This is not a “one size, fits all” guide as social media is ever-changing and what may work for our social media platforms may not necessarily suit your needs. Nevertheless, it is a good starting point to help you think about how you can make social media work for you.

Choose Your Platform

Choosing which platform you decide to utilise on social media is really important, as you want to make sure that you understand how it works and creating content does not become overly burdensome for you. It is advisory to start off by focusing on a single platform, as opposed to trying to create a presence on all platforms and becoming burned out. Market research can help you to decide which social media platforms will work for you; I would always advise starting with Twitter, as this is the place in which you will generally build up a good following and reach a broad audience interested in local history. Remember, social media should be fun for the most part – do not spread yourself across multiple platforms and “run before you can walk”, as you are setting yourself up for failure.

Market Research

Market research is fundamental to any type of outreach and engagement – you cannot reach individuals interested in your work if you do not know where they are or the type of content you like. After you have set up an account, take a step back and assess how you consume social media. Who do you enjoy following, and how do these individuals or groups interact with their audience? Once you have seen how they engage with their followers, consider how you can begin to replicate their success in your own social media platforms.

Consider your Audience, Purpose and Tone

Once you have conducted your own market research, start to consider what you would like your content to be: do you want it to be primarily events-related, or would you rather it be more to do with a progress tracker of your research. Think about what your audience may enjoy, and plan your content around this. Try to have a few ideas in mind at any one time, so that if you do get stuck for ideas you can use these. The key to being successful on social media is by being consistent, which means posting fairly regularly and with content that is connected in some way.

Try to keep your posts simple, and avoid using slang or jargon where possible. For example, if you are using an acronym, consider writing the full word out in the first instance and then referring to its acronym form afterwards. I would advise keeping a polite, friendly but professional tone on social media: this means that you are approachable and your audience can interact with you, but you also have systems in place to protect yourself and to set your boundaries with your audience.

Consider using your privacy settings if you need to limit interactions; although it is optimal if your account is as open as possible, it is important to protect yourself and your own mental and physical health when using social media. For example, perhaps have a rule that only those you “follow” back can direct message you. Furthermore, whilst it is a good idea to engage with your audience, try to avoid being caught up in social media “drama” or interacting with accounts that are antagonistic; if you feel unsafe, use the mute or block functions on these platforms.

Start Posting!

The easiest way for you to learn about social media is through hands-on experience, so start posting things about your research and see what works for you. Some things to include to help with the algorithms that enable social media to function include:

• A photograph: Pick a clear image of what you’re talking about as this will encourage people to stop and look at the image. If you are using an image that is not your own, make sure you give the appropriate credit to the owner of that image. This can be something as simple as the archival reference number, or by tagging the person who posted it originally.
• A hashtag: Use a couple of hashtags that are connected to your topic, so that people also interested in this can find it by searching that hashtag. Make sure your hashtags are accessible by capitalising the first letter of each word (e.g. #LocalHistory instead of #localhistory) as this means that individuals who use read aloud tools can have the hashtag read aloud correctly. Some hashtags we recommend include #LocalHistory #FamilyHistory #WeAreLocalHistory and #LocalHistoryForAll.
• Tag accounts and cross channel share: After you have written the details about your post, consider tagging in accounts that may also be interested in your content. Do not continue to do this if they do not engage with your content, but a simple mention of them can mean that their audience learn about your research and may be encouraged to follow you back.

Usually, posting at 8am, 2pm and 4pm in the time zones where you want to gain an audience from is optimal, as this is when most people are on their phones; however, monitor your post interactions and see what works for you. If these times do not work with your own lifestyle, consider scheduling your posts either through the social media account or through a third party app such as Hootsuite.

Track Your Progress

While not everyone is as much of a fan of statistics as I am, tracking your progress numerically can be a great motivator! Use the analytics tools on social media accounts (these are usually found in your settings) to see how many times people have interacted with your posts, or how many new followers you’ve had this month. Any progress is good progress usually, and it is good to take stock of how your audience is engaging with you and the impact your research is having on others.

These are just some beginners tips for how to use social media effectively, and how to share your research with a broader audience. Make sure to let us know what else you think is good to do with social media, or how we can keep in touch with you!

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the British Association for Local History (BALH). Any content provided by our contributors is of their own opinion and is not intended to malign any individual, group, organisation, or entity.