BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy March 18, 2010

BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy

This strategy directly supports the strategic aims of the organisation: member engagement, leadership and sustainability. The developing social media channels support internal and external communications of the organisation and provide online platforms for the organisation to engage with its members and for members to engage with each other. This strategy aims to establish the organisation as a leader among Allied Health Professions and non-profits. The social media channels will actively demonstrate the dynamism of the profession to the general public, supporting high demand for OT services and training. If you have questions or would like to arrange a training session about social media, please contact Hassan Mirza Website Communications Officer 020 7450 2350 www.cot.org.uk hassan.mirza@cot.co.uk Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/baotocot Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/baotocot Annual Conference photo gallery: www.flickr.com/baotcot Join our professional networking group on LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/5vkU1D

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BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy March 18, 2010

Contents This document outlines the social media strategy of the British Association and College of Occupational Therapists. It includes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. BAOT/COT social media objectives Why BAOT/COT is engaging with social media BAOT/COT on Facebook (including achievements and objectives) BAOT/COT on Twitter (including achievements and objectives) BAOT/COT on Linked in (including achievements and objectives) BAOT/COT on Flickr (including achievements and objectives) Appropriate tone/ language Proposed strategic recommendations Recommendations to COT staff and OTs Social media reading list

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BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy March 18, 2010

1. BAOT/COT social media objectives The BAOT/COT social media strategy supports the development of a thriving online OT community. BAOT/COT encourages OTs and COT staff to make full use of social media tools as a means of promoting the profession and the organisation and building new professional networks. The social media strategy can support membership recruitment and retention by providing new opportunities for promoting membership and ensuring that BAOT/COT is visible on social media sites where OT staff is already present. Other key objectives include: y y y y y y y y y Encourage members and non-members to discuss OT on BAOT/COT social media channels thereby expanding the public presence of the profession and the organisation Establish BAOT/COT as a contributing and leading community member of the health and social care and public sectors Facilitate member-to-member and member-to-non- member communication Improve communication between COT staff, members and non-members Increase traffic to the BAOT/COT website Increase Google search ranking of the BAOT/COT website Provide best practice guidance on social media strategy to other AHPs Employ proactive engagement seeking out activity in related sectors not directly linked to the company and engaging with that information Employ reactive engagement responding to direct dialogue about occupational therapy and the organisation

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2. Why BAOT/COT is using social media It is important for BAOT/COT to be outward looking in its overall web strategy. By using social media sites the organisation can expand the online presence of the profession by encouraging OTs to discuss occupational therapy online and develop their professional and social networks. This in turn will drive traffic to the BAOT/COT website and help raise the profile of the profession and the organisation. Social media allows BAOT/COT and its members to raise awareness of work and ask questions and receive answers from each other BAOT/COT can communicate using targeted updates (e.g. Links, calls to action, and news with existing networks and potential members) Staff participation in the social media strategy has already increased cross- departmental communication and understanding, thereby improving the cohesiveness of the organisation BAOT/COT can promote new consumer videos, uploaded on a planned BAOT/COT branded channel on YouTube where they can be streamed and shared by people around the world who might search for occupational therapy Social media enables OT staff to create online content about occupational therapy Social media facilitates connections between those of similar professional and personal interests Social media allows us to understand what stakeholders are saying about the organisation and our related issues. We can then use this information to support our marketing goals BAOT/COT social media presence meets the expectations of students and new graduates Social media allows us to conduct qualitative member research As a charity the organisation has an obligation to address public benefit. This is one of the main aims of the BAOT/COT website and is also a main priority its social media strategy Social media complements COTs web presence and has increased our visibility and prominence in internet search engines Social media allows BAOT/COT to respond directly and openly to member queries. Anyone who witnesses this exchange can benefit from transparent Q&A COT Discussion forums provide a valuable membership benefit but exclude the public. The discussion forums have little impact on improving the organisations search results Social media is cost-effective

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BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy March 18, 2010

