What Works? Summit - Social Media Strategy - further details

To: All people involved in a What Works? Summit committee or working group

What Works? Summit - Social Media Strategy

As there have been a lot of questions lately about the social media strategy for the Summit I wanted to expand on the previous notes about /outline of this with a few more details. I have also added below a response to one opportunity/idea discussed at the Steering Committee call this morning. The status of this is twofold: (a) there is further review being undertaken by the Communications sub-committee as this provides a little more detail on what has already been developed and agreed and (b) for input into that review by yourselves as people engaged in other Summit committees.

Strategy

The core elements of the strategy are:

1. Unless absolutely necessary (perhaps Instagram for example) we will not create any Summit specific accounts or pages. 

2. We will build upon the foundations established by the social media accounts of participants and their organizations. 

 
3. #SBCCSummit will be the connective tissue for all social media related to the Summit. 

4. We have checked and been reassured that the conference centre has excellent wifi that can handle large numbers of people online simultaneously.

5. There is an assumption that a high % of the people who will attend the Summit will come with a phone and/or lap top that includes their social media accounts.

6. If there are 1,000 people attending and they each have connections to 500 people combined across their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc accunts then that is 500,000 connections - even before the further proliferations start.

7. From a strategic point of view adopting this approach ensures both overall general coverage through social media and that each person present is engaging the people they wish to engage specific to their contexts and interests.   

8. The members of the Communications sub-committee will actively facilitate dialogue and debate from their own accounts - questions, observatons, linkages etc.

9. Participants will be provided with the social media accounts for those Comms Groups members - eg the GFMD Facebook account. 

10. Specific to the Summit there will be an advance message to all attending (perhaps 2 weeks in advance) that highlights the following suggestions concerning ways for them to consider shaping their use of social media before, during and after the Summit.

a. At your discretion of course please make sure that you have requested/made social media connections with key people in your context - people you work with, policy makers, funders, technical experts in other fields, etc

b. When sharing social media posts please use the #SBCCSummit.

c. Please like, follow, etc other people who use the #SBCCSummit - this will connect you to others at the Summit.

d. If applicable, please ask the social media “administrators” in your organisation to (a) re-tweet, share etc your social media posts and (b) monitor and follow relevant people (eg those focused on children for UNICEF) who use the #SBCCSummit

e. Please request your organisation to create a block/feature on its web site that streams all posts with the #SBCCSummit - for example Facebook and Twitter blocks for streams of those social media.   

f. Please follow the social media presence of the Communications sub-group members (details will be provided)

g. Whilst at the Summit please set yourself a target of 5 social media “posts” per day - preferably more!

h. In particular can we please encourage and support you to include within your social media activity a focus on the following 3 areas. Doing this will make a huge contribution to the overall purpose of this gathering.

- Share specific impact data - for example if you are at a presentation that includes some compelling research data demonstrating the impact of this field of work please tweet, post etc that key data. This is the What Works? Summit!

- Share strategic insights that attract your attention - for example if you are at a session that encourages you to think a little differently about an issue please communicate that insight. What Works? is not just data - it is also strategic thinking.

- Share your assessment of the challenges facing/opportunities available related to progress on the Sustainable Development Goals in the contexts in which you work.

11. Of course there is a lot more that participants can and will share. But the above will really help to amplify the value of this Summit.  

12. Social media lends itself to short posts, videos and pics. Just to note that there will also be groups/communities for more in-depth and detailed contributions. More details soon on that aspect of the communications strategy.

13. The ideas around how to use video have crystallized over the past few days with the discussion in the Outputs committee and the Steering Group. In basic outline we are now considering the following:

i. That in addition to the suggestions above we also ask participants who are comfortable using the video on their phones to:

- identify other people at the Summit whose ideas and experiences attract their attention as being potentially valuable for improving their own SBCC work.

- conduct short video interviews with those people (3 to 4 minutes) on the themes that attracted your attention. We may set a target of 3 interviews per person over the course of the Summit(even though that would be 3,000 interviews!).

- upload these video interviews to Facebook with the #SBCCSummit So, they will be shared.

ii. This will provide the raw material that can be used by the Outputs group through an editing process such as PlayGround to make a short video from the Summit should they decide on that output.

14. Please note that we have been informed that there will be no live video of any speeches, presentations or discussions from the Summit. They will be recorded and available post-Summit but now live. Though we asked for this to take place it is not possible at this stage.

Thanks - much appreciate all inputs - Warren