IFAD uses social media to reach out to a global audience and provide a wide range of content. Specific projects or programmes can do the same, and benefit in different ways: share results, reach a wide audience; or start discussions with partners, beneficiaries, colleagues, policymakers, etc. Social media tools can be relatively cheap, helping teams engage with many other persons in a short time.
HOW TO GET STARTED?
- Start with your specific objectives: What do you want to achieve? Are you interested in letting people know what you are doing? Or actively discussing with them?
- Consider your target audience: Who do you want to reach? Are these team members in other countries? Other colleagues? People working in similar projects in other organizations? Policymakers and the local authorities? Or the general public? Once you know who you want to reach, find what platforms and tools they prefer;
- Think of time and resources: How much time do you have, and how many resources are available? Both elements are strongly linked: a long-term campaign will cost more, but may be more efficient and more effective;
- Make a plan, especially focusing on the preparation of content. A long-term campaign will require a regular preparation and dissemination of content
- Select the right mix of social media tools and platforms, depending on goals and priorities and, at the same time, recognize the most effective social media platform to achieve high levels of visibility
WHICH ONES?
- Twitter is a social networking site where you can post short updates (maximum 280 characters). It is useful for sharing updates, latest news, announcements, job vacancies, publications and live reports from events. Statistics, facts, sound bites and news items are popular content. IFAD uses Twitter to share messages and news in real time and to raise awareness about our activities. All content is searchable and visible to the entire internet community;
- Facebook is an online social networking site where you can share thoughts, photographs and videos and exchange instant messages with each other. It is useful for finding friends and becoming ‘fans’ of groups and organizations. IFAD content on Facebook aims to spur interaction with our followers by sharing information, images and videos. IFAD’s Facebook page does not allows people post links but they can comment on posts;
- Instagram is a photo and video-sharing social network. IFAD uses Instagram to show photography and videos from IFAD projects and activities;
- LinkedIn has roots as a job-search service, but with over 500 million users worldwide, it is quickly becoming a platform for networking, sharing industry knowledge, and providing expert opinions. It can be used in an engaging and inspirational tone and aim for engagement on a more technical level on issues related to IFAD’s work and mandate;
- YouTube is an online social networking site where members can post videos, comment on them and subscribe to video channels. IFAD uses YouTube to share approved corporate videos.
SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS
- Remember that everything you write, stays there - and that it is not private anymore. Be sure you protect confidential information, and that you do not share information which you may not want to be "out there" in the future;
- Respect the privacy rights of your colleagues or of the people you work with - especially when posting photos or videos;
- Identify yourself as part of a project or programme, and as part of IFAD. But add a disclaimer, especially if you are posting under your own name: everything you say does not necessarily represent IFAD's views or opinions;
- Consider your audience: avoid negative comments or inflammatory subjects;
- Remember that the audience may suffer from information overflow. Do not spam!
- On a more technical side, add the bit.ly URL shortener, making it easier for all users to follow your links;
- Make use of the IFAD image database. A good photo helps enormously;
- Adopt the concept of “shareability” in your social media strategy so to spread your message more effectively.
SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTE
A few points from the IFAD Communications Toolkit:
- Be a good ambassador. Be aware that your behaviour and opinions on social media channels directly or indirectly reflect on IFAD. Make sure your profile picture or avatar reflects your professionalism.
- Be honest, transparent and open. If you are blogging about your work, identify yourself and clearly state you are working for IFAD. If you have a vested interest in something you are discussing, be the first to point it out, and make it clear that you are expressing your own opinion. Bear in mind that transparency does not mean disclosing confidential and/or proprietary information. If you make a mistake, admit it and correct it.
- Be passionate and engaged. Share the passion you feel for your work and talk about your successes and challenges. If you are writing a blog, encourage your readers to provide feedback and comment. Read the contributions of others and see how you can contribute to the conversation.
- Be responsible. You are responsible for what you write and how you behave on social media channels. Exercise solid judgement.
- Be conversational. Talk to your readers and avoid being pedantic. Do not be afraid to bring in your personality. When communicating on social media, write in an open-ended way that solicits responses to start a conversation. Refer to other people’s posts when you blog and solicit comments.
- Be respectful. Disagree in a respectful manner. Respect the professionalism, and also the privacy, of your audience, colleagues and peers.
- Be careful when mixing professional and personal. Sometimes professional and personal lives intersect. As an IFAD employee and international civil servant, you have certain obligations. On social media just as in the office, you must abide by IFAD’s code of conduct and staff rules.
- Be aware of global implications. Your interaction on social media channels can have global significance. A style of writing that is appropriate for some parts of the world may be considered inappropriate or illegal in others. Keep the ‘world view’ in mind when engaging with social media tools.
- Safeguard IFAD content. Staff are encouraged to share IFAD content through their personal social media accounts. When using your personal accounts to share original IFAD content – text, audio, video and photographs produced by IFAD and shared on IFAD’s website or social media channels – make sure you attribute it to IFAD. When posting IFAD content on personal or third-party sites, indicate the source. Do not publish content produced for internal IFAD use. Copyrighted IFAD content can be made available on request.
- Safeguard IFAD’s name. You may not use IFAD’s name to endorse or promote any product, opinion or political party. IFAD is seeking to consolidate its brand and boost its web and social media channels. Please avoid fragmenting our brand and identity by creating pseudo-IFAD accounts. If you need to create web and/or social media channels for IFAD, please consult the Communications Division. Separate opinions from facts. State clearly what is fact and what is opinion.
- Write what you know. When writing about agriculture and rural development-related issues, write in the first person and stick to your areas of expertise. When writing about an IFAD-related topic on which you are not the topic expert, make it clear to your readers, or co-author the piece with the topic expert.
MORE INFORMATION / SOURCE
- IFAD Communications Toolkit. Its purpose is to help IFAD staff boost the impact of our work through more effective outreach, engagement with a variety of audiences and knowledge-sharing – all in the interest of highlighting IFAD’s contributions to enabling poor rural people to raise their incomes, improve their food security and strengthen their resilience: https://ifadcomskit.weebly.com/