3. BAOT/COT fan page on Facebook Facebook has over 300+ million active users and is experiencing significant growth1. Users can add friends and send messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about their activities and insights, and share links and multimedia. Additionally, users can join networks organised by city, workplace, school, and region. Facebook is no longer just for students as its fastest growing demographic between 35-55 years old and is doubling in size roughly every 2 months2. Charities have been developing fan pages to communicate with supporters and members. BAOT/COT on Facebook was launched in September 2009 and is consistently thriving. After just five months the fan page has over 2500 fans, meaning all fans are receiving our updates and viewing conversations taking place on the page. This page is becoming a place fans ask questions and receive answers from other fans and COT staff. The organisation and the fans can all learn from these conversations. Our updates include Calls to action to members e.g. Participate in The Big Care Debate Highlighted website content, based upon suggestions from Communications group and staff Press about occupational therapy staff in the UK Relevant membership benefits Social media guidance Encouragement for fans to answer fan questions e.g. New wall questions need answers. Can you answer them? Questions to fans e.g. Why do you value your BAOT membership? Highlighting activities of other non-profits

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All updates are intended to be a springboard for discussions. The ultimate goal is for updates to inspire conversations. All Links posted on BAOT/COTs Facebook page: http://bit.ly/d9TscT Achievements More than 2500 fans by February 2010 OT staff use the Facebook page as a resource and a way to keep in contact with COTs activities OT staff use the Facebook page to get feedback from COT BAOT/ COT receives fast and easily shared feedback Encouraging feedback from members and non-members

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Facebook blog 300 Million and on http://bit.ly/dvG3Xn iStrategylabs Facebook 2009 Demographics and Stats report: 276% Growth in 35-54 Year Old Users http://bit.ly/cMIcWQ

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BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy March 18, 2010

Objectives for 2010 Further developing multimedia content videos , podcasts, images, wikis to share Further promotion of membership , working with new Communications Manager, and Membership Development and Marketing teams Promoting Annual Conference 2010 via updates, Facebook events, video content Creating Facebook groups/fan pages for Specialist Sections and regional groups Encouraging COT staff to create profiles and contribute to discussions

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Management All activity is carefully cultivated by the Website Communications Officer. Advertising posts are deleted with a notification email, referring advertiser to COT Advertising manager. Referrals are directed to professional enquiries and membership departments when appropriate. Staff members are always encouraged to participate or start discussions. A conversation on BAOT/COTs Facebook fan page

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BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy March 18, 2010

BAOT/COTs Facebook fan page

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BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy March 18, 2010

4. BAOT/COT on Twitter Twitter is the fastest growing online community site for consumers and corporations. With its largest user age group between 35-493, Twitter represents a golden opportunity to communicate and connect with members, potential members, journalists, related organisations and publications. Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Once registered with Twitter, you can search for organisations and individuals to follow. You can also search terms found in tweets at any given moment. For example, search vocational rehabilitation. Growing numbers of occupational therapy staff are becoming active on Twitter. Allied health and social care groups, local government, and policy makers participate on Twitter, linking to upcoming events, new publications and announcements. BAOT/COT on Twitter was launched in June 2009 at Annual Conference. It now has over 450 followers and has been included in 23 user-created lists created by Twitter users, which list valuable/authoritative profiles. The following grows steadily. Growth of the Twitter presence has been complemented and encouraged by active staff participation on Twitter. COT staff already using Twitter. Live updates can be seen here: https://twitter.com/home#/list/BAOTCOT/cot-staff Beriah Chandoo, Membership Development Officer http://twitter.com/COTSnrOfficer Fiona Fraser, Education Manager, Student Services http://twitter.com/COTstudents Vandita Chisholm, Marketing Manager http://twitter.com/vanditachisholm Louise Cusack, Specialist Sections Manager http://twitter.com/ louisecusack Zoe Parker, Education Manager Lifelong learning and CPD http://twitter.com/cotcpd Lee Roach, Membership Development Manager http://twitter.com/baotmember Anna Kapitanec, Membership Development Officer https://twitter.com/Annakapitanec Tracy Samuels, OTN editor http://twitter.com/OTnews Genevieve Smyth, Professional Affairs Officer http://twitter.com/GenevieveSmyth Greg Stafford, Public Affairs Officer http://twitter.com/cotpubaffairs Stephen Little, Website Manage http://twitter.com/StephenBAOT

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Developing BAOT/COTs Twitter presence involves daily tweeting by the Website Communications Officer in collaboration with the staff listed above. Developing the Twitter presence also involves

