about this document about related documents · 2018-11-17 · role of youtube vs. a youtube channel...

Strengthening the CMHA's Collective Impact Through Social Media 1

January 21, 2014 Version 1

Table of Contents

CMHA – Social Media Implementation Guide .................................................................. 2 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 2

Definition ...................................................................................................................... 2 CMHA and Social Media .............................................................................................. 2

The Role of Social Media ................................................................................................. 2 Align with the goals of CMHA National and your CMHA Division .................................. 3

Create a Social Media Presence ...................................................................................... 3 How to create a Facebook profile ................................................................................. 3 How to create a Twitter profile .................................................................................... 10 Role of YouTube vs. a YouTube Channel................................................................... 14 Technical Needs ......................................................................................................... 14

Best Practices to Manage Social Media ......................................................................... 15 The Social Media Team .............................................................................................. 15 Roles and Responsibilities ......................................................................................... 15 Escalation Procedures ................................................................................................ 16 Core Principles for Social Media Interactions ............................................................. 18 Content Calendars ..................................................................................................... 19 Posting Expectations: Time of Day and Frequency .................................................... 20 Communication: Style, Format, Cross Promotion ....................................................... 21 Social Media Monitoring and Measurement ................................................................ 22

About this Document ■□■ About related Documents

Three key documents support social media at CMHA:

1. CMHA Social Media Policy (v1.1 January 2014)

o This policy governs the publication of and commentary on social media by

employees, board members and volunteers of the CMHA.

2. CMHA Social Media Implementation Guide (v1 January 2014) this document

o A practical “how to” guide for a CMHA wishing to get started with social media;

helping locations determine how to set up accounts, how to structure a support team,

how to interact online, how to establish a content calendar and how to monitor and

measure your activity.

3. Social Media Strategy and Plan (unique to each location)

o Each location is encouraged to set their own specific social media communications

plan to address their social media goals, content strategy and activities to build

engagement, to acquire new friends/followers, to enhance organizational reputation,

to attract new sources of funding and to affect the general public’s attitudes and

beliefs surrounding mental health.

CMHA will store the Social Media Policy and Implementation Guide on the CMHA Info Hub and CMHA

Connects Social Media Hub.

http://www.cmha.ca/info-hub/

http://cmhaconnects.ca/groups/cmha-social-media-hub/

http://cmhaconnects.ca/groups/cmha-social-media-hub/


CMHA – Social Media Implementation Guide

Introduction

This is a practical guide for participating in social media on behalf of Canadian Mental Health

Association (CMHA).

As each CMHA location (Division, Branch, Region or other location type), is responsible to

determine the extent to which it will use social media, this document gives input to guide that

usage. Use of social media should include fair consideration for the purpose for using social media

at your location, platforms to use, topics to address or avoid, expected response time, hours of the

day and/or days of the week to provide responses and other location specific needs.

Definition

In this guide, social media means any facility, channel or outlet for online publication and

commentary, including (but not limited to) blogs, discussion forums, wikis and social networking

sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, Google+ and YouTube. “Posts” or “posting” is a

generic way to describe publishing content to any of these platforms (in place of tweet, comment

or other platform-specific terminology). Similarly, “friend” or “follower” is a generic way to describe

connections on any of these platforms (in place of other platform-specific terminology).

CMHA and Social Media

Social media is an effective tool to promote CMHA services, events and promotions as well as to

support local initiatives and interact with the community. Align local use of social media to the

collective voice of CMHA National and your Division to ensure a more powerful and consistent

online presence.

The Role of Social Media

The goal of social media for CMHA, on a nationwide, divisional and local level, is to “Strengthen

the Collective Voice of CMHA”. Extending this notion to your local community, developing your

location’s social media presence will also strengthen the voice of your community - the people that

matter most to you.

Social media can play a key role to strengthen the strategy and mission of your CMHA as it is well

suited for use to build awareness of mental health and illness, deepen your relationship with your

community, foster engagement and interaction, as well as encourage donations, fundraising and

volunteering activity.

Social media offers a means to create relationships, garner feedback and promote important

information with less work and lower costs than traditional marketing efforts.


Align with the goals of CMHA National and your CMHA Division

Locations not planning to create a location specific Facebook or Twitter profile could instead

leverage CMHA National and/or their Divisional CMHA social media activities. Locations currently

using social media or about to start should connect their social media pages with CMHA National

and their Divisional CMHA. This demonstrates a sense of unity across the organization.

