COM 310 (Campus) - Social Media
Social Media Platform Tutorials
Consider using the tutorials created by the actual social media platform instead of random YouTube videos because the platform's own tutorials will be kept up-to-date with changes in their interface and services. For those that don't have tutorials find easy-to-understand instructions directed specifically at nonprofits or small start-ups like your client. Below are some examples:
- Facebook for Business: Business Help Center This link opens in a new window
- Community Management on X (formerlyTwitter) This link opens in a new window
- Create Instagram Ads in Meta Ads Manager This link opens in a new window
- Reach GenZ & Millennials with Snapchat Ads This link opens in a new window
- Promote your Pins using Ads Manager This link opens in a new window
- A Simple Guide to Fundraising on TikTok This link opens in a new window
- TikTok for Business: Unlock your online business growth potential with TikTok This link opens in a new window
Additional Resources
Reports & Articles
Below are some reports and guides that may be helpful in designing a social media plan for your designated client.
- Hootsuite Social Trends 2024 This link opens in a new windowTheir 8th annual report on the latest global trends in social media.
- HubSpot Ultimate Guide to Nonprofit Marketing in 2022 This link opens in a new windowIncludes a Sample 2022 Nonprofit Marketing Plan.
- How to Up Your Nonprofit Game on TikTok This link opens in a new window (NonProfitPro)
- 26 Predictions for Social Media Marketing in 2022 This link opens in a new window (SocialMediaToday)
- 2023 Digital marketing trends across the six pillars of marketing This link opens in a new window (Smart Insights)
- HubSpot Free Non-Profit Resources This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar
To find scholarly sources to back up your recommendations in your Social Media Plan for your client, consider using Google Scholar.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowGoogle Scholar may be used to identify a number of journal articles, books, dissertations; etc. in your field of research. Those results available through the Shapiro Library's databases will appear with links to the right of each title, if following the directions above for connecting Google Scholar to the library databases..
Before you search, first connect Google Scholar to the library databases using the directions provided in this FAQ:
Once you have connected Google Scholar to the Shapiro Library databases, you may search using keywords and natural language search phrases like you do in a regular Google search with all the results being from scholarly journals or books. Here are some tips:
- Once you conduct a search and see a results list, click "Since 2018" to limit to sources published in the past 4 years, since social media is constantly changing
- When you find a good result, Click on "Cited by #" beneath the citation to see all articles published since that one came out that cite it, so even more recent works
- Click on the quotation marks icon to see the source cited in a variety of formats
SAMPLE SEARCH: social media marketing strategies This link opens in a new window
- Social media marketing strategy: definition, conceptualization, taxonomy, validation, and future agenda This link opens in a new window (2021) - Look at the section titled "Taxonomy of SMMSs" This link opens in a new window
- Book Chapter: Chapter 4: Social Media in Marketing Communications: A Synthesis of Successful Strategies for the Digital Generation This link opens in a new window in the book titled Digital Transformation in Business and Society. Start with the section titled "Successful Strategies This link opens in a new window" on the bottom of page 67 and read through page 74. Strategies covered:
- Create good content
- Get the right people to spread the message
- Create virtual communities of individuals with common interests
- Careful planning and little intervention
- Create separate strategies for each channel
- Design products that create buzz
- Make the message memorable and interesting
- Leverage emotional connections
- Offer exclusivity
- Harness the power of storytelling
- Solicit feedback
- Intensify social media presence to increase reach
- Include the rest of the marketing communications mix