Bit Briefs Largest age group on Twitter is 35-49 year olds http://bit.ly/97ymqb

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following non-profits, allied health and social care groups and linking (known as tagging) individuals and charities who have posted relevant tweets. Participating in Twitter activities known as Follow Friday and Charity Tuesday can help maximize exposure of the company profile. On Tuesdays, charities tweet suggestions for other charities to follow and on Fridays users are encouraged to suggest useful profiles for its users to follow. Tweets include hashtags to be included in relevant feeds - #FollowFriday #CharityTuesdays. Our tweets include y Calls to action to members e.g Contribute to the latest consultations y Links to external articles e.g. Wanted: Men for Occupational Therapy. OT is one of the many health related jobs growing! http://bit.ly/5TVRI9 y Links to COTs latest news, events, jobs board and public publications y Suggestions for Twitter profiles to follow y Suggestions for charities to follow y Highlighted content on the COT website y Deadlines e.g. for submission of COT awards, consultations y Press about occupational therapy staff in the UK y Social and health care press y Ret-tweets of COT staff y Social media guidance y Open ended questions e.g. OT perspectives and opinions? @nprnews: Mental Health Disaster Relief Not Always Clear Cut http://su.pr/2cOOv9 y Highlighting activities of other non-profits Similarly to Facebook updates, tweets are intended to be a springboard for discussions and give our followers useful information. The ultimate goal is for updates to inspire conversations. Achievements 450 followers by February 2010 Followers regularly Retweet our tweets, meaning our messages are being re-shared with their followers, increasing our influence Prominent charities and publications suggest for their followers to follow us e.g NHS Choices, National Rehab Information Center, Guardian Weekly We are being followed by members, non-members, students, OTs from the international community, social media experts, public figures, policy experts etc The organisation is networking daily with non-profits and health related charities e.g Disability Now, Autism Today COT receives easily shared feedback that informs our customer service and engagement with members

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BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy March 18, 2010

Objectives for 2010 Incorporating a Twitter strategy for Annual Conference 2010 Learning how to effectively measure success and evaluate how we compare in influence to other non profits Further promotion of membership , working with Membership Development and Marketing teams Encouraging COT staff to create profiles, nurture their Twitter presence and contribute to discussions. The aim would be to help staff also develop a new way of communicating

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Management All activity of BAOT/COTs corporate Twitter page is managed and edited by the Website Communications Officer to ensure consistency of communication. COT staff on Twitter are advised to use Tweetdeck, a downloadable application that helps organise tweets. Staff are regularly reminded and encouraged to update their Twitter profiles, schedule one-on-one sessions with the Website Communications Officer and respond to member queries.

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BAOT/COTs Twitter page

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5. BAOT/COT members only group on LinkedIn LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site mainly used for professional networking. LinkedIn enables users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust professionally. LinkedIn allows you to build a professional online presence, connect in a professional way with colleagues, alumni and other contacts, research companies and career opportunities, and learn lifelong learning networking skills. Joining Linkedin is a useful way of expanding your professional network, receiving feedback for professional queries, and keeping abreast of job opportunities. LinkedIn also provides a way for its users to give, receive and archive references and testimonials from colleagues and managers. BAOT/COT Linkedin group started in November 2009 with the help of Lee Roach, Membership Development Manager. Of our social networks it is member-only and requires users to submit their membership number for verification. The LinkedIn group also has the capability of adding subgroups, which would be ideal for Specialist Sections and regional groups. Membership to the subgroup is done via membership to the general BAOT/COT LinkedIn group. This group enables us to communicate with members using targeted updates (e.g. Links, calls to actions, announcements). Joining the group is a great way to develop good working relationships with COT staff and BAOT/COT members. While the Facebook and Twitter pages use updates/tweets to inform their networks, the LinkedIn group encourages online discussion around professional issues and career progression. In future we will also use the group to suggest related groups for the members to join as well as highlight popular content/news from the COT website and its social networks. LinkedIn profiles are in a CV format including current professional interests and employment history. Achievements 26 members by February 2010 Launching the group and connecting it with other professional networks Growing network of business and member contacts COT staff contribution

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Objectives To expand the size of this group Marketing this group at Annual Conference Encourage member-to-member professional linking Promote the colleague testimonials feature Promote the COT jobs board

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BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy March 18, 2010

y y Pursue with Specialist Section Independent Practice how they could benefit from Linkedin referral and recruiting capabilities Promote consultancy service with client testimonials

Management All activity is overseen by the Website Communications Officer with support from the Membership Development Manager. COT Staff members in the BAOT/COT LinkedIn group are encouraged to help promote the members only group as well as take part in discussions.

