The internet has
made it easier (and cheaper) to spread the word about Scouting. Now, with
Facebook (beloved by young and old) we can share our experiences with countless
people in our communities and around the world -- and advertise the awesomeness that we do.
In this day and age,
the internet is the perfect marketing tool because, as you know, boys and
parents alike are addicted to their smartphones. So, the more often we can put
content onto that device, the more often we can have interactions with them…daily,
every other day, weekly, it’s up to you!
Prior to the
internet we had to rely on mass marketing endeavors that were costly and time
consuming (banners, fliers, handouts, advertisements, newspaper reports, etc).
It’s so easy to market now.
For prospective
Scouting families, a Facebook page will attract them to our organization. For
new Scouting families, it will keep them in your unit. For the long-term
Scouting families, it can serve as a communication tool more so than a
marketing tool (so they can’t say
they never got your phone call or email message – how often have you heard that while leading a troop or pack?!).
Over the next few
pages we will look at simple, inexpensive ways to take advantage of the
internet.
Building your page
When making a
Facebook presence make it a “page” and not a “person”. A page can be liked and
viewed by anyone (which is what we want --- MASS EXPOSURE). A personal page
needs people to be added as friends, and the public at large cannot, in most
cases, look at the content of your page (which defeats the purpose of your
Facebook efforts). Likewise, you shouldn’t make a “group” for your unit as most
groups are invitation only and many Facebook users steer away from groups
because they are stereotyped as free-for-alls.
To create your page on Facebook go to this link:
Once there, six classifications will be presented to you. Choose the “Company, organization, or institution” category.
Then, fill out your unit name (example: “Troop 18 – Gasport, NY”). Keep in mind that your category and name cannot be changed once your page is created. So type wisely, otherwise you’ll have to delete the entire page and start fresh.
Facebook will then ask you to upload the main photo for your page. This photo will appear as your icon every time you comment on a post or your post appears in a fans news feeds. Ideally, it should be your unit logo.
Next, Facebook will ask for your “about” information. This will be a 2 or 3 sentence description of your unit. It will be on your main page, so make it descriptive but short.
Managing your Facebook page
Your admin panel is the main hub for managing your unit’s page. It's filled with various features and options to optimize your page and your monitoring of it.
The “Edit Page” section provides various options. The first option, “Update Info” will allow you to enter a description, which is an extended version of the “About” information you entered earlier. Share lengthier and more detailed information in your description such as a brief unit history, meeting times/locations and a list of names of the unit leadership and phone numbers and emails for the unit leader.
You can also manage the roles of your page administrators. This allows you to invite various leaders/board members from your unit to be administrators on your Facebook page in order to respond to comments or create messages specific to the unit activities, without giving them complete power over your page. My advice: Allow no more than 2 administrators --- you don’t want too many people involved as you want a consistent message post-after-post and you don’t want someone to put out questionable or errant information about the unit.
The other options under 'Edit Page' allow you to manage your notifications and add page permissions.
Using your Facebook page
Once your page has been built, invite scouts and their parents, local newspaper reporters, community leaders and friends and family to be ‘fans” of the page. The more the merrier!!
To really add some pizzazz to your page, add a cover photo. Be sure to select a creative horizontal image that will appeal to users who land on your page --- like your scouts doing something really cool at camp or a picture of your whole unit.
When posting to your page, be sure to put lots of content -- and varied content -- on the page. Some things you should post include:
Lots of picture from camping events and other activities
Stories and photos of community service projects
Updates on the subject matter of upcoming meetings
Details on upcoming campouts
Anything that would make a prospective scout join your unit!
Be
creative.
Post often.
Use Facebook as an in-unit communication tool and a means to share the good news of the unit with the community at large.
Make the posts awesome…every post will help bring more boys into Scouting!
Monitoring your page
While having a gorgeous Facebook page is awesome, you want to ensure you're monitoring how fans are interacting with it. Be sure to respond to comments and messages as needed to ensure your fans know you not only care about them, but to avoid the detrimental impact of ignoring some folks like disgruntled parents and scout-haters from the community (they exist!). Spam can ruin a Facebook page and its efforts. So, visit your unit page as often as you visit your personal page or your kid’s Facebook pages.
Examples
For a good example of
a good Scouting Facebook page, check out the Council’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/itcbsa
Not to toot our own
horn, but it’s chock full of useful and fun info, news, photos, and interaction
-- it is far and away one of the most active Facebook pages in the BSA’s Northeast
Region.
Questions
If you have any
questions about building or maintaining your page and keeping it healthy and
vibrant, please do not hesitate to contact Council President Bob Confer by
email at Bob@conferplastics.com or phone Monday – Friday; 5:00 AM till 4:00 PM at
1.800.635.3213.
