Social media is continuing to grow and is becoming an increasingly important tool for organisations to be using to grow awareness and share news stories.
With this in mind, and given BB is looking to grow its presence in communities across the country, a big part of BB’s plans for the next two years focuses on social media – both at a national and local level.
From a national point of view, we’ve been busy over the last few months working with groups on some engaging video content which has been shared across BB’s social media channels, and now we want to help you increase your BB group’s presence on social media – in particular on Instagram where we know young people are! We hope that the social media activity at a local level will help your group to recruit new members, and it will also give your group the opportunity to be seen by the wider organisation!
We appreciate all of your efforts to help spread the word about what groups do in the local communities, and any content which you do share on social media will be greatly valued.
Social Media Champions
Our Social Media Champions will be working with leaders across the country to help with social media activity. The aim is to help leaders increase their BB group’s social media presence and give guidance on what content should be shared on social media channels.
The champions will work with BB’s Comms Team and PR agency to offer support and guidance to leaders across local Battalions. So, whether you’re wanting to increase your BB group’s activity on social media, or simply start a social media profile, the Social Media Champions will be able to help!
If you are interested in becoming a Social Media Champion, please register your interest by emailing comms@boys-brigade.org.uk with the following details:
- Company
- Location
- Name
- Contact details
- Your BB group’s social media channel
We know that not every BB group is on social media at the moment, so below we have included some guidance for leaders who are interested in starting an account on social media, and for those who want to grow their social media presence.
So, your BB group isn’t on social media yet?
For those BB groups that aren’t already on social media, there are lots of benefits of getting on there, including being able to share information about what your BB group has been up to during sessions, at camp or even during volunteering activity. This helps to keep parents/carers updated, as well as spreading the word about the varied programme on offer at BB.
What’s more, the national BB account is always looking for new photographs and content to use, so if you do post on social media, you may also be featured on the national account!
Getting the most out of social media
We have put together a series of Social Media Guides to help you get the most out of social media.
These cover Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) and include a beginner’s guide, taking you through the steps of setting up accounts, and an intermediate guide containing tips for creating exciting and engaging content.
Download the guides below:
- Facebook: Beginner / Intermediate
- Instagram: Beginner / Intermediate
- X (formerly Twitter): Beginner / Intermediate
Support from our Social Media Champions
Our Social Media Champions can provide support and advice to help your Company or Battalion really stand out on social media.
To get started contact the Development & Engagement Team at BB Headquarters on development@boys-brigade.org.uk or 0330 303 4454.
Already a pro?
For those BB groups that are already on social media, thank you for already working hard to raise awareness of BB’s work in your local community. We really appreciate the support!
To help you grow your social media following even more, here are some handy hints to help:
- Content for Instagram needs to be as visual and eye catching as possible to stop your audience from scrolling and give your post attention. Close ups of 2-3 people can work better than big group photos, as faces are difficult to see.
- Video content is growing in popularity and is now favoured by most, if not all, social media platforms. Instagram Reels are a great way of creating engaging content, so when you’re capturing content remember to take some videos too! If you’re not sure how to create a Reel, ask your Social Media Champion. There are also some helpful tips here.
- If you’re planning to share photographs, make sure they’re your own! We wouldn’t ever recommended using photos from Google (or anywhere else) as these may have been used far and wide, and there could be hidden permissions or copyright costs involved. Instead, with the consent of the young people and their parent/carer, take photographs during sessions to really showcase what life at BB is like.
- If you can, try to showcase something fun that truly represents what members of the BB get involved with.
Top tips for:
Taking the perfect photograph:
- Smart phones now have brilliant cameras, so all you need to take a photograph good enough for use on social media is a phone
- The lighting of a photo is really important – if you can, taking photograph where there is bright lighting helps to enhance it.
- Think about the background – if you’re taking a photograph that has a messy background, this won’t be as easy on the eye. The perfect photograph has a background which is either simple, or that has ‘props’ which showcase what the photograph/caption represents.
- Always make sure you have parental consent to take photographs of the children and young people – and double check you can use them on social media!
Crafting catchy captions:
- Every good image or video needs to be supported by a catchy caption! Try to capture your readers’ interest in the first sentence and if you can, given them an understanding of what the image is about.
- Always make sure your words are relevant to the image.
- Try to use hashtags which are relevant to your post – hashtags help your post be seen by people that aren’t already following you. Examples could be #YouthOrganisation or #Rainford.
- Make sure you tag your location – whether it’s the specific location or the town, either will help your content be seen.
Branding
Where possible, please try to include current BB uniform or other BB branding – if you’re unsure what the correct branding is, have a look at the Branding Guidelines.
View our Branding Guidelines at boys-brigade.org.uk/our-brand