Social Media Best Practices (For Individual Staff Members)

The Metropolitan Library System has a social media team that creates and coordinates posts across our social media platforms. Any official social media posts on the library’s Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter should go through that team. However, often the best promotion comes from word-of-mouth. Staff members who feel comfortable should consider using their individual social media accounts to promote the Summer Reading Program. Please note that this is entirely voluntary, for staff who feel comfortable with this method of communication, and not in any way obligatory. Please consider the following best practices when using individual social media accounts:

1. Remember to follow common sense rules about social media safety, privacy, and security. Remember that what you say on social media is public and permanent.
2. When representing the library on social media, stay “on brand” and professional:
   1. Check for correct grammar and spelling.
   2. Keep the tone of your message positive and friendly.
   3. The library’s Core Values apply just as they do in any other work situation.
3. Consider joining Facebook groups to promote library offerings. The following types of groups are a good place to start:
   1. Community-specific groups (ex: local government or neighborhood association)
   2. Parent groups (ex: school PTA)
   3. Interest-specific groups (ex: local gardeners)
4. When contacting businesses or organizations, consider reaching out with a direct message (DM) on social media first, rather than an email. Often, businesses respond more promptly to DMs than to other types of communication.
5. Consider tagging the library (@MetroLibraryOK) and/or using hashtags to spread the message more effectively.
6. Use and adapt the social media scripts in this toolkit.