Create a Social Media Presence

How to create a Facebook profile

To create a CMHA page, you need a Facebook profile.

Use a Personal Facebook Profile

The best practice is to create your CMHA location page from your personal Facebook account. It

aligns as well with Facebook policy allowing each person to have only one account. A benefit to

using your personal account is also ready access to an existing list of friends with whom to share

the CMHA page.

Once created, the CMHA page will allow you to identify one or more administrators and each can

be assigned varying degrees of access to features. While logged into Facebook using your

personal account, if you are an administrator on the page when you perform actions on that page

it is done as the administrator, not as the personal account. Meaning you can hide your personal

identity from the CMHA page.

Create your local CMHA Page

Online reference: Facebook: How to setup your Page

1. Log into the Facebook profile

2. Create a Page

3. Select “Company, Organization or Institution”

4. Identify your category “Non-Profit Organization”

5. Review and agree to the Facebook Pages Terms

and click “Get Started

https://www.facebook.com/business/overview#set-up-your-page


Adding Content: Complete the ‘About’ Section

Description

Content for the About Section:

1) Describe WHAT CMHA does with specific location details (as applicable)

2) WHY CMHA does what it does.

Keep it succinct, as people will generally not read lengthy descriptions. This is a prime place to re-

enforce your mission. The CMHA National mission is:

“Our Mission: As the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health, CMHA facilitates access

to the resources people require to maintain and improve mental health and community integration,

build resilience, and support recovery from mental illness.”

Insert your website


Add your CMHA location’s website address and then click “Add Another Site” to add CMHA

National (http://www.cmha.ca/) and another for your Divisional CMHA, if applicable.

Create a Facebook URL

Insert a unique and easily identifiable name for your Facebook page. A good name makes it easier

for people to find you, especially when using search engines such as Google. Note: Currently,

Facebook policy is that you need 25 followers to create the unique Facebook URL.

Validate the Organization

Select YES to both questions regarding be a real organization and an authorized representation of

this organization.

Adding Content: Profile Picture

Use the CMHA Logo for the profile picture.

If there is a reason to use a different image, such as an upcoming

event or campaign, consider these guidelines:

Be sure the image is not too small or overly detailed, as it

will need to look good even when displayed as a small thumbnail;

overly detailed images are indistinguishable when shown as a

small thumbnail type image.

Profile pictures are square and display at 160x160 pixels

so upload a square picture, rather than a rectangle to avoid the

rectangle being cropped to a square, potentially cutting off some

of the intended image.

Navigating your Facebook Page

Once the Facebook page is created, the page will open on the Admin panel. Use the Admin panel

to view your notifications and activity. To hide the Admin panel, click ‘Hide’ in the top right corner.

http://www.cmha.ca/


Add Facebook Cover Image

Add an image as the cover photo that is aligned with CMHA corporate image and one that is true

to the CMHA mission and philosophy. A cover image allows followers to gain a sense of what you

stand for the moment they land on your page.

About Section – Page Info

Click on About and you will see About, Basic Info and Contact Info. Click the Edit button in the

Basic Info section. Here are some recommendations:

Topics:

Add the topics relevant to your location such as the programs offered.

Mission:

Use the CMHA National Mission: “Our Mission: As the nation-wide leader and champion for

mental health, CMHA facilitates access to the resources people require to maintain and improve

mental health and community integration, build resilience, and support recovery from mental

illness.”

Address:

Add your address so those in your social media community have quick access to your location

information.

Long Description:

Provide additional detail about your CMHA. This is a good place to add your expectations for

those participating with this CMHA on social media and a disclaimer that due to the nature of this

forum, some content may not represent the views of CMHA.

Expectations for Participants

For example, “CMHA will not tolerate discrimination (including age, sex, race, color, creed, religion,

ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability, or marital status

or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, provincial, or local laws, regulations

or ordinances). The CMHA reserves the right to remove any post, video or images that violate this

policy.”


For social media policy questions, please email [email protected]

Not all Opinions Shared

For example, “CMHA wishes to allow those in our community to share information on a broad

range of issues which could result in some opinions expressed on this page that may not be

reflective of the opinions of CMHA. In addition, links to external sources may contain content,

advertisements, or other information that is not aligned with CMHA’s views, values and vision.”

