If there is one thing in our comms diary that without doubt always brings a smile to our face it’s those days that give us all a chance to share some positivity. #ReclaimSocial is one of those days and this year on 7 February it is celebrating its fifth anniversary.
Over the years #ReclaimSocial has evolved from an awareness day into a year-round movement. But how can we harness this positive energy and #ReclaimSocial for good on a day-to-day basis?
Here are some ideas:
Define what ‘using social media for good’ means to your organisation
Start by exploring what ‘social media for good’ means for you and your organisation.
Your values should be reflected in the way you use social media. Your content should align with them.
Becky Steeden, RNLI’s Strategic Social Media Manager, also agrees on the importance of living by your values to #ReclaimSocial throughout the year. She says:
“In 2022 we’ll be using social media to tell the inspiring stories of our lifesavers and the kindness of our supporters who power their work. On social media, we want to live by the values that inspire our whole crew: courage, dependability, selflessness and trustworthiness. This year we also want to make our social content as inclusive and accessible to as many people as possible.”
Optimise your own social media habits
If you’re working in digital communications, you know that your personal online presence doesn’t necessarily reflect how you’re using social media professionally.
Whether you’re an occasional user or an avid social media fan, look at the ways you can improve your browsing experience.
Are there keywords you want to mute for the sake of protecting your mental health?
Can you limit the number of hours you spend on “doomscrolling”? (scrolling a feed full of negative news)
Support your team
The best way to #ReclaimSocial on a professional level? Listen to your team. Support others working in digital.
We all feel tired from time to time and like we want to quit social media – that’s ok, after all it can be an exhausting job!
It’s okay to share how you feel and ask for support. Check-in with others to see how they’re doing and make sure everyone gets a break when needed.
Educate others on improving their social media experience
The best way to reclaim social for good is to help more people understand how social media works.
Not everyone is aware of how Facebook’s algorithm works and why hateful comment is amplified.
Many people are unable to tell the difference between a fake source from a credible one contributing to the rise of misinformation.
It’s up to the rest of us to empower them starting from the people around us.
Amplify positive, inclusive, diverse voices
#ReclaimSocial is about highlighting inspiring content. The best way to do this throughout the year is to amplify positive, inclusive, and diverse voices.
Sightsavers shared with us their plans on how they will #ReclaimSocial in 2022, which includes their focus on sharing diverse voices.
Collaborate with others
It can be lonely working as the only person in social media. This doesn’t mean that you can’t build a community with other people in the sector to ask questions, share resources or even vent when needed.
Building genuine relationships can broaden your horizons, help you stay creative, or simply meet great human beings working in similar jobs.
Spread kindness in others’ posts
How about making someone’s day by sharing an inspiring post on their feeds?
#ReclaimSocial starts with the idea of being authentically kind both in the way you use social media and how you interact with others.
Alexandra Fearon, Social Media & Digital Marketing Strategist and Founder of Maybe Later, agrees with this:
I challenge people to leave three kind, empowering, nice words on people’s posts. It helps remind us that real people are behind the content we see and spreads a little kindness, too.
Sometimes less really is more
You don’t need to be online 24/7. You certainly don’t need to know all the latest social media trends.
Social media can be overwhelming so it’s good to remember that ‘less is more’ in many instances.
Leon Green, Founder & Director of Yaku Labs shared this tip on how we can #ReclaimSocial:
You don’t have to do everything, you don’t have to be on every channel and you don’t have to jump on every trend or moment. Confidence in your audience and your content will go a long way to increasing your success. You can test this too; if tweeting three times a day instead of five makes no real difference to your engagement rate or click-through then why not save yourself some time or use the saved time to make those three tweets super awesome?
Feeling inspired? Join #ReclaimSocial on February 7 – share inspiring stories, promote your campaign, mention someone who makes a difference.
Download the social media toolkit to access resources and pledge your support.
If you enjoyed this be sure to check out:
- CharityComms podcast: Wellbeing in the age of social media
- Tips to protect the mental wellbeing of social media managers
Banner Image: Maximalfocus on Unsplash
