{"id":2725,"date":"2021-11-02T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=2725"},"modified":"2021-11-01T13:33:38","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T13:33:38","slug":"union-communication-social","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/union-communication-social","title":{"rendered":"Union Communications: How Labor Leaders Can Use Social Media To Connect With Members"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ken Green
CEO & Founder
UnionTrack<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunities abound for unions to connect with members via social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a key takeaway from our survey of union members for our report on digital communication technology for unions<\/a>. What makes social media such a powerful tool for unions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For starters, the majority of people have social media accounts. According to the Pew Research Center<\/a>, 72 percent of the American public uses some type of social media, which means it\u2019s highly likely most of your union members are on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, social media platforms are conducive for posting different types of content that have the potential to be consumed in real time. As the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 28<\/a> explains, social media can be used to communicate union values, push leaders to take action, share workplace wins, celebrate the union\u2019s accomplishments, shape the public\u2019s perception about unions and recruit members. And with so many different platforms available, each with its own strengths, unions can choose exactly where, when, and how they communicate through social media based on member preferences and union needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because social media allows unions to reach a large number of members with different messages in a variety of formats throughout the day, it\u2019s the perfect tool for building relationships and increasing engagement. In fact, more than 80 percent of respondents to our survey believe social media is an effective way for unions to communicate with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means unions would be remiss not to take advantage of social media to connect with members. But using these tools effectively isn\u2019t as simple as picking a platform and posting whatever comes to mind. To optimize the capabilities presented by social media, unions must create a strategy, which should be guided by the following best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diversify the Union\u2019s Social Media Presence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An effective social media strategy needs to include more platforms than just Facebook. While Facebook is the world\u2019s most widely used social media platform, according to data presented by global digital insights company DataReportal<\/a>, it is not the only one. DataReportal data shows there are six social media platforms with more than one billion monthly active users each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drilling that down a bit, union members surveyed for our report indicate they check several different platforms at least once a week, with the most popular being Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why diversifying a union\u2019s presence on social media is so important. Focusing on just one platform, such as Facebook, limits the reach and therefore the impact of a union\u2019s messaging. Using different platforms allows leaders and organizers the opportunity to reach more members with a wider range of content delivered in different formats, which increases the chances of members engaging with the union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key thing for union leaders to understand is that social media presents almost limitless possibilities for connecting with members, and you need to take advantage of as many of those opportunities as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Medium<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Create a Calendar to Manage Social Media Content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While those endless possibilities for building relationships with members through social media can be exciting for union organizers, executing a strategy to maximize the benefits can be overwhelming. This is where social media content planning through a content calendar can help. By creating and following a content calendar, union leaders are better able to manage and execute their social media strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating such a calendar allows unions to organize information to ensure they deliver content that members want to receive. A content calendar lets organizations establish and maintain a \u201cpublishing rhythm,\u201d notes the team at Northeastern University\u2019s D\u2019Amore-McKim School of Business<\/a>. That consistency is key to building engagement with union members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not to say unions shouldn\u2019t engage in real-time, spontaneous posting. They absolutely should. But completing a content calendar adds a layer of efficiency to social media communications and helps unions stay on target with messaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to making social media efforts more efficient, content calendars reduce the stress that often accompanies the obligation to post to social media, crafting different posts for each platform, and allow organizers to prepare ahead of time to observe important dates, writes Emily Boziwick<\/a>, vice president of creative services at marketing agency KathodeRay Media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important not to let the idea of planning ahead overwhelm you into inaction. While creating a social media content calendar does require an investment of time and energy, it isn\u2019t especially difficult to do. The basic steps, notes Bradley Yeater<\/a> at employee advocacy platform GaggleAMP, are to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n