Creating a ‘Buzz’ with Social Media

Lori Greiner, Communications Manager, @lgreiner

Michael Sutphin, Writer, @michaelsutphin

VESA Conference, May 18, 2011

Overview

• What is social media?• Why be social?• How do you start?• How do I know if it is working?• What are the rules of engagement?• Where do I go from here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng

What is Social Media?

Social media is the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue.

-Wikipedia

Why be social?

• It is where everyone is.• Build community and engage your

audience.• Social media is the new local• It is no longer about talking, it is about

conversing. • To assist you professionally.

How do you start?

• Social media is a tool not a strategy.• Develop a plan with a goal mind.• Select the appropriate media. • Participate.

• Launched February 2004• More than 600 million members• All-in-one social networking service

(profiles, events, photos, etc.)• Building conversations through status

updates, comments, and “likes”• Pages vs. groups

http://www.facebook.com/CooperativeExtension

• Microblogging site launched July 2006• An estimated 200 million members• Messages, called tweets, of 140

characters or less• Join conversations through replies (@),

retweets (RT), and hashtags (#)

http://twitter.com/%23!/cesvalue

• Video sharing site launched February 2005

• Purchased by Google November 2006• Anyone may watch videos, and registered

users may upload unlimited videos• Channels allow users to create video

blogs

http://www.youtube.com/virginiatech

How do I know if it is working?

• Facebook Insights• Measure click-throughs- track links

– bit.ly

• Measure retweets and mentions• Measure feedback• Monitor global discussion and sentiment

How to Be Successful

• Post regularly with high quality content• Use visuals• Ask questions• Master one tool at a time

What are the Rules of Engagement

• Be transparent• Be accurate• Be mindful• Be respectful

Resources

• Beginners Guide to Social Media in Extensionhttp://collaborate.extension.org/wiki/Beginners_Guide_to_Social_Media_in_Extension

• Virginia Tech Social Media – Guidelines and Procedureshttp://www.unirel.vt.edu/web/social-networks/index.html

Where to Find Us

• http://www.facebook.com/VirginiaCooperativeExtension• http://twitter.com/vce_news• http://www.facebook.com/vtagricultureandlifesciences• http://twitter.com/VTAgLifeSci