For social media policy questions, please email [email protected]

About Section – Settings

Here you define who sees your page, how they interact and any restrictions you may want on the

page. Click edit on the right-hand side to make changes. Use the question mark to get more

details on the purpose of each setting. Summary to consider:

Page Visibility

If you select unpublished, then only the Admin team can see the page. Do not click this; you want

everyone to access the page.

Posting Ability

There are options to limit how your followers/friends post on the timeline and control who can post

photos or videos. Turn both options on as you want people to be able to interact on your page.

These posts automatically go to a conversation thread located in a box on the top right-hand

corner of your timeline labeled “Post by Others”. Be sure to engage with these posts by adding

comments it also fosters loyalty and engagement. For the most part, these types of posts go

unnoticed, as they do not show up on your main timeline. You can also share these posts to your

timeline for additional reach and increased activity.

Post Visibility

Use to determine what happens to posts from others; it is recommend you allow people to post in

the box at the top right-hand corner of your thread.

Post Targeting and Privacy

Used to target people when posting, for example, “Friends Only” or “Friends of Friends”. Do not

turn this on, as you want as many people as possible to see your posts.

Messaging

Use to allow people to privately message the organization. Keep this on so people can reach out

privately. This is particularly important if someone wants to engage with you on a private matter.

Please review the Crisis Situations section in this document to help you devise the appropriate

plan for monitoring messages. For example, you may decide that allowing people to leave private

messages will mean the need to have staff dedicated to constant monitoring.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Tagging ability

Useful when posting pictures of events people have participated in. Leave this on so people can

associate their activities with the organization, allowing for greater reach.

Notifications

Use to determine how you will be notified that someone has posted on your page. Leave both

Facebook and Email set to on. Be sure the CMHA email is regularly checked. Use a generic email

so the entire social media team can gain access to this.

Country and Age Restrictions

Use to limit visibility of your page based on region and age, leave this open to everyone.

Page Moderation

Add the words you want to automatically block from appearing on your page. Determine the

specific words that should be blocked by emailing [email protected]

Some CMHAs have opted to add the 1000 most used words to the moderation list so

posts will require administrator review. Until approved by the administrator, the post will be viewable only by the poster and administrators. While this is an option to

control posting, the disadvantage is that it discourages the open engagement and real time posting community members seek and expect with social media.

Profanity Filter

Facebook blocks common profanity, but to ensure that offensive words are not posted turn this to

‘Strong’.

Similar Page Suggestions

Keep this item selected. Your page will be suggested when people ‘Like’ similar organizations or

have similar interests. This offers organic growth opportunities.

Replies

Keep this item checked, as you want people to interact with the posts. Moderating and removing

specific comments as needed.

Remove your Page

Use only if you want to permanently delete this Facebook page.


About Section – Admin Roles

Admin staff can have different roles assigned to them, depending on what they need to work on.

You can assign as many people as you like to have Admin capabilities, there are a number of

different Admin roles:

Manager:

Manage admin roles, send messages, create posts, create ads and view insights; this is the role

with the greatest amount of access.

Content Creator:

Edit the Page, send messages, create posts, create ads and view insights.

Moderator:

Respond to and delete comments on the Page, send messages, create ads and view insights.

Advertiser:

Create ads and view insights.

Insights Analyst:

View insights.

Recommendations

It is recommended that only a small group of people have manager capabilities (1-2), with the

larger team having Content Creator capabilities. The more people that can create and manage

content the better, so the posting does not fall onto 1 or 2 people. A bottleneck would result.

Adding Admin Roles:

Click on ‘Add Admin Role’ and either add someone from Facebook or by inserting their email

address. Then select the access you wish them to have by selecting from the drop down menu.

Simply insert your password to the page in the pop up window to verify your decision.

Additional Facebook Support:

Feel free to reach out to Facebook for any questions you may have. They have a great support

team: Facebook Help

https://www.facebook.com/help/583181978367528


How to create a Twitter profile

Set up the Account

Go to https://twitter.com/signup

Account Name:

Use CMHA + location name; this will be the name of your profile.

Email Address:

Use a generic email address so your social media team members can access this information;

using your work email address limits who can access the site.

This email account is where all email notifications will arrive.

You will receive a confirmation email from Twitter; be sure to confirm the account so you can

proceed with the setup.

Create a password:

Set a secure password to access the Twitter account. Ensure the social media team at your

location has the login information (i.e. URL, related email accounts, user name and passwords).

