Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions A social media strategy is a document that sets out what you want to achieve through your online communications, what social media tools you will use to achieve these goals, how you will use those tools effectively and how you will manage any potential risks to the NHRI. For example, it is important to have a clear and consistent approach for dealing with criticism, as mishandling these comments – for example, simply deleting negative posts – will simply attract further criticism. Different social media channels have different strengths and weaknesses. Selecting the social media platforms that will be most effective will depend on your NHRI’s goals, audiences, staff time, existing resources and how your online activities complement and reinforce your broader communications strategy. An effective social media strategy will attract and engage new supporters, keeping them informed, interested and keen to support your work and promote human rights messages with others in their online networks. Set your goals Make sure the key goals of your social media strategy are SMART (specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and timely). These goals should be closely aligned with your broader communication strategy, which, in turn, seeks to achieve deliver the objectives set out in the NHRI’s strategic plan. SMART GOALS ARE: Specific: They should be detailed enough to determine whether or not you have achieved them. For example, how will you know when you’ve finished “building awareness?” Measurable: They should be able to be quantified, using a numeric benchmark. Achievable: They should be realistic, based on what the NHRI or similar organizations have accomplished previously. Relevant: They should relate directly to the strategic objectives of the NHRI. Time-based: They should be able to be achieved within a set amount of time; for example, six months or 12 months. If your NHRI is new to social media, it is a good idea to start with between one and three SMART goals. You can add to these goals once you have developed greater experience and enjoyed some success. Define your audience As with all communication, it is critical to be clear about who you want to reach. As far as possible, define your intended audience in precise terms. For example, “young people aged 16-30 years” is more useful for preparing a strategy compared with simply saying “young people”. Different tools have different audiences. For example, Facebook tends to be better at reaching younger people; Twitter is generally more useful for reaching professionals and journalists; and Pinterest tends to have a strong following among females. Find out what social media platforms your supporters and potential supporters are using by talking to friends, family members, NHRI colleagues and people in partner organizations about the sites they use. 64 | Chapter 4: Using social media