Expanding Federation's Social Media Presence

Expanding Federation's Social Media Presence

Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Anthony Kempe, Federation Digital Marketing Coordinator, to share his thoughts. 

I started working at the Federation in June 2021 as the part-time Social Media Coordinator. Prior to joining the team, I was laid off for 15 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I was ecstatic to get back to work and continue to grow professionally. Little did I know how much growth could occur in a short period of time!

Having dealt with social media during my internship and in my first job post-graduation, I felt confident in my abilities to help expand the reach of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation in the community. When I started, there was a Facebook page for each agency of the Federation, LinkedIn pages for the Jewish Community Center and the Federation, as well as Twitter and Instagram pages for the JCC.

One of the first issues I noticed was that we did not have a consistent posting schedule. By posting on our social media platforms periodically, we were actually limiting the number of people reached in the community. Most, if not all, social media platforms use algorithms to show users the content they’re interested in or have interacted with before other content, even if they follow both accounts. This can be tricky to overcome, but one of the easiest ways to do so is to establish a structured social media schedule to maximize exposure.

Another key factor that contributed to the growth of our social media pages was using insights to target when our users were most active. Every social media site offers insights to personal and business pages that allow them to see where their audience is located, when they are most active, and more. These are extremely useful metrics because it allows organizations to pinpoint where their target audience is in the general area. Insights also show page administrators when their users are most active on each platform which allows them to schedule posts to increase engagement.

In September 2021, I was promoted to full-time as the Interim Marketing Manager, then transitioned into my role as the Digital Marketing Coordinator. While I was extremely thrilled and grateful to be back in a full-time position, I knew that more duties were added to my plate and that I would have to be diligent with social media posts. Around this time, we created a Twitter page for the Federation and a LinkedIn page for Jewish Family & Community Services to expand our reach. We also recently just finished the rebranding of our Human Services agencies, combining Heritage Manor Skilled Nursing, Levy Gardens Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, and Rehabilitation under the umbrella of “Senior Living by Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.”

Through weekly tracking of each agency’s pages across all platforms, we can compare interaction statistics to ensure we are posting engaging content that gets our message to the community. Since implementing some of these strategies, we have seen each of our pages grow in followers and engagement, with the JCC Facebook page leading the way, gaining 280 followers!

We are living in a time where technology and social media are everywhere. We can connect with anyone, anywhere, whenever we choose. Having a strong social media presence is key for organizations, such as Federation and its agencies, to effectively reach their audience and engage with the community, and I look forward to continuing to watch our growth.

Anthony Kempe
Federation Digital Marketing Coordinator