If you are looking to use social media with young people, then this is the playbook for you.
But wait... what even is a playbook?… We’re glad you asked! Think of this as your personal guide to the ways you can use social media in your projects with young people. This playbook will help you explore options that might work for you and give you some pointers.
But how does it work?
The playbook is split into three sections: goals, parameters and principles. Goals and parameters are designed to show you the kind of things you can do, and to give you some pros and cons for the different ways you might want to set things up. The principles are just that, important things to bear in mind when doing any work on social media with young people.
To back it all up we have case studies, so you can see how it all comes together in the real world.
If it's your first time here, we recommend you start at the top and work down, as each section builds on the previous. Or you can just jump straight in and start exploring...
What's your goal?
A good to place to start is thinking about what you want to achieve using social media.
Celebrate
Boost engagement through events. Use social media to showcase young people’s creativity and talent.
Chart a course
Get strategic recommendations for your organisation, include the voices of youth in your future direction.
Get stronger
Build capacity, deliver training, upskill, whatever you want to call it. Work together, to get better at something.
Pay attention
Launch awareness campaigns, use social media for advocacy and for gaining new members.
Understand more
Ask a community what matters to them, use social media for rapid reporting on an important issue for young people
Social media is so much more than just cats and brands. It can be used to support and structure all kinds of projects and goals.
From creating new ways for young people to contribute, to broadening your reach, to structuring workshops and skills sessions. Once you know your overall goal, you can choose the parameters that best support it.
Parameters
Simple decisions can have a HUGE impact on how your project unfolds.
Use the options below to explore different ways of setting things up. Find the options that best suit you, your overall goals, and the young people you are working with.
2. Timeline
Different time spans suit different communities and goals
- Ideal for large scale engagements and when used alongside real world events and festivals
- Doesn’t require long-term commitment or motivation from young people
- Not as good for more complex tasks or deeper engagement
- Success can depend a lot on pre-event promotion and comms
3. Groups and Teams
The way people are organised on social media changes what you can do
- Good for groups who know each other well
- Useful for sending out information to lots of people at once
- Can be used as an audience for discussions and ‘live’ events
- Not good for encouraging contribution from people who don't normally contribute
- Much harder for complex tasks and division of responsibility
- Make privacy and confidentiality more challenging
4. Responsibilities
Giving people responsibilities can change how a group works
- Good for holding open discussions
- Works best when the group already knows each other well
- Can lead to dominant personalities
- Can also lead to less contribution from some members
5. Openness
Making parts of your social media project public can make a big difference
- Good for generating lots of ideas
- Works for raising the profile of your project and for transparency
- Can discourage contributions from people less comfortable communicating publically
- Will require extra moderation
Overall Principles
When it comes to any social media project with young people, there are some general principles that are ALWAYS useful to keep in mind.
Be authentic
There is nothing worse than jumping on trends or memes to try and seem with it. You’ll be spotted a mile off.
Format your media
A bit of a simple one, but make sure you format any images and videos to suit where you’re posting. Google if you’re unsure.
Know the digital environment
Facebook for family, Snapchat for friends... Different apps are for different things, so where you choose to communicate will affect how it is perceived.
Know your voice
Make sure your tone and the way you communicate on social media is consistent. This is important for building trust.
Know your young people
Get a sense of where they are online and what they use social media for.
Let the young people lead
The more control young people have over your social media projects, the better. Chances are they are the experts, not you.
1. Social Media Type
Different types of social media are good for different types of projects