Document the details in a secure file to secure against lost login credentials, but also protect the

information.

Choose a User Name:

The name or handle used in any correspondence on Twitter. Correspondence on Twitter is

structured with the ‘at’ sign @. For example, CMHA National User Name on Twitter is

CMHA_National so when people correspond with CMHA National within Twitter they type

@CMHA_National.

Twitter Basics

A Tweet:

The name of the short message people post on Twitter that is limited to 140 characters. A tweet

displays your name and message and can include links, hashtags, photos and your location

identity. Identifying your location is especially compelling when tweeting about events.

Links:

A tweet with links within the message is more compelling.

URL (website addresses) are often long so use a URL shortening service to reduce the number of

characters, such as:

Bitly https://bitly.com/

Google http://goo.gl/

Ow.ly http://ow.ly/url/shorten-url

An added benefit of link shortening services is they allow you to monitor how many times the

shortened link has been clicked.

https://twitter.com/signup

https://bitly.com/

http://goo.gl/

http://ow.ly/url/shorten-url


Hashtags:

Hashtags are primarily used on Twitter, but also on Facebook. While hashtags are optional, it is

recommend you use a hashtag to make searchable by topic.

Creating a hashtag by using the pound sign (#) in front of a word or phrase (no spaces) allows the

phrase to be found in searches. In addition, others can use the same phrase in their tweets. If you

search a hashtag phrase, you will find all the tweets using it, revealing the conversation going on

about that topic.

Favourite:

Click the Favourite icon on any tweet, this places that tweet in your thread, but does not share it

with your followers.

Retweet:

You can retweet or push out a tweet to your followers by clicking retweet. This posts your tweet on

the threads of all those that follow you. You can retweet in one of two ways:

Simple Retweet, no comment added:

Hover over a Tweet

Click the Retweet link

A pop-up will show you the Tweet you're about to retweet and will ask you to confirm

Click the Retweet button

The Tweet will then be shared with all of your followers

Retweet, with a comment added:

Copy the contents of the tweet to share; works well when the Tweet is much shorter than

140 characters

Open a new Tweet box and paste the content into the message

Add the letters RT (stands for retweet) and the Tweet author's @username to show that

it's a retweet and isn't your own content

Add your comment at the beginning of the message e.g., “Very interesting” or “Need to

share this”

Click Tweet to post the message to your followers

Mobile device users can quote a tweet, which is a short cut not available on the computer-

based twitter at this time.

Building your Timeline and Profile

Follow & Following:

The point of Twitter is to engage with others, based on your area of interest. Engagement means

that you follow those that interest you and people interested in your CMHA follow you.

It is important to follow others to see the active conversations. Profiles where the user is not

following anyone are not viewed favourably. Steven Colbert is the exception.


Start by following:

Twitter will encourage you to start following other people or organizations. Simply search the

people or organization and click follow. This means all of their tweets will appear in your timeline

or thread. You can also find people to follow by searching on a particular hashtag. For example,

searching the hash tag #mentalhealth will show you all the people tweeting about this topic. You

may be interested in following some of these people.

Getting Followers:

The more you post, the more likely you are to gain followers. Demonstrate you have something

interesting to say.

Profile Picture:

Use the CMHA Logo for the profile picture.

If there is reason to use a different image, such as an upcoming event

or campaign, or the logo, then consider these guidelines:

Be sure the image is not too small or overly detailed, as it will need

to look good even when displayed as a small thumbnail; overly

detailed images are indistinguishable when shown as a small

thumbnail type image.

Maximum size for a photo is 700K, in .jpeg, .gif or .png photo format

Twitter Bio:

You have 160 characters to describe the organization. Be succinct. Communicate what you do,

and why you do it.

In Facebook, there is space available to add text for disclaimers; however, Twitter’s space is

limited to the 160 characters in the bio, which is best used to describe the organization. An option

is to place the disclaimer content on the CMHA’s website. Disclaimer content includes:

“CMHA will not tolerate discrimination (including age, sex, race, color, creed, religion,

ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability, or

marital status or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, provincial, or

local laws, regulations or ordinances). The CMHA reserves the right to remove any post,

video or images that violate this policy.”

“CMHA wishes to allow those in our community to share information on a broad range of

issues which could result in some opinions being expressed in this account that may not

be reflective of the opinions of CMHA. In addition, links to external sources may contain

content, advertisements, or other information that is not aligned with CMHA’s views,

values and vision.”

