Effective, Research-Based Use of Social Media: Enhancing the Reach and Outcomes of Child Welfare...

Effective, Research-Based

Use of Social MediaEnhancing the Reach and Outcomes of

Child Welfare Programs

March 28, 2011

Presenters

AdoptUSKids

• Kathy Ledesma, National Project Director

• Stephanie Pettaway, National Recruitment Campaign Fulfillment Director

• Vanessa Casavant, Content Strategist for Electronic Media

Home Front Communications

• Carlos Roig, Senior Vice President, Digital Media

Who we are and what we do

Digital Media Strategy

Engaging audience and building community

Carlos Roig, Senior Vice President of Digital Media

What are social networks?

Main platforms

Why does this matter?

Huge audience

Conversations 24/7

Reach the target audience

Build a community of support

What you should do

Answer

Be a resource to families

Connect with the media

Be authentic

Learn and apply best practices

Ask

What you shouldn’t do

One-way monologue

Fail to respond to questions

Lack a pulse

Use only for campaign

Automate your content

Digital Media Strategy

Carlos RoigSVP, Digital Media Strategy

Home Front Communications

roig@homefront.tv

Twitter - @roigmedia

Using Social Media to

Engage and Support Families

What AdoptUSKids Has Learned

Kathy Ledesma, National Project Director

Stephanie Pettaway, National Recruitment Fulfillment Campaign Director

Vanessa Casavant, Content Strategist for Electronic Media

Where we started

Photolisting website• Launched in 2002

• More than 30,000 child registrations and

25,000 family registrations to date

• Active profiles at any given time are about

4,500 each for family and children

• Average of 5,000 people visit our site daily

• 15,500 previously photolisted children

now live with permanent families

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

This mission of AdoptUSKids is two-fold: to raise public awareness about the need for foster and

adoptive families for children in the public child welfare system; and to assist U.S. States, Territories

and Tribes to recruit and retain foster and adoptive families and connect them with children.

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

This mission of AdoptUSKids is two-fold: to raise public awareness about the need for foster and

adoptive families for children in the public child welfare system; and to assist U.S. States, Territories

and Tribes to recruit and retain foster and adoptive families and connect them with children.

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

This mission of AdoptUSKids is two-fold: to raise public awareness about the need for foster and

adoptive families for children in the public child welfare system; and to assist U.S. States, Territories

and Tribes to recruit and retain foster and adoptive families and connect them with children.

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

This mission of AdoptUSKids is two-fold: to raise public awareness about the need for foster and

adoptive families for children in the public child welfare system; and to assist U.S. States, Territories

and Tribes to recruit and retain foster and adoptive families and connect them with children.

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

This mission of AdoptUSKids is two-fold: to raise public awareness about the need for foster and

adoptive families for children in the public child welfare system; and to assist U.S. States, Territories

and Tribes to recruit and retain foster and adoptive families and connect them with children.

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

Television

Radio

Print

Ad Council

PSA CampaignAdoptUSKids Website

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

Television

Radio

Print

Online

Ad Council

PSA CampaignAdoptUSKids Website

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

Email Campaigns

Find a Family

• Goes to 10,205 child welfare

workers every month

• Purpose is to build

trust, awareness and usage

of our website by

highlighting home

studied, licensed families

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

Email Campaigns

Building Families

• Goes to 53,018 families

every month

• Purpose is to build

trust, awareness, and usage

of our website by sharing

success

stories, tips, photolisted

children, and information

about foster care and

adoption

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

Email Campaigns

E-Notes

• Goes to 450 child welfare

workers every month

• Purpose is to share policy

and practice tips related to

recruitment and retention

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

Email Campaigns

Monday Morning Memo

• Goes to 169 stakeholders of

AdoptUSKids every month

• Purpose is to share

initiatives and outcomes of

the project

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

AdoptUSKids Audience

How we grew

Expanding our tools to support our mission

AdoptUSKids Audience

Social Media

Outreach

+

Customer Service

Where do we start?

Where do we start?

What we learned

What we learned

Know your medium

• Blogs engage the public, but aren’t the best

choice for having a discussion with your audience

• The conversation is non-linear, fast and very

difficult to monitor

What we learned

1. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

2. Develop a clear communications strategy and the

goals you want to achieve.

