Using social media

Regardless of what social media platform you choose to use, there are some consistent themes to improve the quality and coverage of your work:

  • Create a calendar: The most successful event planning involves a calendar and attention to detail. Create regimented times when you are going to post information. Websites such as www.hootsuite.com will schedule tweets or posts for you; so, you can do a day’s worth of posting in a matter of minutes.

  • It’s not just copy: The more images and videos you add, the more likely followers will repost the message.

  • Ask open-ended questions: Some of the best feedback we have seen involves simple things, like what people are doing this weekend.

  • Don't always talk about yourself: Consumers know when they are being sold an idea or actual item. If that’s all someone does on the social space, they will eventually tune out all of your messages. Inspirational quotes, cute pictures, art or relevant articles about things important to any family will help created a better-rounded presence. That, in turn, will yield a more receptive audience when it is time to promote specific events.

If you’re organizing a local National Adoption Day event, you can help publicize it using social media like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or your blog.

Here are a few sample social media posts.

Link to NAD Facebook Facebook

If you’re using Facebook, there are two primary ways to promote your event: by posting information about it on your timeline and by creating an event page for your celebration.

Facebook provides detailed instructions on how to create an event page. The National Adoption Day website provides you with logos you can use on your page – as well as information about the national event.

Creating a separate event page allows you to devote that entire page to information about your event as well as other news about the national event. You can use the page to invite your friends to your event and share posts that are relevant to the issue of adoption. For example, you might consider asking friends who have adopted children or participated in National Adoption Day to post their experiences on your event page.

Be sure to ask your friends to share your posts on their own timelines to broaden the number of people you can reach. And be sure to post often enough that your event will be noticed among all the other information that flows into Facebook.

At the event, encourage everyone to check into the event location on their Facebook page. This is a simple way to let people know an important event is taking place. Just select the “Places” icon when visiting Facebook on a mobile phone.

NAD Twitter Twitter

You can also use Twitter to keep people up to date on your local event or to share information about National Adoption Day among your followers.

You can tweet normally about your event but may be more successful if you create a hashtag – which is like a key word -- that people can use to find tweets about your event (for example, #NADBiloxi). Be sure that the hashtag you choose is descriptive of your event and not too long.

Good information about hashtags and how to use them can be found here.

At the same time you are tweeting about your own event, you can help build broader awareness of National Adoption Day by following the event’s national partners and retweeting their content. Partners with Twitter feeds are:

The Alliance for Children’s Rights: @KidAlliance

Children's Action Network: @ChildrensAction

Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute: @CCAInstitute

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption: @DTFA

Pinterest Pinterest

Pinterest has become the third most used social networking site behind Facebook and Twitter.

Pinterest is an invitation-only website that allows users to organize and share images found on the web. People can browse pinboards created by other people to get ideas about everything from planning their weddings to decorating their homes – and they can leave comments.

If you think you might want to use Pinterest to promote your local event, find out all you can about using it first. A good primer can be found here.

Pinterest also would provide a longer form opportunity to engage families. As talked about in the overview, it’s key to not just talk about yourself in the social space. Pinterest would provide families of adopted children a chance to interact in a variety of different ways, using visual images and graphics to steer the conversation in areas like:

  • Food recipes
  • Clothing
  • Student art
  • Picture of events
  • Fun places to take kids
  • School related items
  • Resources/toys for newborns, toddlers and others
  • Adoption-friendly workplaces

Please note, materials may have the date from the 2013 event. This website is undergoing a major redesign and will relaunch in late October. The date for National Adoption Day is November 22, 2014.


Sponsored by:
http://www.nationaladoptionday.org/event-organizers/tools-resources/social-media-tips
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