AFS-USA Returnee Initiative

Social Media Strategy

By Alexa LightnerRI Communications Task Force Intern

Background of the Returnee Initiative

Formed in 2009

Mission“The AFS-USA Returnee Initiative engages Returnees throughout the Returnee Life Cycle by providing resources, support and opportunities for their growth, development and connections thus encouraging a life-time of participation within the AFS community.”(AFS-USA, Inc., 2011)

The Returnee Initiative Communications Task Force aims

to create a social media strategy to help the Returnee Initiative

accomplish its mission

Best Practices for Building Online Communities

• Create content that creates a conversation• Remember that social media needs to be authentic, organic, and

experimental• Listen to the community, act on feedback, and be flexible:

“Building a strong community means paying attention to what that community thinks and does.” It also means keeping the community in the loop and maintaining a dialogue with it at all times. (Betancourt, 2010)

• Assign community leaders for each social media platform. “The best communities tend to cohere around leaders (i.e. community managers) … the best leaders inspire leadership in others.” - Matt Thompson, interim online community manager for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (Betancourt, 2010)

• Don’t try to be everywhere – “[Make sure] you’re not diluting a community presence by having several outposts, but no nerve center” - Seamus Condron, community manager at Mediabistro.com (Betancourt, 2010)

• Be consistent with your brand on all related social media platforms • Don’t dictate - Support and advocate for the community managers

don’t dictate to them or try to set the tone of conversation.• Be relevant – “Avoid frequent posts that would not pertain to your

base at large. Otherwise fans will lose interest, and worse, begin to consider your status updates as spam. That's a sure way to lose your audience, no matter how great your offerings.” (Topper, 2009)

• Give people a reason to come together. “Consider why and how your customers use social media, and align your goals for your efforts accordingly.” (Collier, 2009)

Best Practices for Building Online Communities

Using Online University Alumni Networks as a Case Study

Returnees are to AFS as alumni are to universities, so researching best practices for alumni engagement in

social media can provide valuable insight!

9 Ways Universities are Engaging Alumni1. Using a LinkedIn group sponsored by the university to help alumni find jobs

2. Connecting current students with alumni to help them transition by:– Sponsoring Wikis for alumni and students to collaborate on shared topics– Allowing students to join the LinkedIn group before graduating

3. Making fundraising personal with Tweets and Facebook pages– Tweeting to alumni about donating– Creating pages with live updates about $$ raised and donors to post about

donating in their FB statuses4. Teaching older alumni how to use social media with training sessions incorporated

into alumni events5. Going where the alumni already are

– Some schools have created their own social networking sites, but many have joined the social networks where alumni are already active

6. Creating widgets about the school that alumni can post on their own sites7. Allowing alumni-generated content, such as photo contests on Flickr8. Promoting the official group (as opposed to the alumni-generated groups) on the

school’s alumni website and with targeted campaigns9. Collaborating with Google Maps to allow alumni to map their locations

(Lavrusik, 2009)

Overview of the Returnee Initiative Strategy:“AFS-USA Returnee Reconnect”

Overall ObjectiveUtilize social networking as a primary tool for engaging Returnees, both online and in-person, to create sustainable connections with AFS-USA: • Aggregate and disseminate Returnee-related

information and opportunities on a local and national level

• Provide a venue for Returnees to conduct personal and professional networking

• Raise awareness about the Returnee movement using overlapping, consistently-branded social media platforms that suit different Returnee demographics and preferences

• Build a following that could possibly transfer to World Cafe

Overview of the Returnee Initiative Strategy:“AFS-USA Returnee Reconnect”

National Facebook

Page

RI National Facebook Page Strategy

ObjectiveTo build a large, strong, and personal Returnee network by creating a forum and hub for the Returnee movement to reconnect and collaborate. • Aggregate local events• Encourage conversation • Post LinkedIn job opportunities and national AFS

volunteer/job opportunities• Provide a venue for delivering information to Returnee

Coordinators• Serve as a bridge to more information about getting involved

with the Returnee Initiative

RI National Facebook Page Strategy

Examples of Content• Discussion forums• Map of local Facebook pages

(like the one pictured by the Bare Escentuals Facebook Page)

• Status updates (linked to the Twitter) with:– National volunteer

opportunities/opportunities to get involved with the Returnee Initiative

– Returnee-related news articles – Links to opportunities on

LinkedIn– Polls to get feedback and

generate discussion• Posting of local events from the

local Facebook pages

Apps & Other Things to Consider• Facebook Places• Use Facebook Notes as a Returnee-related

blog• Causes App: Fundraising for AFS-USA, Inc.• Creating a Vanity URL:

ex. Facebook.com/returneereconnect

RI National Facebook Page Strategy

• Travel Map App with a joint map where returnees can mark where they have traveled

