Social media is becoming an ever increasing part of our lives and it effects the way we communicate with each other. In order for your Access Panel to maximise its impact you’re going to need to use social media. Below is an infographic offering some hints and tips on how you can put Twitter to work for you. They’re a set of golden rules you should be following when engaging with people on Twitter.
Maybe you’re looking for new members or you’re wanting to get the word out about a campaign the Panel is about to start? Either way, Twitter can be an extremely powerful tool when used correctly.
Let’s say that your Panel is about to start a campaign on Changing Places toilets in Alloa. It’s been identified that there aren’t any and you need that to change. Remembering the advice above, we can build on it with the following:
- Research – is there anyone running a similar campaign that you can link in with? In this instance you could link in with Pamis who carry out a lot of work around Changing Places toilets.
- Hashtags – come up with a short and snappy hashtag before you start and use this in every tweet you send. When it comes to twitter, the hashtag is used to draw attention, to organise, and to promote. Hashtags got their start in Twitter as a way of making it easier for people to find, follow, and contribute to a conversation. In this example, if you were to settle on #CPToiletsInAlloa as your hashtag then people who are also interested in Changing Places toilets in Alloa would be able to find you easier. If you then click on the hashtag once it’s been tweeted you can see who else is using it too.
- Hashtag Golden Rules – No spaces, no special characters and no punctuation*
- Try and use images when possible and always try and keep the human interest at the centre of what you’re doing. Ask yourself – who are we doing this for, why are we doing it for them and what benefit will it bring to them once it’s been achieved?
*Although you’re not strictly meant to use punctuation I always use capital letters to separate words as it makes the hashtag easier to read due to the lack of spaces
If you want to set up a social media strategy for your Access Panel you can contact Ian at SDEF. Remember that SDEF can provide support on a range of Panel related activity and remember to follow the Access Panel Network on Twitter by clicking here – AccessPanelNet
