Using Social Media Tools to Create Brand Awareness and Reach Your Target Audience

Tammy Champo Carol HendrycksMarketing Communications

Salt Lake CountyDivision of Youth Services

Social Media for Government Conference

Overview• Barriers and Obstacles• Developing a Branding Strategy• Integrating Social Media • Reaching the Target Audience• Bridging the Communication Gap• Summary of Lessons Learned and

Overcoming Obstacles

Youth Services• Established in 1974• Mission Statement: Providing

children, youth and families in crisis with immediate Safety, Shelter and Support

• Programs: Safe Place, JRC, After School, Christmas Box House, Boys/Girls Group Homes, Short-term Counseling, Youth and Parent Groups, Children’s Justice Center, Y.E.S.

External Barriers/Obstacles Summer 2009 - County• CMS application outdated, not supported• Limited ability to optimize or site (no metatag)• Limited graphics layout• Social media icons/links not allowed

– Considered promotional – lack of education• Social media sites initially blocked• No social media policy• No county communications team existed

Internal Barriers/ObstaclesA Step Back, Not a Setback

• General Assessment and Collateral Review– Limited graphics or html training– No communication budget– Messaging and graphics

not multi-purposed resulting in little value, voice or unique identity

– Programs brochure outdated– No communications team– No program discussion– Not reaching youth– No social media used – Website and e-news only

– No identity standards or communications program

– No division logo– No visuals to support

mission

Where Did We Begin? Branding Strategy• Develop YS logo considering reputation, existing

program and clients served – division approval required

• Develop imagery to support YS mission statement: safety, shelter and support

• Update content to support and integrate with images to meet and appeal to target audiences:– Youth, Parents, Families, Allied Agencies, Donors,

Volunteers, Supporters• Promote new branding/communications across

division and county wide

•

Consistent Branding Across All Communications

• Photos, icons and colors designed to support the mission statement

• Imagery inside photos ties in with icons

• E-newsletter Redesign

Integration: Traditional and New Media Communication Tools

• Channels of communication materials and tools:

• Offline: press releases, printed materials (letterhead suite, flyers and brochures) slide presentations, TV and Radio PSA’s, outreach events, open houses

• Online: Web Site, Facebook Twitter, YouTube, e-newsletter blog, e-mail signatures

• Communications Guideline

Social Media Strategy• Higher level management buy-in• Establish a communications team as a collaborative

effort to develop social media– Extend messaging into new channels, overcome

stigma/misperceptions of organization and clients served• Reach the target audience missed through

traditional outreach efforts– Engage and interact with youth – meet them on their

social technology level• Bridge the communications gap among programs

and employees

Social Media Strategy - Actions

• Social media team discussion– Select social media tools or channels for

distribution– target audience, best usage, benefits,

concerns, moderator/administrator– develop content: calendar of events,

team contributions and frequency, multi-purpose and integrate communications, social media policy

– Focused on Facebook, created campaign to build a fan base

Reaching Our Target Audience through Social Media

• Piloted “I Make a Difference” targeting teens:– to showcase contest art entries, create a permanent

space/tab, re-purpose entries– to gain more teen followers– promote a positive teen image in community– Created opportunity to cross promote through Twitter,

YouTube, LinkedIn, GovLoop, e-newsletter, web

Campaign theme

FaceBook Followers – Campaign Results

Results: gained over 300 new fans in the 13-17 age group over a 6 week period

FaceBook Page Views – Campaign Results

Keeping the Social Media Momentum Going• Introduction of the blog

“The Youth Booth”– Benefits:

• A voice• Message and images have

longevity• Archival• Establish Youth Services

staff as the “Experts” • Allow our clients to be stars

with customer testimonials

“Youth Booth” Blog Launch• Launched with

2-3 posts• Promotion: e-mail blast

(internal and external), Facebook, Twitter (general and direct message), LinkedIn, web site, Boards/Meetings

• Results:– 250 “Youth Booth” page views within 2 days of launch– Facebook views in Aug. increased 65%

Blog Launch Responses“I really liked this tool. The articles are just the right length, providing useful information in bullet-point fashion.  I especially found the pieces on teen employment and coping with death very useful and practical.”Darrin SlugaCommunity Development DirectorSalt Lake Valley Health Department

October - Red Ribbon Campaign Month• Integrate social media into month long

drug awareness campaign– Clarify communications’ role as external

promotion in campaign– Launched a pledge on Facebook – Organized a “Teens and Drugs: Identify the

Warning Signs” webinar– Promoted on all sites and news spots

(Linked In Groups)

Red Ribbon: Results• Goals Reached

– Media Coverage– New contacts and online

channels of distribution– Set up Youth Services as

experts in teen drug abuse treatment

– Gained new fans• Lessons Learned:

– Facebook user patterns = engage through news feed, not on profile page

November Open House Event & Program Launch • Opportunities

– Created the event and urgency/timeliness of the program as winter approaches

– “Re-package” and promote new services for homeless youth

– Strengthen relationship internally with Outreach team– Partner with (2) key community agencies– Integrate traditional and social media tools –

took a new approach in promoting

Open House Event Follow-up Survey

Open House EventFollow-up Survey

How Are We Measuring Success?• Call logs • Number of walk-ins • E-mails opt-ins/e-vite tracking open rate

using Vertical Response tool • Web traffic/page• Number of fans/followers on

Facebook/Twitter• Blog visits• Program referrals• Develop and train on internal reporting• County communications team involvement

Bridging the Communication Gap• County - External

– County communications team born Oct 2009– County-wide collaboration– Attorneys, records, IT, and communications creating

social media policy and procedures– Key contacts for posting communications established– Submitting process developed– More content added from all agencies creating more

value to public and support for county exposure– Created a unified voice for county

Bridging the Communication Gap• Youth Services - Internal

– Communication materials branded and social media tools utilized

– Gave a unique, youthful face and voice to organization

– Programs are co-branded and now identified under YS organization

– Strengthened internal relationships and dialogue– Opened channels for youth to stay connected – Approved for communications budget and staffing– Style guide established

Lessons Learned through Social Media • Team Effort

– Share the Load– Multiple Administrators– Monthly Program Updates– Set Posting Frequency

• Create an event/campaign for urgency• Create a Calendar Year of Events• Analytics: Track your Results

Youth Services Destination Sites Today

• http://twitter.com/YouthServiceSLC

– http://hootsuite.com

• http://www.facebook.com/YouthServicesSLC

• http://youthservicesslc.wordpress.com/

• http://www.youtube.com/user/YouthServicesSLC

• http://www.youth.slco.org/

Contact Information• Thank You!• tchampo@slco.org • chendrycks@slco.org