• Blockwild Map App for mapping local Facebook events

• Friends Map App to map where the page’s fans have checked in to Facebook places across the country

• Customizable tabs using the Static FBML App for:o Information on getting involved with the

Returnee Initiative

Local Facebook Pages

RI Local Facebook Page StrategyObjective To create a local AFS Returnee social media presence by creating new or adding to existing locally-oriented Facebook pages, which:• Grow and adapt organically to local Returnee needs• Allow for local Returnee networking• Sponsor and promote local Returnee-related events and opportunities• Pass on information and updates from the national Returnee Facebook page• Consolidate existing local returnee pages (if any)• Initiated and monitored initially by Returnee Coordinators, who serve as

brand ambassadors

Suggestions/Examples of Content• Posting of local Returnee meet-up events• Posted local volunteer opportunities• locally-specific discussion forums

RI Local Facebook Page Strategy

National LinkedIn

Group

The Current AFS Returnee LinkedIn Presence

Searching for AFS on LinkedIn yields the following groups that could incorporate AFS-USA Returnees:

2,363 Members

467 Members

201 Members

152 Members

106 Members

43 Members

31 Members

11 Members

Because it was the largest Returnee-specific group, I asked

the AFS Intercultural Program Returnees group what it wanted…

... and it wanted consolidation!

From the Founder of “AFS Intercultural Program Returnees”

LinkedInMaya Broadfoot has sent you a message.Date: 4/11/2011Subject: RE: AFS Returnee GroupHi Alexa-

I think the vision for the group is pretty simple, just connecting AFS returnees and providing a forum for questions, networking, job searches, etc. I think this group is not terribly active, I have posed some questions before and other members have as well, but it isn't very interactive at this point. Likely because, I haven't had time to really work at it. If someone within the AFS organization is interested in leading the discussion, I would gladly cede ownership! I think consolidating groups would be a great idea.

Maya

RI LinkedIn Group StrategyObjectiveTo provide Returnees with a professional networking tool that:• Serves as a resource for hiring, job

searching, and professional advising • Accesses an older, more

professionally-oriented demographic than Facebook and Twitter

• Bridges the age gap between younger and older Returnees

• Consolidates existing AFS-USA-related returnee LinkedIn groups

Suggestions/Examples of Content• Job/internship posts by older Returnees seeking help• Job/internship/volunteer opportunity posts by AFS-USA• Posts by younger Returnees seeking professional advice• Automated messages to new members directing them to the

national “Returnee Reconnect” Facebook page and Twitter• Announcements to the group up to once a week with Returnee-

specific information• Posts linking to news/announcements disseminated first by the

national Facebook page that are relevant to professional networking and/or older returnees

• Use of keywords repeated throughout the group, such as “Returnee,” and “AFS,” to optimize search and promote consolidation

RI LinkedIn Group Strategy

(Howes, 2011)

National Twitter Page

RI National Twitter StrategyObjective To correspond with and enhance the national Facebook page’s objectives by:• Reposting updates and

opportunities from the national Facebook page

• Reaching a slightly different social media user demographic than Facebook

Suggestions/Examples of Content• News articles relevant to Returnees

• Topics could include: Returnees in the news, the job market, AFS news, diplomacy, study abroad opportunities in college, etc.

• Re-posts from the national Facebook page• @Mentions to Returnee followers

Local Twitter Page

Objective• To correspond with and enhance the local Facebook pages’ objectives by:• Reposting updates and opportunities from the corresponding local

Facebook page• Reaching a slightly different social media user demographic than Facebook

Suggestions/Examples of Content• Notifications of Returnee events organized through the corresponding local

Facebook page• Posts of geographically-relevant information• Re-posts from the corresponding local Facebook page• @Mentions to local returnees

RI Local Twitter Strategy

Works CitedAFS-USA, Inc. (2011). Returnee Initiative. Afs wiki. Retrieved April 11, 2011, from

http://www.afswiki.org/index.php/Returnee_InitiativeBetancourt, L. (2010). 8 things to avoid when building a community. Mashable, Retrieved from

http://mashable.com/2010/01/05/community-engagement-pitfalls/Collier, M. (2009, February 01). Why your community-building and social media efforts aren't

working. The Viral Garden: Blurring the Line Between Company and Customer, Retrieved from http://moblogsmoproblems.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-your-community-building-and-social.html

Howes, L. (2011). 7 ways to maximize linkedin for business. Webinar, https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/546443603/106883489

Lavrusik, V. (2009, July 23). 10 ways universities are engaging alumni using social media. Mashable, Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2009/07/23/alumni-social-media/

Topper, H. (2009, December 1). How to build a social media campaign. Businessweek, Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/nov2009/ca20091130_155161.htm

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