Social Media 101

2014 Rural Spring Conference Connecticut Rural Transit Assistance Program

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

1

Susan Bregman OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

Agenda

What is social media? Types of social media

How transit operators use social media The digital divide Plan for success

Common concerns

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

2

WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA? How social media differs from traditional communications

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

3

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

4

Trad

ition

al m

edia

•  Agency generated

•  Static •  One-way

messages •  Agency voice •  Information

Soci

al m

edia

•  User generated

•  Interactive •  Two-way

conversations •  Multiple

voices •  Engagement

TYPES OF SOCIAL MEDIA

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

5

Net

wor

king

•  Facebook •  LinkedIn •  Google+ •  GovLoop

Mic

robl

oggi

ng

•  Twitter •  Tumblr •  Instagram

Med

ia sh

arin

g •  YouTube •  Flickr •  Vimeo •  Scribd

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

6

Blog

ging

• WordPress • Blogger • Posterous

Soci

al C

urat

ion • Pinterest

•  Storify

Oth

ers • Crowd-

sourcing • Geolocation •  Social

buying

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

7

WHY USE SOCIAL MEDIA? How transit operators use social media to inform, connect, and have fun

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

8

Provide service updates 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

9

Offer agency info 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

10

Support local events 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

11

Toot your own horn 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

12

Talk with your riders 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

13

Connect with community 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

14

Ask for support 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

15

Poll your passengers 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

16

Thank your workers 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

17

Recruit new ones 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

18

And have some fun 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

19

A few examples

Facebook – Mountain Line (MT) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mountain-Line/171971302849360 Facebook – Champaign-Urbana https://www.facebook.com/CUMTD Twitter – OATS Transportation https://twitter.com/oatstransit Twitter – Mountain Line (WV) https://twitter.com/MountainLine YouTube – Kansas City Metro https://www.youtube.com/user/ridethemetro YouTube – MATBUS https://www.youtube.com/user/matbusfm Blogs – The Buzzer Blog http://buzzer.translink.ca/

Blogs – The Source http://thesource.metro.net/ Flickr – MTA: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtaphotos/ Flickr – TriMet http://www.flickr.com/photos/trimet Instagram – LACMTA http://instagram.com/metrolosangeles# Pinterest – Capital Metro http://www.pinterest.com/capitalmetro/ Google+ – Foothill Transit https://plus.google.com/101045175752750595042/posts LinkedIn – Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority https://www.linkedin.com/company/vta?trk=company_name

20

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE Who is using social media and who is left behind?

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

21

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

22

Who’s not online? 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

23

Online, 81%

Offline, 19%

47% of seniors

33% of low-income households

49% of people with no high school diploma

46% of people with disabilities

Internet use is growing

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Internet adoption, 2000-2013

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

24

And so is broadband

Broadband versus dial-up, 2003-2013

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

25

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

2003

20

04

2005

20

06

2007

20

08

2009

20

10

2011

20

12

2013

Dial-up Broadband

Who uses Facebook?

86%

73%

57%

35%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

100%

18-29 30-49 50-64 65+

Facebook users by age in 2012 Percentage of Internet users.

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

26

Who uses Facebook?

68%

62%

69%

73%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

Less than $30,000

$30,000 - $49,999

$50,000 - $74,999

$75,000 and over

Facebook users by annual household income in 2012 Percentage of Internet users.

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

27

Who uses Facebook?

72%

65% 63%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

Urban Suburban Rural

Facebook users by urban setting in 2012 Percentage of Internet users.

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

28

PLAN FOR SUCCESS Getting started with social media

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

29

Set the stage with a policy 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

30

Pick your platform

Use Twitter for short time-sensitive announcements

Use Facebook to post information and engage riders

Share photos of your system and local events on Flickr

Use a blog for longer posts with more background information

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

31

Find your voice 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

32

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

33 Develop engaging content

Help people find you 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

34

Measure your results 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

35

Typical metrics

• Gauge size of community • How many friends, fans, and followers Reach • Track audience actions • How many shares, retweets, comments, or

downloads? Engagement

• Who’s talking about you? • Share of voice in industry or mentions by

competitors Voice

• Assess positive or negative mood of comments • Data mining Sentiment

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

36

Measurement tools

Free

•  Built-in analytics (e.g., Facebook Insights)

•  Google Analytics* •  HootSuite* •  Klout •  HubSpot Marketing

Grader •  IceRocket •  SocialMention •  WooRank*

$

•  Buzz Equity •  Mention •  Spredfast •  Sprout Social •  Trackur

$$

•  Cision PR Software •  Lithium •  MediaVantage •  Meltwater •  Salesforce Radian6 •  Synthesio •  Talkwalker •  Vocus

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

37

* Free and paid levels

COMMON CONCERNS

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

38

“We won’t be able to control the conversation”

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

39

You won’t. It’s appropriate to manage illegal or offensive behavior, but… Thick-skinned agencies can use social media to learn about their riders and their service. And people are talking about you anyway. You might as well join the conversation.

Social media is not for control freaks.

“We don’t have the resources”

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

40

Social media is free…like a

puppy.

“What if something goes wrong?”

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

41

“Do we have to keep records?

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

42

“Our riders don’t use social media”

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

43

What advice did practitioners offer?

•  Pick your platforms •  Consider the organizational impacts •  Find the right voice •  Listen, listen, listen •  Have fun •  Just get started •  And keep moving

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

44

ANY QUESTIONS?

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

45

Want to read more? 1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

46

More information about the book is available here.

Read www.thetransitwire.com

Contact me

Susan Bregman Oak Square Resources, LLC susan@oaksquareresources.com 617.783.8630 www.oaksquareresources.com www.thetransitwire.com @TheTransitWire @OakSquareSusan

1 April 2014 OAK SQUARE RESOURCES, LLC

47