Backgrounds:

Similar to the Cover Photo of your Facebook page, select an image or a style that complements

your profile. Be sure the image does not distract or clutter the page. Use brand standards to aid

you in choosing a colour scheme and an image.


Navigating Your Page

Home Tab:

Use to tweet, read tweets of those you are following, find new people/organizations to follow and

see what is trending on Twitter.

@ Connect Tab:

Two main sections:

Interactions: Where you see all the activity, those that have recently followed you and the

conversations or interactions you have had with others.

Mentions: Where you see in which tweets you have been mentioned in, including the

subsequent interaction you have had with that specific follower.

# Discover Tab:

Twitter will recommend different people or organizations to follow based on your current interests

or activity with others. Twitter wants to connect you with other relevant people/organizations.

Me Tab:

Shows your profile, with your activity, tweets, retweets, photos and videos. This shows how others

see your profile.

Search:

The search function remains at the top of each page, allowing you to search people/organizations

or hashtags.

Direct Message:

Use to send a private message to a follower. Click the envelope icon and type their user name

proceed by ‘@’ (e.g., @CMHA_National).

Tweet Icon:

Use to create a tweet. It is found at the top right hand side of each page, or the on the left hand

side of your homepage.


Role of YouTube vs. a YouTube Channel

YouTube is the second largest search engine, with Google being the largest. Hours and hours of

content is uploaded each day with much more time spent viewing and sharing. YouTube has two

main means to share: curating content or using a channel to upload custom content.

As you get started, it is best to curate video content, rather than creating custom video content.

Creating video content is a timely and likely costly endeavour; it is likely better to collaborate with

CMHA National or your Divisional CMHA for this type of content.

Curating video content:

The most common way. Use YouTube to share relevant video content. Use Facebook or Twitter

to share a link to the video content. Visual content is much more compelling than simple text.

Custom Content on YouTube Channel:

A YouTube Channel is used to upload video content your organization has created vs. content

from other users. This type of content should not be simply a capture of an event, but rather a

professional quality production (like an advertisement, an infomercial or interview with a key

stakeholder).

Organizations like CMHA are expected to have decent quality video content.

Technical Needs

Ensure those responsible for managing and posting have access to the platforms in use. If there

are issues with security or a firewall, your IT team can provide support.

The social media team will need access to sites or programs that help to manage and create

content.

The Social Media Team will need to:

Be able to modify or resize photos (if software is not available, search for one of numerous

programs that support photo resizing)

Use Google Alerts to tag key words or phrases relevant to the dialogue you wish to create.

Ask IT to remove blockages that may exist via the firewall to any websites that contain the

alerts.

Regularly assess their technical needs, a monthly meeting with this as an agenda item

that is recommended.


Best Practices to Manage Social Media

The Social Media Team

There are a number of different approaches used by social media teams. Here are the two most

viable for CMHA.

Centralized

One department, such as Marketing and

Communications, manages all social media

activities; 29% of Social Strategists recommend

this approach.

Hub and Spoke

A cross-functional team sits in a centralized position and helps different

teams or business units; 41% of Social Strategists recommend this approach.

Roles and Responsibilities

The team members should:

Have experience in building relationships and engaging in conversations; the social media

conversations just happen to occur online.

Have strong, high-level understanding of the organization’s mission, values and goals.

Be trusted and valued members of your team.

To setup your social media team, assess the capabilities of those available and determine if

additional team members are needed or if support from CMHA National or your Divisional CMHA

might be required. Doing social media well, requires a dedication of time as well as application of

strong skillsets.

Social Media Team Lead:

The team lead is responsible for the social media program, including return on investment and

correspondence with the senior leadership team, Board of Directors or other key stakeholders.

They are responsible to know how social media tools are helping achieve the CMHA mission and

local goals (e.g., increasing event attendance, increasing donations/fundraising, etc.). They

should be aware of the work of CMHA National and their Divisional CMHA to ensure consistency

of messaging and to leverage existing content for a stronger collective voice.

Knowing the number of tweets per week is less important for this role than being able to report on

the impact and outcomes of those tweets.


The team lead would also establish the core social media strategy:

Tone as well as look and feel (should be aligned to National Logo and Brand guidelines)

Main messages (again aligned with Mission, Vision and Values)

Advertising and promotions

Content goals

Interaction protocols

Enforcement of policy

The team lead has a supervisory role for those supporting Community Manager and Content

Creators tasks.

