Elizabeth Sanchez and her mother, Reina Montes, harvest vegetables from a community garden in Harvard, Illinois, a  project of the local Rotary club. Use photos like these in your social media posts to show Rotarians as People of Action, and clearly address the problem, solution, and impact. Photo by Monika Lozinska/Rotary International

By Ashley Demma, social & digital specialist for Rotary International

It’s hard to believe that social media has been around for more than twenty years. From the early days of crafting the perfect AIM away message in the late ‘90s to the rise of sharing photography on Instagram … social media has certainly come a long way and continues to evolve. It’s important to remember why we started getting “social” in the first place: to connect with one another.

Sharing stories that show Rotarians as People of Action on social media is an easy and effective way to amplify your club’s success to the world and build awareness and understanding of what we do. Below are 7 tips to create engaging social media content:

1. Write for friends, family, and community members that may not be familiar with Rotary. ​Avoid Rotary jargon and colloquialisms. Fans and followers who engage with your posts can easily become prospective members!
2. When telling your story, be sure to identify the problem, your solution, and its impact. (For example: A Rotary club in Harvard, IL, USA, assists with a community garden that addresses food scarcity among residents and now thousands of families have access to healthy produce.)
3. Social is a visual medium, so include a photo with every post. Good photos include showing people actively working at service projects and events (like the image above); more than just a group shot, try to show people getting their hands dirty, giving out supplies, etc.
4. Try new features! Facebook makes it easy to stream live video from your club’s projects. Instagram Stories have a variety of polls, questions, gifs, music, and more to bring life to your posts. Variety keeps your posts from getting stale, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
5. Tag participating members and community partners in your posts. Share relevant content posted by your members and partners to your own feeds. Like and comment on posts to help increase their engagement rate.
6. Include the hashtag #PeopleOfAction in your posts to increase awareness of our public image campaign which highlights the dedicated and compassionate individuals like you who commit themselves to creating positive change in communities around the world. (We’ll even share our favorites on Rotary International’s channels!)
7. Use the Brand Center, your one-stop shop for logos, creative assets, guidelines, and more. Be sure to visit often as new materials are added for your use.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Jump in and get creative. Email the social media team at social@rotary.org if you have any specific questions and we’d be happy to help.