Your Audience is… Changing! (Part 2)

So, you don’t tweet. Should you? Research shows that Millennials, who have entry-and mid-level jobs in the companies you and I work in, have different expectations about getting and sharing information. Tweeting, pinning, linking, and “Instagramming” are the new information channels.

I understand that using social media may not be what you want to do personally. We have that in common! But can social sharing tools enhance your organizational knowledge sharing agenda?

Absolutely.

There are many people active on social media who cultivate guru status by sharing and retweeting articles they have read and found valuable. It seems to work …and many are viewed as thought leaders.

This is a strategy that can also work for you and your organization, helping establish an internet presence and enhancing your marketing efforts. It’s not necessary to develop new content – you are trying to spotlight the good stuff, and by the way, bask in the reflected glow.

Start small

Accommodating the “information finds me, I don’t search for it” preferences of your new audience means you must have a structure in place, and start practicing. A good start involves speaking with your IT team about implementing an internal instant messaging or chat application that you can use to relay information.

Or begin simplifying internal emails to nothing more than a “tweet like” subject heading designed to be short, concise and attention getting. With so much information out there, people rarely read more than a snippet of what you publish…but they will quickly look. And then if what they see is compelling, they might follow up with reading.

Make it a two-way street

And with the use of social sharing tools those readings can easily engender a two-way conversation and create greater audience engagement, leading to increased awareness of the library’s value.

The final takeaway?

As you think about how your end users are changing,

• Develop strategies for adapting and proactively accommodating them.
• Consider how to use social media functionality in your information center outreach … including tweets, shares, chat or instant messaging.

Remember, it’s not about what we think. It’s what the end users think that matters.

If you’re interested in this topic, please check out my earlier blog post, and share your own experiences with social sharing via the comments box below. Thank you!