Community Manager:

A public facing role so it must be people who have the full trust of the organization and can

establish a trust based rapport with the online community.

The community manager designs the content calendar, works with content creators and

manages/overseas the execution of each channel. They have decision-making capabilities for

specific types of content, style of posts and a policy to guide decision-making regarding

problematic or sensitive interactions online.

Should there be any concerns regarding a problematic or sensitive scenario, the community

manager quickly consults the Social Media Team Lead.

Content Creators:

Content creators require a clear understanding of the social strategy and the overarching goals, as

they are responsible for sourcing and developing content. They are trusted to design, craft and

write posts. Content creators are responsible for remaining on top of trends, relevant information,

key resources in the industry and content shared across other locations, including divisional and

national. They contribute to the development of the content calendars.

Escalation Procedures

To deal with problematic or sensitive scenarios, establish both a proactive and reactive protocol.

Proactive Protocol: Setting the Team up for Success

Senior leadership and social media team leads should deliver any information related to being

proactive. This illustrates that the organization has considered the needs of the team and has

strategically thought out how the organization should be represented.

Clearly outline the social media policy, associated rules and best practices for the team.

Be sure everyone on the team has the information that is most relevant to his/her position.

Empower the team to make the day-to-day decisions with the knowledge on how to do so

while keeping the integrity, image or reputation of the organization intact

Educate the team that if there is uncertainty team members must consult the team lead for

guidance; follow the when in doubt, seek help rule.


Reactive Protocol: Managing the dynamic of human interactions online

It is the ‘frontline’ staff – often the community manager – that is faced with varying levels of

interactions, most of which will be positive, but from time to time, there will be negative interactions

that need to be addressed. The community manager will be trained, as per the chart below, to

interact professionally and effectively with people on the CMHA social media channels.

Escalation:

Should the community manager not feel comfortable with a situation or lack confidence in how

best to approach a situation, they should consult the social media team lead. Likewise, if the team

lead is uncertain they should consult senior leadership.

It is best to work together as issues arise to develop confidence in dealing with sensitive situations.

Below are some examples of the possible interactions and the recommended reactions.

Problem Identifying the Problem How to React

Direct

Problem

Someone has an issue with

the services you offer and

has laid out exactly what went

wrong.

Thank the person for bringing your attention to the

issue(s), and explain how it is being resolved or

explain why things are done the way they are.

Encourage the conversation to continue via phone

or at the appropriate location, if relevant.

Constructiv

e Criticism

Someone has an issue with

the services, but offers

feedback or suggestions on

how to improve them.

Thank the person for making the suggestion to

improve service and state how their idea could

contribute to the improving services. Build trust and

loyalty by responding positively.

Sensitive/

Personal

Problems

Someone has expressed

symptoms of mental health

and/or feelings of despair

Express publicly that you respect their courage for

reaching out. Ask them to reach out via phone or at

an appropriate location. Encourage the

conversation to continue, but privately out of respect

for their needs.

Questions

About

Services

Someone has expressed

interest or has a question

about the services offered

Reply quickly with the appropriate information. If you

do not have an answer, reply by saying you are

looking into it and will respond shortly, which you

must. Also, encourage the conversation to continue

via phone or at an appropriate location, if fitting to

the question.

Arguments

Someone is trying to engage

in an online argument by

continually being abusive,

offensive or inappropriate

Be calm and do not reply in kind. Thank the person

for their point of view and remind the person of the

CMHA policy to keep content appropriate online.

Offer for the individual to speak to a CMHA staff

member directly to address their concerns. If the

negative behaviour persists, consider deleting or

blocking this commenter.


Crisis Situations

Given the nature of CMHA, the obligation to be attentive to those seeking help in a crisis via social

media is different from other organizations. Each CMHA using social media must responsibly

think about how to respond to a social media community member seeking help, particularly if they

are in a crisis. Within CMHA, you have access to resources to help you respond appropriately.

We recommend you review these documents:

Refer to Appendix A in the Social Media Policy document: Dealing with a Crisis Situation

for additional reference information.

Core Principles for Social Media Interactions

Stay positive.

Do not fuel negativity with more negativity.

Do not argue

If a person is continually abusive, offensive or inappropriate, remind them of the CMHA policy. If it

persists, consider deleting or blocking this commenter. The nice thing about social media is that

the community will often take care of the ‘haters’ and will likely defend the organization.

