Indirect influence
Although your target group may be young people ( for example ), parents of those young people may be reached via a platform used more frequently by older road users , such as Twitter or Facebook . This may be useful as some platforms used by younger people are complicated and can pose challenges - such as creating effective ‘ stories ’ about your messages on Snapchat . We are not suggesting that parents can tell young people what to do , and they will do it , but there may be potential to influence choices at key times , such as when a driving instructor is being sought , for example .
Keep it fresh
A regular , but relevant , stream of messages , posts and information makes it more likely that your content will actually appear in front of people . An events calendar may be a useful way of doing this , ensuring that planned posts will be delivered on particular days , coupled with a range of ( promptly ) reactive messaging that will make connections between your work and contemporary issues , news stories or situations . It is also possible to reuse and repost top posts that are not time / day specific . Hashtags can be used strategically within some social media platforms to ensure that different groups see a message , whether or not they are followers of your account . Encourage followers to share not just ‘ like ’ as this increases your post reach .
‘ Thanks for your message !’ Interacting with individuals who send messages or ask questions is important , both for those active followers , and to ‘ lurkers ’ ( those who do not interact but observe ). Interacting with followers helps to develop a relationship between a social media approach and the general public in a way that shows you are human , you care , you are happy to interact with the public and you are able to provide answers ( where possible ). The individual ( s ) responsible for managing a social media account should not only be able to successfully navigate , use and interact within that social media platform , but should also be able to respond to questions that may be asked , ar at least be able to direct individuals to others who will be able to answer those questions .
See p94 for ideas about evaluating social media activity
See the section on ‘ challenging the challenges ’ for some useful responses to challenges that may be made by those who interact with you via social media .
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