A friend of mine who helps with social media in her company sent me this link from Credo Reference with a list of Tweets/posts libraries could use for the month of March. They seem to have something listed for almost every day of the month and most of them are eye-catching enough while only using a few words.

The page mentions that libraries can often get busy and may not have time to think of something creative to post so Credo Reference has offered to help. However, I also think that this could be a nice starting point for libraries – they can browse through this page for some ideas, such as posting a tweet about someone famous born on March 10, or an International Holiday that is celebrated on March 21, or a random fun fact, and the list goes on. They can also provide a link to their collections if they have anything that relates to Tweet/post or promote another service they offer.

Since today is St. Patrick’s Day, the tweet they have is:

Kiss this Topic Page, It’s Irish http://bit.ly/17ZVwkF

I searched for other social media content libraries could use and Forbes had a list of 100 ideas. They may not be as specific as Credo’s list, but they offer some good advice – fill in the blank, link to a guest post, behind the scenes photos, asking questions, etc.

Can you think of other ideas in staying creative on social media or find other links?

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Reference:

“100 Killer Ideas For Your Social Media Content” by Jason deMers. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/06/25/100-killer-ideas-for-your-social-media-content/

“March Social Media Content for Libraries.” http://blog.credoreference.com/2015/02/march-social-media-content-for-libraries/

I found this article on Pew Research, concerning the demographics of social media users and I started to think of how these demographics could play a role for libraries using social media. Another article from a blog gave some advice on which businesses should use which social media platforms. Although a library is not necessarily a business, I think this article still offers good advice for libraries searching for a start into using social media.

• Facebook – This is still the most popular social media tool with users ranging from 18-65 years old. Asking questions can create discussion and promoting events accompanied by a picture will keep their followers aware. There is an ‘About’ tab at the top of the page where libraries can write a quick blurb about who they are, their services, and hours. There is also an ‘Events’ tab that people can browse through which events their library will be hosting.
• Twitter – The most frequent users are under 50 years old and college-educated. Wishpond mentions that Twitter is about “in-the-moment developments” and I would have to agree with that. A person only has 140 characters to convey their message. A library could quickly tweet their hours for the day, an event that will be taking place, a quick sentence with a link to a blog post. A person could also take a look at the ‘Trending Hashtags’ and participate. Retweeting and responding to other Twitter users is also a great way to remain engaged to their audience.
• Instagram – This seems to  be the most popular tool for 18-29 year olds. Many undergraduates and graduate students entering college might turn to Instagram as a way to learn more about their campus. Photographing something eye-catching with a caption explaining the picture will get the library on an Instagram user’s radar. The use of hashtags can also play a role, causing it to appear in their ‘Search’ tab. Instagram has also started to tailor this tab based on the people you follow.

I think exploring these three options could be a good idea for any library. Facebook can provide a sufficient amount of information while posting, Twitter can give out quick facts, and Instagram provides a visual aspect. Libraries can start off with one social media and explore which one would best suit their needs and audience.

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References:

“Demographics of Key Social Networking Platforms” by Maeve Duggan, Nicole B. Ellison, Cliff Lampe, Amanda Lenhart, and Mary Madden. Pew Research Center. http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/frequency-of-social-media-use-2/

“Social Media Marketing: Which Platform is Right for your Business” Wishpond. http://blog.wishpond.com/post/72672192941/social-media-marketing-which-platform-is-right-for