Be honest

Be truthful in your replies and comments. Also, only make statements about an action you plan to

take in response to feedback, if you are certain it will be accomplished. Remember if you do not

know the answer to a question, it is ok to say you will look into it, but be sure to reply later if you

say you will.

Engage in a two-way dialogue

These are platforms for engagement and interaction; consider how you would have a conversation

with someone at a party or at work, and act that way. Although increasing donations and

fundraising is a key goal, the bulk of content should be on good community conversation.

Content needs to connect to fans and followers on an emotionally relevant level. Social Media is

not a broadcast vehicle.


Content Calendars

CMHA has set a goal to strengthen their collective impact. For fans and followers, the collective

impacts could include the following:

Gaining a new perspective

Changing their behaviour

Participating in collective actions for the betterment of the cause, large or small, on or

offline

Spreading the word about mental health, creating awareness of the issue and the

organization itself

Donating money

Fundraising on behalf of the organization

Social media can offer a direct line of sight to how CMHA is changing people’s lives and the

behaviours of others. The more people understand, the more likely they are to pay attention to

what you have to say. The more attentive they become, the more likely they are to donate.

Content is the fuel that keeps social media running. Therefore, it is vital to construct a monthly

content calendar, outlining the type of material and topic matters you plan to share on social media.

This not only keeps the team organized and focused, it allows the team to prepare posts ahead of

time. Less stress is then associated with social media overall.

Outline the Topics

The most important aspect of creating a content calendar is to outline the overarching buckets or

topic areas that are most meaningful to the people that Like or Follow you. Here are some

suggestions on the core topic matters to focus on:

Education and Empowerment:

Helping people understand the importance of mental health related services for their community

and showing how they can make a difference.

Success Stories:

Demonstrate the positive outcomes and success stories found within the community. Highlighting

how CMHA contributes to these success stories.

Local, Provincial and National news, films, campaigns:

Sharing relevant stories or initiatives about Canadians, policies or other initiatives from

organizations with aligned goals demonstrates that CMHA is a part of the collective action and

movement focused on bettering mental wellness.

CMHA News:

Local, divisional and national achievements and events (link to events calendar) offers context on

what CMHA does and how the community benefits. People want to understand how funds are

being used, and not simply in general terms, actual tangible outcomes. Share this information and

the veil is lifted. People will have a direct line of sight to how services are funded and why they

might want to be a part of this community.


CMHA Campaigns/Promotions:

It is acceptable to make ‘the ask’ on social media. After all, you are non-profit and required funds.

However, donation and fundraising opportunities should comprise less than 10% of your posts.

Otherwise, people will quickly ignore what you have to say.

Posting Expectations: Time of Day and Frequency

Facebook

Commit to at least 1-2 original posts per day, on any of the above topic areas.

Comment on 3-5 pieces of content posted by Fans or other organizations you ‘Like’ and

monitor; this demonstrates that a dialogue is what you hope to gain from people and

organizations you respect.

Post in the morning, and early afternoon. Facebook activity starts gaining traction between

7am and 10am, with activity typically increasing after 3pm.

Respond in a timely manner – response time to comments or messages is expected to be

within 24 hours.

Twitter

Commit to at least 1-2 original tweets per day (for starters), aim to increase this number to

3-5 tweets per day. Feel free to repurpose your Facebook content on Twitter. However,

keep in mind that Twitter moves faster, and therefore more content is expected. The more

tweets, the larger the reach and the more followers you will likely gain.

Retweet 3-5 pieces of content posted by those your followers, demonstrate you enjoy and

value the content they are sharing.

o Keep in Mind: Retweets could be viewed as an endorsement by CMHA, be sure

that the content in the retweets is aligned with CMHA’s core values and mission.

Aim to tweet throughout the day – Twitter has less activity in the morning (that means you

have a higher chance of cutting through), it peaks at noon and late evening. Aim for a

morning noon and end of day activity pattern.

Respond in a timely manner – response time to tweets (interactions or mentions) or direct

messages is expected to be within 24 hours.

Linking Accounts:

While social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter allow you to easily post once to

update both accounts; it is not a best practice as the recommended format, content and

frequency of posting for each platform varies greatly.

Other Digital Assets:

Consider adding your Facebook and/or Twitter stream to your website homepage. This

not only demonstrates your social media activity, but it allows people to connect to your

social channels via your website. If you do not have the feed on your website, ensure

people can link to your pages by using Facebook and Twitter icons, which are hyperlinked

to the corresponding channel.

