Effective Social Media Strategies for Your Library

Many libraries jump into various social media channels without first figuring out how to do it well, or even why they are doing it. Chances are your library may be one of them. Much has been written explaining social media tools, but very little to help libraries understand what really makes social media efforts fly.

In this course you'll learn:

• Criteria for creating achievable social media goals
• Right and wrong reasons for a library to use social media
• Methods for determining the return on investment (ROI) for social media
• How to draw attention to your library's social media posts
• How to create a basic content strategy for your library's social media efforts

After completion of this course you will have a better understanding of how to do social media more effectively and also how to best focus your future efforts online.

Course Description: Through assignments and discussions, you will develop a deeper understanding of social media usage in libraries. During the course, you will evaluate social media messages and create your own. The instructor will provide resources, best practices, and useful tips and techniques that can be applied immediately. You will be encouraged to ask questions and participate in discussions with others.

Course Outline: When you log in to the Infopeople online learning site, you will see weekly modules with these topics:

• Week 1: Why use social media?
  • What defines social media (and what it's not)
  • Reasons libraries should engage in social media (and why they shouldn't)
  • Setting goals
  • Figuring social media ROI (Return on Investment)
• Week 2: Planning a Social Media Strategy
  • Picking tools that work
  • Content strategy
• Week 3: Maximizing Your Social Media Practices
  • What makes a post worthwhile?
  • What turns readers off?
  • Creating something that might actually get attention
• Week 4: Innovative uses of social media
  • Examples of real-life, innovative uses of social media in libraries; what makes them work? Why do they stand out? Would they work in other libraries?

Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2½ hours per week, for a total of ten course hours. Each week's module contains readings and various options for assignments and discussions.. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. Although you can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night, it is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: Anyone who works with social media for their library or would like to start using social media effectively in their library.

Online Learning Details and System Requirements may be found at: infopeople.org/training/online_learning_details.

After the official end date for the course, the instructor will be available for limited consultation and support for two more weeks, and the course material will stay up for an additional two weeks after that. These extra weeks give those who have fallen behind time to work independently to complete the course.

Keywords: Marketing and publicity, Social Media