BAOT/COTs LinkedIn group page (members only)

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6. BAOT/COT on Flickr Flickr is an image-sharing website, web services suite, and online community. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to host images that they embed in blogs and social media. BAOT/COT on Flickr was launched to publish professional photographs from COTs Annual Conferences. These images have been used for promotional materials and are also used on the COT website. Photo albums created can be viewed in slideshow format and can be embedded on the COT website easily. Plans are in place to feature the slideshows in the Annual Conference pages on the COT website. If these images were hosted on the BAOT/COT website we would incur additional bandwidth charges. Flickr is a user friendly way to share images without incurring additional costs. Achievements Professional slideshows available for COT staff to share with their networks Search-friendly images from BAOT/COT Image publishing complementing COT website Good digital marketing material e.g. View slideshow of Annual Conferences http://www.flickr.com/photos/baotcot/show/

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Objectives Encouraging Flickr profiles for Specialist Sections and regional groups More frequent uploads and more photography at COT events Greater integration of photo sharing on COT website Explore how Specialist Sections could make use of Flickr Expanding picture library for OT News and promotional materials (with appropriate clearance)

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BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy March 18, 2010

Flickr slideshow of COT annual conference

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7. Tone / Language on social networks Conversational language works better rather than focusing purely on conveying information. The key to getting people to respond is to use language our members use. We aim to find a balance between being professional and social. We want the organisation to be trusted, yet approachable. Social media involves the same discretion that we all bring to our daily interactions with others. Occupational therapy staff using social media sites agrees to terms and conditions of use, which preclude anti-social behavior. Because so much of what is said is public, and because users of social media sites value those sites and their own reputations, standards of behavior are usually high. BAOT/COT has never had to delete any inappropriate or insulting comments from its social media channels. Politeness and responsiveness are also appreciated, whether you are an individual posting or posting on behalf of an organisation. We tweet thanks to those who ask their followers to follow us and we also thank those who Re-Tweet our tweets. We also thank Facebook contributors and highlight activities of OT staff active on social networks e.g. Sharing a list of OTs on Twitter created by Claire Hayward of the Membership and External Affairs Board.

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8. Proposed strategic recommendations 8.1. Mandatory contribution from COT staff in social media activity. Contribution to social media activity should be included in job descriptions of o New Communications Manager post o All members of Membership Development team o Key members of Marketing Team o Key members of Education Team o Key members of Professional Practice o A representative from Research and Development o A representative from Human Resources o OTN editor and OTN journalist 8.2. Provide relevant staff (especially those who are less desk-based and travel more for BAOT/COT) with internet-enabled mobile devices to enable them to maintain contact with professional networks while on the move, at conferences, events etc. 8.3. Launch a company blog to link with all existing social networking channels and website 8.4. Enhance discussion forums and CMS to support social media integration 8.5. Appropriate IT support for staff participation in social media strategy 8.6. Social media planning for Annual Conference 2010 8.7. Investigating resources and training needs 8.8. Mobile Video recording equipment and training for online video resources and testimonials 8.9. Programming social media seminars for members hosted by Website Communications Officer 8.10. All marketing materials should display logos of and invites to social networks 8.11. Develop communications strategy to promote social networks

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9. Recommendations to COT staff and OTs Start a professional profile on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or all three Explore BAOT/COT social media channels and connect with the organisation. Connect with friends, colleagues, and explore topics you are passionate about Discuss individual questions with the Website Communications Officer Schedule one-on-one training sessions with the Web Communications Officer Take action! Your ability to engage with others online is directly related to how much you input and how responsive you are to other people Read social media guidance (See next item)

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BAOT/COT Social Media Strategy March 18, 2010

10. Social media Reading list The following links and websites are excellent social media resources Mashable.com - Social Media news blog covering cool new websites and social networks Harpsocial.com - full-service, social media marketing agency specialising in Facebook, Twitter and WordPress for businesses Wearesocial.com UK based social media/online PR agency Briansolis.com Blog of prominent thought leader in new media. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist Nonprofit Tech 2.0: A social media guide for nonprofits : http://nonprofitorgs.wordpress.com How to use Twitter for marketing... http://bit.ly/8qxTu5 Social media trends for business in 2010: http://bit.ly/aTKG1v A social media Strategy checklist: http://bit.ly/aIJLiH 5 Must-Do Twitter Style Tips via: http://bit.ly/aX8jyZ Creating Your Organization's Social Media Strategy Map: http://bit.ly/aoQ1Cf Strategies to Ensure an Engaged Social Presence: http://ow.ly/11402 5 Must-Do Twitter Style Tips via Harp Social http://bit.ly/aX8jyZ 8 Guides for Becoming a Power Business Social Networker http://bit.ly/aW7cBq

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