Research Project

Ciera R. Mills
Nov 30, 2016
3 min read

For my final project I have compiled information for the next Social Media Manager (SMM) to use in their creation and generation of social media posts, and I have created a new webpage (which will go up after this project is presented and the last bit of information is gathered from my fellow staff) that will showcase the work that the Toyon staff does and what future members can get out of the experience. I think providing some useful idea generating resources in the Social Media Manager’s folder in the Staff Drive and the new addition to the Toyon website for the next SMM will give them the best chance to get more staff, donations, and submissions for Toyon.

Positive Comments –

I am working on a new social media page for the Toyon website that will feature positive comments from staff members. In order to generate enough content for the page, I am going to pass out index cards and have everyone write down their favorite memory from being on, something they learned, or gained, etc.

Examples:

“Good luck everyone! The experience I gained in the Toyon just landed me a full time editing job. Make sure and put it in your resumes!” ~ Andrew Garai, 2016 (Instagram)
“That was my favorite part of being Managing Editor, writing the bios.” ~ Thomas Oliver, 2014 (Facebook)

Account Successes –

When I took she Social Media Manager position I did a bit of research about the most widely used social media sites, and the Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat were at the top. Snapchat doesn’t really work well for Toyon’s purposes, so that one was out, and so were the few other accounts Toyon had like Flikr. I dedicated my attention only to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Twitter account is not very popular. It receives almost no likes or comments, even with the previous Social Media Manager. The use of hashtags, photos, and tagging seems to have no positive effect on viewership. It also only has 15 followers.
The Facebook account has a range of about 20 to 100 views per post, with a 33% response rate and 7-hour response time, according to Facebook. There are about 137 ative followers.
The Toyon Instagram had significantly more success, with 470 followers and an average of 18 likes per post.

With these results, I think it might be beneficial for the next social media manager to abandon Twitter in favor of Facebook and Instagram.

Links to helpful websites –

These are some sights I found helpful, along with their best tips for generating ideas and reaching the broadest possible audience.

15 Shockingly Simple Ways To Generate More Facebook Likes

http://www.business2community.com/facebook/15-shockingly-simple-ways-generate-facebook-likes-0666193#YBDZ7ECJHSO8r6Br.97

Include social media links on websites and in all publications. Maybe we can add the Toyon social media pages and contact info to the next volume of Toyon?

5 Ways to Generate More Likes On Your Facebook Page

Post a wide variety of content, include all staff members in post idea generation

10 Tips for Creating Content on Facebook That Gets the Thumbs Up

http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2011/10/19/10-facebook-tips-for-content

Create contests to get viewers interested in our products, possibly give away a few copies of Toyon as prizes
Ask questions that you intend for the audience to respond to

6 Posts That Build Engagement on Facebook

http://mashable.com/2012/07/05/facebook-build-engagement/#lDwqulY1qkqA

Tips and quotes work well to engage the audience, but Toyon needs some help from the staff to come up with a list of people to quote in all of Toyon’s genres

100 Killer Ideas For Your Social Media Content

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/06/25/100-killer-ideas-for-your-social-media-content/#4203fa252f3a

Feature staff members blog posts with a link to their blog page, can be a part of #FeaturedFridays, a weekly or monthly theme, or what the class is learning that week
Gather interesting resources from the staff – writing blogs, inspiring Pinterest accounts, new artists, great books, etc to share with audience

7 Tips to Improve Your Social Media Posts