Prepare for your advocacy day with these social tips
Have an advocacy day coming up for your organization? Don’t forget to share the day on your social accounts. Here are our top tips for making a splash on your big day.
Choose a hashtag for the day
How will you differentiate your posts throughout the day? Tag your posts with a unique hashtag that is short and sweet. This also gives you the ability to search for posts using the hashtag throughout the day for resharing purposes.
Take high-quality photos
When taking photos with a cell phone, be sure to tap on the subject before snapping the photo. This will put the focus of the photo on your desired focal point!
Use the rule of thirds - divide an image into a 3×3 grid and align the subjects or objects in a photo along the grid lines to create balance.
Try different perspectives! It can be hard to tell what angle will result in the best photo but trying something new can help draw your viewer's attention.
Capture a variety of images for your posts so you're not always posting the same thing. This will also help ensure that your page looks unique and interesting.
Crop instead of zooming in! This will ensure that you have the highest quality photo possible.
Take clear video
Always record social media videos in landscape mode. Only record video in portrait mode if content will be used on Facebook or Instagram stories.
Keep the camera as steady as possible while filming. To do this without equipment, use both hands to stabilize the recording device.
Don't use digital zoom - otherwise known as the zoom on your device. This can create a blurry, low-quality product.
Lighting is key. Use natural lighting whenever possible. Filming in dark interior spaces can lower the quality of the video.
Consider adding closed captioning to your video. That way, viewers can understand your content without audio.
Grab attention quickly - users may only look at your video for a few seconds.
Tips for Facebook
Think mobile-first. Many Facebook users will see your post on their mobile devices. Make sure that you photo or video will look good in a mobile format.
Get your followers to interact with your post by including a question, link, photo... or all three!
Include a call to action on your posts to increase engagement (e.g. "check out our website", "like our page", etc).
Tips for Twitter
Be selective. Currently, Twitter limits messages to 280 characters. That means your tweet needs to be short and sweet - and grab your audience's attention quickly!
Increase engagement by including photos, videos, GIFs and/or emojis in your messages.
Make it easy for your followers to track your content by using specific, unique, and relevant hashtags.
Tag relevant lawmakers with their specific handle to ensure they see your post(s).
Tips for Instagram
You can upload up to 10 photos into a single Instagram post. Keep this is mind when creating your content. If you are sharing photos from an event, it may make sense to post those photos in a large grouping.
Take a lot of photos! The more options, the better. You'll be able to be more selective when finding the best photos to post.
Don't forget about Instagram's story feature. This can be a great way to share additional content.
Which channels should you use?
Most lawmakers are active on Twitter, so if you have a Twitter account, please focus your sharing there. In addition, if you have a Facebook account, sharing messages there can be just as impactful - especially when tagging your lawmakers!
Posting Tips
Feel free to take photos and videos throughout the day and post to your social channels. Photos can be vertical or horizontal, but please try to take videos in a horizontal format.
Tag your lawmakers as much as possible in your Twitter and Facebook posts. Please use the shared document to access lawmakers' social handles for tagging.
Use the social media toolkit for ideas on what to post and when throughout the day. Be sure to include a photo or video in the message for engagement.
Please be sure to use your chosen hashtag for the day in your messages. This way it can be found and re-shared via your organization's social media channels.
Re-share content you see from other attendees to continue promoting not only the awards ceremony, but also the important work of your organization.
Will there be speakers? Feel free to take photos or video and share on social. Be sure to tag their handles.
We hope that helps! Good luck on your advocacy day. We’ll keep an eye out for you on the socials.