“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
One of the most important ways to address the multifaceted and complex issues of ocean conservation and rising sea levels is to educate the youth who will be the decision-makers and leaders of tomorrow.
I had the privilege of speaking at the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit (YOCS) on January 30 at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island. Over 35 middle and high school students invested a full Saturday to learn about conservation tactics and citizen science programs. This was Georgia’s second annual YOCS and it was one of several summits taking place across the country.
The full-day event included skill-building workshops, brainstorming sessions, citizen science programs and panels featuring professionals who are working in the field. In addition to my presentation, I sat in on panels about sustainable fishing, microplastics in the ocean, oysters, horseshoe crabs and more.
A primary goal of the summit was for students to walk away with an action plan for a conservation project they can implement in their communities. So, in the last session of the day, students broke into groups. They brainstormed ideas, developed their projects and then presented to the group for feedback.
In my presentation, one of the skill-building workshops, I discussed how students can take advantage of social media to build awareness for their projects. Below is a sample of the nuts and bolts of a social media campaign.
Social media campaign basics
Starting a social media campaign can be overwhelming. What channels are crucial for success? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Periscope, YouTube or Snapchat? How often to post? What content should be shared? What constitutes success? There are many questions to answer and this process can easily get out of hand. Therefore, it is helpful to define goals early.
It is crucial for social media goals to be aligned with the overall strategy of the organization or cause. Is the goal to recruit volunteers, attract donors, create a following, start a conversation or move people to action? Likely, it is more than one of these. Establishing goals early on helps one to understand what is working well and provides a quantifiable way to measure success.
The next step is to identify one’s audiences. If the messages are targeted towards friends or classmates, they will likely be very different than messages that are created for school administrators or community stakeholders.
Creation of a plan comes next. It is important to determine what types of accounts need to be created, what number of accounts are manageable and how often to post on each account. If a conservation project has several compelling photos, then Instagram would likely be a valuable platform. If there are many important statistics, facts and online resources to share, then Twitter can be a good option.
We all have limited time and resources, so it is important to focus on the specific social media channels that will be most effective for one’s audiences and for the type of content that will be shared.
The next step is to design marketing or promotional materials. It is necessary to determine where to direct followers of social media posts. Is this a blog on WordPress or Tumblr, or is it a website built on Weebly or SquareSpace? Additionally, an individual or organization may want to create event flyers and create a suite of compelling photos that elicit action or help them achieve their goals.
Implementing your plan
Alas, it is time to get started. Social media works most effectively when the person behind the account is authentic. Therefore, it is important to be yourself and show how passionate you are about this issue.
Once the campaign is implemented, it is crucial to take a step back and evaluate progress regularly. That way, one can determine which posts are most effective and how the social media campaign is helping the organization or individuals make progress towards their goals.
These are just a few basics from my social media workshop. To see my full presentation, click here. While this presentation was prepared for middle and high school students, the strategy and best practices advocated can be helpful for any organization that wants to more effectively use social media to engage with its audiences.