Social media
may seem like a fad or something only teenagers are interested in, but these websites have become an important and useful tool for any non-profit organization or
business person. Social media are defined as any media that exist on the internet "that allow for the creation and exchange of user-generated content.
Furthermore, social media depend on mobile and web-based technologies
to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and
communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated
content." Social media are used to relay information between individual people, organizations, and businesses. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Vine,
Pinterest, and Google+ are all examples of social media.
At the
Saskatchewan Craft Council, we utilize three of these social media:
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Currently, we share almost all posts between these
three websites, but there is a move towards creating different
types of posts for each of these individual sites, as it creates a reason for
someone to follow all three accounts. However, it is up to you how you would like to best utilize social media.
Facebook is
useful for a business or non-profit in that almost everyone is on it.
This is no longer just a young person’s tool. My 92-year-old grandma uses
Facebook! Facebook can be used to post photos, status updates, videos, events, and
links to other websites. You can also share your Tweets and Instagram photos with your Facebook
account.
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| An Instagram photo shared to a Facebook page |
As an individual business person, if you are hoping to use social
media to raise awareness about your art, you should create a page for
Facebook, and not an individual personal account. This means people can like
your page instead of friending you individually, and they will still see your
updates in their news feed.
It's difficult, but important, to find a
balance with how much you post on Facebook. Too much, and you run the risk of
being annoying. Too little, and people may not know or care that your page
exists. A business’ Facebook page is about sharing a product, sharing where to get
said product, and sharing how the product is made. Feel free to share personal photos of you in
the studio, but avoid those photos of you and your friends at the bar or of your grandchildren at
the lake. Save such posts for your personal Facebook. Although social media
feels casual, you should still conduct yourself in a business-like manner.
There are many lists of tips on how to conduct oneself on Facebook. Most say you should be yourself, but also be professional. Post things that you would be interested in as a reader. Stay positive about everything you post. Promote yourself confidently and respond to people's questions and comments quickly and succinctly. Use proper grammar and punctuation and don't try too hard to be "cool" or "trendy." Facebook is definitely something used by people of all ages, so don't fall into the trap of attempting to speak or write like a teenager. Social media is all about sharing information and creating an online community.
For more tips about using Facebook, check out these webpages:
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