1. By @Brian_Hayden #SocialBUF

2.  Learn what platform (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) is best for you.  Learn how to communicate with those platforms  Answer any long-standing, burning questions you have.

4.  No matter what platform you’re on, the content should be: ◦ -Conversational & interactive  Two-Way, not one way communication  Resonate emotionally  Not an advertisement

5.  I.e. VBN provides news links to Buffalo visitor attractions, upcoming events, etc.  Restaurants could feature a menu item of the week  Hotels could feature snippets of positive Tripadvisor reviews.  Law firms could ask prospective customers to tweet legal questions to them.

6. Get ready, because the Tony award Winning Newsies comes to Shea’s on Sept. 29!

8. PROSCONS Still the most widely used (1.49 billion active users) - Content you post not easily seen unless it’s very popular. - Great analytics- Tough to grow a page without a budget for promoted posts Good for building a local audience (friends, loyal customers) Tougher for building a beyond- Buffalo audience… unless you pay

9. ProsCons Short, succinct way of communicating Length can occasionally be limiting Can reach a wide audienceDeveloping hyperlocal audience can be challenging 316 million users and growingAverage age 37, versus 40 on Facebook (Could be good or bad) Tweet visible by everyoneTweets are short-lived

10. ProsCons No Character limitNot easily shareable Great for business with compelling photo stories to tell. Tough for most other businesses Fast growing (VBN from 1,000 to 7,500 in 18 months) 90 percent of Instagram users under 35 Mobile Audience onlyMobile audience only

14. Inserting a link = 20-23 characters Inserting a photo… about the same. Both make Tweets more informative and engaging, but both take up nice real estate too. - Links are automatically shortened.

15.  When you write a Tweet, ask: Am I reaching as many Twitter users as I could be?

16. - It’s time for another great weekend of art at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and Burchfield Penney Art Center! http://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/t hings-to-do/art/ !

17. - Great upcoming art weekend @albrightknox & @bpartcenter http://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/things-to-do/art/ ! http://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/things-to-do/art/ - Alerted Twitter accounts of Albright-Knox and BPAC

18.  Great upcoming art weekend @albrightknox, @bpartcenter #buffalove #buffalo - http://www.visitbuffaloniaga ra.com/things-to-do/art/ ! (plus photo) http://www.visitbuffaloniaga ra.com/things-to-do/art/  124 Characters, joins a larger conversation

19.  You can use hashtags to join in on a conversation, but you can also create and monitor conversations of your own!  Hashtags allow a whole community to engage with your followers, not just those with the keys to the company twitter account.

21. Search for Twitter handles and popular hashtags to expand your reach BEFORE Tweeting to see if you’re joining a popular conversation (example: #buffalo, #Buffalony & Buffalove are both widely used, #Beaufleuve is not) DON’T Tweet out your Facebook status updates DON’T speak all in hashtags “#smh #whyyyyyyyy #can’t we #pound @patriots”

22.  Create and publicize a hashtag, or follow along with a widely publicized one, to see where you can engage with potential followers.

25. Buffalo Niagara Marriott… sign at concierge desk: “Questions about Buffalo during your stay? Tweet us @buffalomarriott or #marriottbuf!”

26.  On the Anchor Bar Menu: “Share your story of your first plate of Anchor wings to #bufwings for a chance to win a double order!”

27. On Martin House Complex pamphlet: “Remember that question you were meaning to ask on your tour? Tweet to #flwbuf and we’ll answer it!”

28.  Great social media posts don’t always fit into a 9-5 work schedule.

29.  It uses handles and hashtags too!

31.  Hayden@visitbuffaloniagara.com Hayden@visitbuffaloniagara.com  @Brian_hayden