3. Outline rules of engagement for using social

media to engage the public.

4. Pick the medium with tools that are right for you.

Key Lessons

What we learned

1. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

2. Develop a clear communications

strategy and the goals you want to

achieve.

3. Outline rules of engagement for using social

media to engage the public.

4. Pick the medium with tools that are right for you.

Key Lessons

Our social media tools

Engaging the public

Social media is a place to listen

Engaging the public

Social media is a place to listen

Engaging the public

Social media is a place to provide support

Twitter Facebook

Engaging the public

Social media is community building

Worker to FamilyFamily to Family

Engaging the public

Social media is a place for recruitment

Featured Child Stats

• 715 children featured since 2003

• 449 have been placed

• 59 have pending placements

• Profile views jump from 20 to 873 the week a

child is featured

• Sibling profile views jump from 67 to 759 the

week they are featured

Engaging the public

Social media is a place for outreach

Twitter Q&A Sessions

• Hosted six one-hour Q&A sessions

• More than 100 participants for each

session

• Generated more than 1,200 page

views of AdoptUSKids’ website

• 5,411 tweets in total mentioned

#adoptuskids

Engaging the public

Social media is a place for information sharing

Engaging the public

Social media is a place for information sharing

Rules of engagement

• Know the tone and personality AdoptUSKids wants to project to our audience.

• Monitor and contribute to the discussion by providing proactive customer service and telling our

story in a way that builds trust and reassurance.

• Know the lingo and culture of the online community you’re in.

• When in doubt on how to respond or if a comment should be removed, check with

AdoptUSKids supervisors and/or the Children’s Bureau.

• Keep our online communities an inviting place for exchanging ideas, tips and encouragement

by posting regularly (what is considered regularly is defined by the medium).

• Learn from others, both inside and outside of the child welfare industry, on new ways to

successfully use social media.

It’s simple really … just use common sense

AdoptUSKids Audience

Social Media

Outreach

+

Customer Service

Measuring engagement

Analytics help target your message

AdoptUSKids Audience

Facebook

Waiting Families

Measuring engagement

Analytics help target your message

AdoptUSKids Audience

Twitter

New to Adoption

Measuring engagement

Analytics help target your message

Measuring engagement

What type of content is your audience after?

Google Analytics Integration

Measuring engagement

Facebook Insights

Who are your fans and where do they come from?

What days of the week are best for posting?

Measuring engagement

Twitter Tools

Are you influential where it matters? (Klout)

Who’s listening and engaging? (Twitter Analyzer)

What messaging is working best for you? (Tweet Effect)

Measuring engagement

Twitter Tools

Managing engagement

Managing engagement

Managing engagement

Next steps

Incorporating social media into our website

Next steps

• 34.7% of respondents said they use social media for professional

purposes

• 58.6% of respondents said they would use social media for adoptive

recruitment purposes if they had access to it at work

• One of the top barriers to using social media was identified as not feeling

comfortable or skilled in how to use it

Helping States, Territories and Tribes

AdoptUSKids survey of child welfare professionals found:

How to Request T/TA

Building your social media strategy

National Resource Center for the Recruitment and Retention of Foster

and Adoptive Parents at AdoptUSKids (NRCRRFAP)

How to access our T/TA services :

• Online at http://adoptuskids.org/nrc-recruitment

• Contact your ACF Regional Office staff to obtain approval

• Contact the center to discuss your needs by calling 1-800-451-5246 Ext. 241

Questions?

http://www.facebook.com/adoptuskids

http://twitter.com/adoptuskids

http://www.youtube.com/adoptuskids

Stephanie PettawayNational Recruitment Fulfillment

Campaign Director, AdoptUSKids

spetteway@adoptuskids.org

Kathy LedesmaNational Project Director

AdoptUSKids

kledesma@adoptuskids.org

Vanessa CasavantContent Strategist for Electronic Media

AdoptUSKids

vcasavant@nwresource.org

Twitter - @vancasavant

Carlos RoigSVP, Digital Media Strategy

Home Front Communications

roig@homefront.tv

Twitter - @roigmedia