David Lee King

social media | emerging trends | libraries

Mind your Posting Style

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I recently read this article on Snapchat for business: Millennials [heart] Snapchat: 15 Tips on How to Use Snapchat for Business. The article has some helpful tips for Snapchat, and for social media posting in general.

One tip that struck me was this: “Post in Snapchat style.” The author says this:

Snapchat is a community that has developed its own style and language. Keep it short, fun, designed in the snapchat style (stickers, filters, text and drawings over images … you’ll start to see the trends) and interactive.

That makes a lot of sense, of course. You wouldn’t want to act like a grown-up on Snapchat – that’s just be weird!

But this made me think – is there a “posting style” to the other social media channels we use, like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc.? And do we need to adapt our content to those posting styles?

I think so. For example, videos on YouTube work best when you immediately jump into the content – no introductions needed.  Twitter is obviously short and sweet.

This could (eventually) also mean that you create a unique posting style for your content, and stick to it. For example, you might develop a certain “style” of photos on Instagram (that’s a best practice, by the way), and try to share photos and videos using that same style structure.

So go read the rest of the article – it has some great Snapchat for business tips.

Question – have YOU developed a style or some posting “must haves” when you post content to your library’s social media channels? If so – please share. What are they? I’d love to know more!

Also – I’m davidleeking on Snapchat (and pretty much everywhere else). Friend me!

Big Difference Between Your Social Media & Gary Vaynerchuk’s Social Media

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You know who Gary Vaynerchuk is, right? He’s the Wine Library TV guy. He’s an entrepreneur, has written books, and founded a media company.

He’s also pretty big into social media. He tends to jump on the newest social media trend, and turn it into a lesson on how to do social media right.

I’ve been thinking about his “social media experience” in the last year or so. Here’s what I see him do with a new trend: he’ll jump on it (Snapchat and Instagram Stories are big for him lately). Then he’ll announce he’s there on his other social media channels, a ton of people will immediately follow him … and he starts getting a lot of engagement on the new social media channel.

And, I’d guess, he gets business done there, too.

Nothing wrong with that! But he sometimes translates his unique experience into a “you should do this too” scenario. For example, in a Huffington Post article, he said: “And the one simple takeaway is this: if you’re running a business in 2016, you need to be thinking about Snapchat as a channel to grow your customer base. Period.”

I’ll disagree with that quote. I think his experience using Snapchat (or any other new social media tool) is a unique one that has more similarities to what a celebrity experiences than what a business or organization might experience.

What’s the difference? Gary has a large, loyal “tribe” that will readily follow him to the new social media channel. They love his content, they like watching what he does next, so they follow. Gary gets instant followers/feedback/engagement, and then thinks that “this new social media tool is HOT.” So he ends up sharing quotes like the one above.

OK – not completely fair, I know. I’ve never met Gary, but I’d guess he would add a “your mileage may vary” to that quote. For example, should Hospice be on Snapchat? Maybe not.

So – just a reminder. Definitely read what people like Gary think. Read what I think. But then do two other things:

  1. Try out the new tool – get familiar with it on a personal level.
  2. After you’re familiar with the new tool, see if it fits within your organization’s strategic plans or short-term goals.

Sometimes, yes – it is definitely what you need to be doing. And sometimes, it’s a great idea … but not where you need to focus at the moment.

And that’s ok!

Image by Adam Tinworth

Using Social Media for your Organization

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Watch this short video – it’s Gary Vaynerchuk talking about how a restaurant might use Snapchat.

And it’s actually a good primer in how to use ANY new social media platform in a business setting (hint, hint – in libraries, too).

Some of Gary’s highlights in the video include:

  • Have to have good content and a way to distribute that content.
  • New social media tools, like Snapchat, can be easier to break into – because there’s not as many people there. Facebook is harder, because there’s a lot more noise to break through.
  • Getting noticed – create content that’s good and interesting and funny. Gary suggests using charismatic or funny staff – he said “make a chef popular and viral on Snapchat.”
  • Tell people you’re there – put your Snapchat info on the menu, on the front door, in everyone’s email signature, etc.

Translating all that to a library setting is pretty easy:

  • Start with good, consistent content.
  • Use the social media channels your customers/patrons/students use. That probably means Facebook. That might also mean Snapchat, or Twitter, or Instagram. Or the newest thing that appears out of nowhere next month. So you have to keep listening and learning about those new tools!
  • Get your better writers and photographers making content. If you have funny or charismatic staff, put them in front of the camera. And for libraries, simply be helpful. Tips and tricks are always useful to customers.
  • Tell people you’re there. Love the email signature idea. Use your public entrances, your e-newsletter, bookmarks, the website, etc to share your social media channels with customers. At the beginning of every class or event, remind people to friend your library on Facebook/Twitter/etc.

Content and distribution – things we can pretty easily accomplish!

More Reading on Snapchat

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JPEG image-B84420438DE0-1I’ve been posting about using Snapchat in Libraries. Here’s a list of my posts:

And here are some really useful articles on how to use Snapchat for your organization!

So – are you using Snapchat at your library? If so, let me know! And friend me on Snapchat, too!

Snapchat Content Ideas for Libraries

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JPEG image-B84420438DE0-1In my last post, I explained how to use Snapchat (pretty easy, huh?). Now let’s talk about what a library can post on Snapchat.

What types of content should you post on Snapchat? Here are some starter ideas (please add to my list!):

  • Focus on your “power users.” Think about what your frequent customers might be interested in, and share content that caters to them. Think “insider” info here, like special events that are coming soon.
  • Capture quick moments. What’s happening “right now” in the library? Share that in your “story.”
  • Offer “rewards and coupons.” This is what the articles on brands in Snapchat say, anyway. For a library, this might be a fine free day, a cup of coffee in your cafe, or a coupon in your Friends of the Library store. Be creative here!
  • Show off new materials, or new services. We get new stuff all the time. Share it!
  • What else?

Ok. The above list should sound pretty familiar to anyone who posts to a library social media channel. Why? Because it’s pretty much the same type of content you might share on a library’s Facebook or Twitter account. The main difference is that Snapchat is a lot more visual.

Again – Snapchat is not hard to figure out. Do it.

Library Snapchat accounts (I know of a couple):

  • Anne Arundel County Public Library
  • Long Beach Public Library
  • and I’m sure there are others! Add them in the comments.

What am I missing here? Please share…