. Our interests.
What’s going on and what’s great about us!
© Fran Simon Copyright, 2012
Listen and
Respond to Your
Organization’s “Competitors”
& Partners
What they post is often as important to your organization as
what you have to say.
Social Media=
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Blogging
Very deep, robust, & broad
~170 M blogs worldwide!
What’s a blog?
“Web log”
Conceived as
online journals Blogs in Plain English
03 Blogs Websites
Less formal Formal
Allow (invite)
comments
One to many
communication
Immediate Reviewed and edited
Weave in links to
other sites, blogs
Intended to keep the
visitor on the site
Focused, current,
and topical
Comprehensive:
products, services,
Updated frequently More static (except
news, sales, press)
Blogs and Websites?
• Birth to Thrive Online
• Early Ed Watch
• Lead from the Start
• Early Stories
• Preschool Daze
• Language Castle
• Preschool Matters Today
•The Grass Stain Guru
• Teach Preschool
•Let the Children Play
• Teaching Blog Addict
•Irresistible Ideas for Play Based
Learning
•Teacher tom
• Little eLit
• Early Childhood and Youth
Development
Read B4 blogging
RSS: How to keep up with lots of blogs
http://youtu.be/0klgLsSxGsU
Fast, Complex, Broad, Not Deep
“Microblogging” 14 characters or less Most often with links to information
@Twitter ID (@NBCDI) A tweet to a specific person that is visible to all
RT @Twitter ID= ReTweet (RT @NBCDI) Broadcasting someone else’s tweet
D TwitterID (D NBCDI) A direct message to a specific person (They must be following you, and you following them)
Tweeting In Action: Decoding the Symbols
# = Hashtag Hashtags define topics so they are searchable
The Art of the Link and the Hashtag
#parents
#NAEYCac
#NAEYC
#headstart
#HSprofs
#ECE
#earlyed
#prek
#preschool
#childcare
#Kinderchat
#ECEtechCHAT
Huge list of chats and hashtags:
http://www.cybraryman.com/edhashtags.html @cybraryman
Twitter Chats
Twitter toys
• Tweetdeck
• Hootsuite
• Seesmic
More toys for other Twitter fun!
http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter
Slow, Robust, Deep & Broad
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#1 Misconception
It’s for job searching
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“Propersonal”
• Not anonymous
• Professional
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• Professional Profiles
• Groups
• Status updates
• Company Profiles
Core
LinkedIn toys
• LinkedIn Browser Toolbar
• Hootlet by Hootsuite
• Sharaholic
Fast, Complex, Broad, Vast
1 thing to remember
Business pages
Gr8 Examples of ECE on
• NAEYC •Teach Preschool * 55,000 + (WOW!) •Child Care Resource Center, Ohio * •Bright Horizons • McCormick Cntr 4 Early Childhood Leadership • National Head Start Association • Children’s Defense Fund * •Teaching Strategies •No Time for Flashcards •Edutopia
LinkedIn toys
• LinkedIn Browser Toolbar
• Sharaholic
Like an art gallery. A visual Internet with
your friends as docents.
Let’s Pin!
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Get in there…
* Follow others …
* View videos and webinars…
* Get a social media buddy…
* Get buy-in
* Plan…
* Develop policies
To learn it
© Fran Simon Copyright, 2012
Engagement Strategies |EngageStrat.com
Facebook.com/EarlyChildhoodInvestigations
Linkedin.com/company/engagement-strategies-llc
Twitter.com/FSSimon
Pinterest.com/fransimon/
03 People /Sites you should know
Beth Kanter
John Haydon
Mashable, Social Media
Hubspot Marketing Resources
Linked Strategies
Additional Resources Social media resources for getting started
Social Media planning tools on my site
Twitter Tips, Tricks, and Power Tools
LinkedIn Presentations