Utilizing Social Media for School Nutrition (or any department) Wesley Delbridge, R.D. Chandler Unified School District

What Is Social Media? SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA IS AN UMBRELLA TERM THAT DEFINES THE VARIOUS ACTIVITIES THAT INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL INTERACTION, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF WORDS, PICTURES, VIDEOS AND AUDIO.

What Is Social Media? Simply put: “Social media is people having conversations online.”

Statistics FACEBOOK There are now more than 800 million active Facebook 200 million accounts were added in 2011 Facebook is the most visited website on the internet There are more Facebook users than cars (800 million vs 750 million) 50% log onto Facebook every day The average user has 130 friends and is connected to 80 pages, events and groups The average user spends 700 minutes per month on the site 56% of consumers say they are more likely to recommend a brand after becoming a fan on Facebook Two most popular reasons for liking a brand on Facebook: Because they are a customer (58%) To get access to discounts and promotions (57%)

Statistics TWITTER Twitter has 225,000,000 users 100 million of these users are logging in at least once a month, 50 million are logging in every day 190,000,000 tweets are sent on average per day A great majority of tweets are just 40 characters long The average user has 115 followers Lady Gaga is the most followed person on Twitter with over 17.8M followrs 40% of Twitter users don’t tweet, but instead use it to keep up to date 55% access Twitter via mobile Nearly 500,000 users are added each day

What Is Social Media? IT’S A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE. IT’S NOT A FAD.

What Is Social Media? The old communication model was a monologue. The new communication model is a dialogue.

FACEBOOK Business Pages Personal pages vs. Business Pages What can you do? Contact Information Maps Status Updates Photos Videos Links to articles, websites, resources, etc. Comment on other people’s posts Like other people’s posts Like other business’ pages Post questions, surveys, polls Promote with ads

FACEBOOK Things to consider: Welcome Page Promotes people to “Like” you first.

FACEBOOK Things to consider: Commenting Policy States what is not allowed on your page Will result in removal of posts and/or reporting to Facebook staff. To censor or not to censor Don’t be afraid of negative comments or feedback Creates a “teachable” moment Be OPEN, HONEST, & CREATE DIALOGUE

FACEBOOK Parent Comment #1 I did not want to hit "like" because that certainly is not how I feel. Seriously offering "uncrustables" as a vegetarian option? And every single day? Have you actually read the ingredients? This is very close to the most toxic food (and I use the term "food" lightly) we could offer our children. I remain extremely disappointed in the phytonutrient value of the food choices at my son's school (Hancock). the September menu hints about exercise and the posts on this wall make it sound like CUSD is all over nutrition and wellness, but there is NO reflection of this on the school menu. Do we need to look far to determine why obesity is rampant among our children? Met with parent at our site Able to listen and then inform Parent Comment #2 “The Nutrition “think-tank” (sounds better than department) met with me last week. Really impressed that they took the time to meet with a concerned parent. I was surprised at how much goes on behind the scenes to make lunch healthier for our kids. Certainly they have challenges, but they are moving in the better direction for our kids. The use of Alpine Valley breads is just one example of things you may not know about that are used to increase the quality of lunches.”

FACEBOOK (8 to 1) or (10 to 1) Provide items (articles, resources, helpful info) before advertising yourself once. ENGAGE the USER!!!

FACEBOOK EXAMPLE

TWITTER No difference between personal vs. business What can you do? Contact Information Status Updates Photos Other people “follow” you Links to articles, websites, resources, etc. RETWEET Mention or be Mentioned Direct Message Follow other people or businesses Post questions, surveys, polls

TWITTER What can you do? Who to Follow Recommendations Trends Hashtags (#) Search Functions Topics or People Lists Unfollow Follow Friday (#FF)

TWITTER EXAMPLE

TWITTER Things to consider: Twitter “etiquette” Mentions, Retweets, Follows Limit to how many people you can follow 2000 initially Spammers Consider who you are following before you follow You are now associated with them

TWITTER Things to consider: Follow Filters Celebrities and Corporations Hashtag (#) every post ENGAGE the USER!!!

Social Media WHY SHOULD I CARE?

Social Media 78% of people trust the recommendations of other consumers. 50% of small business owners reported gaining new customers through social media – most notably Facebook 51% of Facebook users and 64% of Twitter users reported are more likely to buy from the brands they follow Whether you like it or not, PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT YOUR BRAND RIGHT NOW. It’s FREE promotion and advertising!

School Nutrition Posting of menus and menu changes Nutrition Facts Nutrition Education Promotion of Events Photos of food and staff Recipes Contests for cookbooks, naming items, menu design Did You Know? Tips for Fitness Tips for Parents & Staff Short Videos Promotion of Website

School Nutrition Cooking demos Surveys about current menu items Asking students what they want to see on the menu Education on childhood obesity Learning from other pages or followers Daily updates (power outages, lockdowns) At Home health Promotions Vendor endorsements Understanding your customers Prizes and Giveaways Partnerships with athletics

Social Media THE GOAL IS NOT TO CONTROL THE CONVERSATION REMEMBER...

Social Media ENABLE THE GOAL IS TO: INSPIRE INFLUENCE

Social Media “It’s about conversations, and the best communicators start as the best listeners.” Brian Solis, Social Media Manifesto

Utilizing Social Media for School Nutrition (or any department) Wesley Delbridge, R.D. Chandler Unified School District