Australasia Pacific Extension Network (APEN) SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY This strategy is underpinned by the Australasia Pacific Extension Network (APEN) Strategic plan 2012 2017. Goal The goal of APEN s involvement in social media is to foster relationships that contribute to an active and growing extension network related to Australia, New Zealand and the broader Australasia-Pacific region. Objectives Raise the profile and build the reputation of APEN as the leading professional organisation for extension in Australia, New Zealand and the broader Australasia-Pacific region among potential members, policy makers, sponsors and funders. Foster an active and vibrant online extension social network, including the promotion of opportunities and benefits. Audience - Extension groups at local, national and international scale - Individuals interested in extension - Scientific and research community Non Government and for-profit organizations - Policy makers - Government - Funders - Agribusinesses - NRM bodies Roles Social Media Supervisor is responsible for: - Managing approvals and access to new social media accounts and/or significant social media tools. - Liaison with Social Media Manager(s) on content - Ensuring staff/members they are aware of the social media strategy and comply with, the social media policy and guidelines. - This could be the APEN President, another designated MC member or the APEN Secretariat. However it should be one person only. Social Media Manager is responsible for: - Implementation of the social media strategy, including creation of content and evaluation and reporting. - Coordination, monitoring and management of APEN social media activities. - Integration of social media with offline communications. - Could consider more than one Social Media Manager. Platforms - LinkedIn will be adopted to build strategic relationships and initiate group discussions around extension to grow APEN s social network. - Facebook will be adopted to share stories and achievements of others. - Twitter will be adopted to share extension news and events. 1
Tools Hootsuite is a free online system accessible with a user name and login that supports the creation, publishing, and monitoring of social media content, as well as offers evaluation and performance capabilities. If more than two users are required to use Hootsuite the fee is $9.99 per month <hootsuite.com>. Integration with marketing and communications Content that is published on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn should consider offline key messages, activities and campaigns. APEN s social media presence should be advertised on print marketing material (ExtensionNet), at events/forums, at APEN s website and in email signatures. Evaluation The key performance indicators listed in tables 1 and 2 represent the social media key metrics which are used to track performance against objectives. Reports on key metrics will initially be compiled using the quick analytics feature in Hootsuite combined with Google Analytics and Facebook Insights. Subjective analysis is provided on key performance indicators such as brand sentiment. It is recommended reports are compiled on quarterly basis. 2
Strategy LINKEDIN: LinkedIn is a social networking website for people in professional occupations. A company page is a great if APEN is doing a lot of recruiting on LinkedIn, or if it would like somewhere to post information about the network. Otherwise a group is the best option for engagement and has a larger reach. Content Share APEN development opportunities Share APEN events and news Share interesting articles that encourage debate Ask a question about a recent extension initiative or story Be sure to provide responses to encourage continued discussion on a topic Extension groups APEN should maximise reach and discussion by sharing the content above with a list of targeted extension related groups on LinkedIn. Contributing to other groups is just as important as contributing to APEN s own group when it comes to developing a network and building relationships. - Brainstorm the best groups on LinkedIn to focus on. - Share upcoming events as well as feedback on how the event went - Choose discussion points that raise positive conversation about extension related to the Australia, New Zealand and the broader Australasia-Pacific region - Leverge members for maximum impact; encourage members to join targeted groups and share their stories and articles. FACEBOOK: Facebook is a social networking platform and a great tool for building and fostering an online community. TWITTER: Twitter is a real-time short messaging platform and effective in communicating with a targeted interest group. APEN should have one Twitter account that should represent the network on Twitter and be logical to find i.e. #APENetwork. Hashtags can be used around certain topics or events. i.e. #APENforum Messages developed for Facebook can be used as the basis for tweets given limited resources and time for APEN to tailor content for multiple platforms. However, APEN will still need to format tweets so they reflect the 140 character limit on Twitter and use functions such as @ for directing a message at a Twitter user and inserting links where appropriate. Twitter publishing criteria are given on page 4. 3
FACEBOOK evaluation criteria Table 1 Objectives Facebook key social activities Message source KPI Raise the profile of APEN Broadcast and promote events APEN events (International Conference & National Forum) Webinars APEN awards Share news from the network APEN and stakeholder news, leverage ExtensionNet, website articles & share the achievements of others Extension Advocacy Share case-studies about successful extension projects, promote membership & benefits Listings / Events calendar Stakeholder news ExtensionNet Members and secretariat input Brand sentiment i.e. Number of posts and nature of responses (negative versus positive) Increased fans (likes) Referrals to website Foster an active and vibrant online extension social network Share facts & education about extension What is extension? Why is it important? Who can be involved? Member profiles Share positive stories about people involved in the Network. For example, why they are involved in extension, what do they love about it? APEN Opportunities Share the professional development opportunities Conference proceedings, mentoring schemes and current vacancies TWITTER evaluation criteria Table 2 Members and secretariat input External sites Fan network Members input APEN website and secretariat input Number of people sharing content Number of people commenting or liking a story or post Objectives Twitter key social activities Performance indicators Events Number of mentions Raise the profile of APEN News Number of new Extension Advocacy followers Referrals to website Foster an active and vibrant online extension social network Facts & Education Member profiles APEN Opportunities Social media publishing criteria for Twitter Number of tweets sent by APEN Number of retweets Klout score Brand sentiment @ is the Twitter handle or ID of a Twitter user. # is called a hashtag and is related to a topic, i.e. #APENforum Links can be used in tweets, this could be to link to the APEN website to direct readers of your tweet to an article or further information. You can also attach photos and PDFs. You can Retweet a tweet! When you click the symbol on someone else s tweet it tweets the message from your account. Each tweet is 140 characters long; Order of your tweet: @ symbol, your message, links, then hashtag When tweeting use an active voice and friendly tone. 4
Conclusion Social media should be used to add value to your network! Having some guidelines will help you get kick started in the right direction. Add value to social media, your online profile and to APEN. Listen, share and contribute to the conversation much like you would in a face-to-face conversation. People are interested in content that means something to them! This document has been prepared by Heidi Wright (04 2768 9760) for APEN and represents a basic level social media strategy. Heidi Wright Communications Consultant Po Box 1386 Katherine NT 0850 E: heidiwright10@hotmail.com T: 08 8972 3129 M: 04 2768 9760 5
Implementation Notes for the APEN Management Committee: - Systems: Identify and appoint APEN Social Media Supervisor and Social Media Manager(s) as soon as possible. - LinkedIn: Setup APEN Company Page on LinkedIn. This will enable APEN as an organisation to post its own updates, start discussions and act as the owner of its own groups. - Facebook: Use Facebook Insights for identifying KPIs there is a link to it right there on Facebook login (it is an in-built analytics program) - Twitter: Make sure the APEN Twitter account name is one you want for the long term e.g. APENetwork - Twitter: Klout score is a measure of influence on Twitter. It is a built in feature within Twitter and is shown on your profile page. Anything above 40 is considered very good e.g. CSIRO s score is about 45. - Twitter: Retweeting is a great strategy to get going with Twitter. Creating your own APEN-specific tweets can come later. 6