Blog:

If you have a CMHA blog for your location, ensure each blog post is used as original

content on Facebook and Twitter. Writing for the blog can become a responsibility of the

Content Creator.


Communication: Style, Format, Cross Promotion

Develop your ‘post style’ and leverage the offerings of each medium as much as possible. Align

the tone and style with the core brand values and mission. The style informs the way you write and

the tone you use captures people’s attention. In addition, remember, all content you share on

social media creates an opportunity to highlight why your CMHA does what it does.

Communication – The Do’s

Have a call to action:

Share this. Like this. Retweet this. Tell us what you think and use your voice. These are short and

to the point. Indicating what you want people to do with the information you are sharing.

Have a point of view:

Simply sharing something is like saying: “Here. What do you think?” People want to know what

you think about it, and the more you establish yourself as having a point of view, which does not

have to be controversial, the more affinity they will have for the organization. They will see you as

an expert with an informed opinion.

Be human, with a personality.

Post and respond like a real person. Minimize internal, organizational phrases, acronyms or

marketing speak.

Use visual content whenever possible on Facebook:

Much of social media success hinges on the use of visual content. Make sure that all Facebook

content has a visual aspect to it. Always have an image. The wide pane images tend to stand out

more, and result in more likes, comments and shares.

Cross-Promote:

Be sure to Like and Follow people noted as leaders in the industry, organizations with comparable

or complimentary missions and other CMHA locations. This allows you to cross promote and

share content being shared by meaningful allies for the cause.

Communication – The Do Not’s

Do not write a novel:

People want to consume and move on, so get to the point fast. If you write, too much they will not

stop to read it. Remember you are showing up in their feed or timeline where their friends/family

members and other organizations are posting as well, all vying for their attention equally.

Do not always ask for money:

You are establishing relationships and you want to create a dialogue. By continually, asking for

donation/fundraising support Fans and Follower will quickly pass over your posts. Occasional asks

are ok.

Do not only use social media to promote CMHA:

People want to know why you do what you do, and how you are making an impact on others in

their community. Demonstrate this by telling that story, not only your story.


Do not use too much slang and do not use profanity:

It is unprofessional to use profanity as well as slang. Avoid profanity at all times and carefully

monitor use of slang, keeping it mind it is best to avoid it.

Social Media Monitoring and Measurement

By keeping an eye on social media platforms, you will gather valuable information on how your

community is engaging with you and how they are responding to your content. In addition, through

scheduling features offered in some tools you could ensure that your posts happen consistently

and reliably at the recommended intervals without the need to login to individual accounts multiple

times/day.

In addition to the two tools listed below, it is recommended that all branches set up a Google Alert

(http://www.google.ca/alerts), or a number of them (key words/phrases you want to monitor), so

that each time CMHA or other important phrases, e.g. mental health, are mentioned online you

receive an email. This can be set up for a daily or weekly update. This tool not only allows you to

pay attention to what is being said, but can be a resource for collecting content you’d like to share

with your community.

Social Media Monitoring Tools

Hootsuite (https://hootsuite.com/)

Subscription Status: Offers Free and Paid services

Highlighted Services:

Manage multiple social networks all in one place

Schedule posts/tweets – set up for off-hour posts in evenings and weekends

Track brand mentions

Analyze social media traffic: posts, tweets, videos, measure clicks and downloads

Allows for multiple team members to monitor, without giving out passwords to actual

social platforms

Receive email reports on activity

Support Services:

Series of case studies and videos illustrating success and “how to’s”

Education/implementation webinars

Guides and tips to aid in using the tool

Offers “Hootsuite University” training program (paid offering)

Offers online help desk

Google Analytics http://www.google.com/analytics/

Subscription Status: Offers Free and Paid services

Highlighted Services:

Understand impact of posts, tweets, ads, videos; measure clicks and downloads

Better understand the types of visitors – learn demographic profile of your audience

Monitor website traffic and referring sites – where people are coming from

Identify the technology used – PC, tablet, smartphone

Create a dashboard and tailored reports

http://www.google.ca/alerts

https://hootsuite.com/

http://www.google.com/analytics/


Support Services:

Offers training and education

Offers ‘Solution Gallery”, posts generated by other users on challenges they’ve had

Has step by step online Help Centre