Our Journey to Social Media SuccessHarlingen CISD Child Nutrition

SNA Survey - March 2015 Barriers to Entry

Barriers Overall

Finding Person or Time to post 53%

Developing/Generating Content 40%

Gaining Access to District Social Media 36%

Getting Parents and Students to follow 35%

Understanding how to use social media 30%

Approval of content by district 26%

District Social Media Polices/Guidelines 24%

Other 5%

How We Got Started

1) Facebook

2) Instagram

@TheCafeHCISD

@HCISDchildnutrition

3) Pinterest

Facebook

“Go to” platform

Visuals and Text

Greatest opportunity to interact

Strong presence in HCISD

4,800 followers

The Big Choice

Creating our own Facebook Account

“Harlingen CISD Child Nutrition” Using the District’s

Facebook Page

OR

Creating Our Own PagePr

os

Cons

• Post as much as you want

• Create your own audience

• Must post frequently to remain relevant

• Staying within District standards

Using the District’s PagePr

os

Cons

• Large, established audience

• Credible source

• Limited posts

Making a Decision

Decided to use Harlingen CISD Facebook Page Started by sending photo and text for post to the Director of

Communication

After several months (and posts) we were added as an page administrator

We now have the ability to write and schedule our own posts

SNA Survey - March 2015 What type of Content are you sharing?

Types of Content Overall

School Nutrition Promotions/Activities 76%

Information about Availability of Meal Programs 58%

Information about Free/Reduced Meals 54%

Photos of Meals from Cafeteria 53%

Nutrition Tips/Education 48%

Facts about School Meals 46%

New Menu Items 40%

Awards and Recognition 31%

Other 10%

Writing a Post

ALWAYS keep your audience in mind.

ALWAYS double, triple check spelling and grammar.

ALWAYS include a powerful picture

NEVER use slang, technical jargon (NSLP, NSBW, Reimbursable Meals)

NEVER use photos without permission

Post ExamplesBe Descriptive!

A post about food should read like a menu. You want to entice followers with your words as much as your photos.

Whole Grain

Tangy Marinara

Red Gold

Be Timely!

This post was scheduled to display the night before Mini Pizza Bagels were served

How to Schedule a Post

Begin typing in content field

How to Schedule a Post

Click the down arrow to the right of the “post” button

How to Schedule a Post

Select the date and time of future post

Instagram@TheCafeHCISD

@HCISDchildnutrition Photo sharing

Very popular with students and young adults

Managed and used from mobile device

Ability to connect to FB page

Mostly visual, less text

Instagram #whattheheckisahashtag Hashtags

Link posts together

Used primarily on Instagram and Twitter

General to VERY specific!

Examples:#schoollunch#realschoolfood#Harlingen#HCISD

InstagramRepost/Regram

Provides content AND engages users

Cannot be done through Instagram

Download a second app

“Repost”

Twitter

140 character limit

Tweets have short life

Twitter Terms:

Retweet, Hashtag, Favorites

Connect with the media, mom blogs, community, government

Pinterest Online scrapbooking

Organize and share other users photos

Upload and share your own

Moms use Pinterest

Peer sharing opportunity

80% repin, 20% post original content

Very little conversation

Where to go to get IDEAS!

SNA Survey - March 2015 Social Media Channels

Social Media Channel Overall Usage

Facebook 84%

Twitter 52%

Instagram 8%

YouTube 14%

Snapchat 1%

Smartphone App 20%

Blogs 11%

Start with a Plan

1. Keep it in perspective

2. Define and understand your audience

3. Pick a platform

4. Post once a day

5. Give them a reason to follow you

6. Customer Service, not just marketing

7. Consistency is key