Lately we’ve been getting requests from libraires and other nonprofits for guidance on setting up a more coordinated approach to establishing a social media presence. Many have already stepped into the arena because it is necessary, but are now trying to catch up and decide what exactly it is that they are doing.
Thought I’d share with you a few documents that we’ve developed to articulate what we are trying to accomplish. If they are of any help to you, have at it. If you have any questions, let me know that, too.
First, I’ll say that the coordination of the social media strategy is a marketing function. A unified, coordinated voice is the essence of successful marketing, and that is no less true in the social media world. Absolutely the voice of staff can be given a venue, but most important is the voice of our customers. Sometimes, in the eagerness for staff to work in this area, the interchange with customers gets fragmented and a cohesive marketing presence is at risk.
So attached are a few items:
1. A Social Media Strategy.
We created this document to articulate basic principles around how and why we are in this space.
2. Status Report Template
It is important to create a communication link between customers and internal stakeholders (who don’t check Facebook/Twitter, etc., like some of us do.) These reports help complete the loop.
3. Social Media Policy
We believe that our library should have one voice in this space, which means staff can’t create their own library-branded presence. Certainly they are encouraged to create their own private ones, but not ones overtly defined by the library. The attached policy defines the expectation.
If you have any similar documents you’d like to share here, by all means please do so.
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