Using social media

Consistent messages on social media can support your physical communications and bin infrastructure.

Amplify Your Reach: Amplify the ‘reach’ of your campaign messages by asking relevant partners to share your content and use locally targeted social media ads, for example on Facebook or Instagram.

To make sharing on social media easier, create a short communications guide like this one and share it with all relevant local partners. It should contain key messages, links to any available assets and suggested social media posts. This helps to create a consistent, recognisable brand.

Who might be a relevant local partner? A managed space like a retail store, shopping centre, university, local coffee or large local employer could be worth talking to. The Leeds by Example trial showed that engaging managed places to share consistent recycling communications helps to amplify messages and change behaviour to increase quality and quantity of recycling on-the-go.

Who might be a good local influencer to help spread the message? This could be a public figure such as a local politician, a local celebrity or sportsperson, or local green groups. Spend some time brainstorming this with colleagues who know the area well, then reach out to the influencers on social media.

Use social media to positively reinforce social norms. Recycling is something that many people do because it’s a habit they get used to and which is reinforced by seeing other people doing it. Celebrate how many people are now recycling cups, use active language such as ‘we recycle’, rather than pleading with people to ask that they recycle, and avoid guilt-tripping people!

Here are some resources to get you started on your social media plan:

Facebook: Social media cards are a great way of communicating your key messages. Repeat posts aren’t advised on Facebook. You can repeat key messaging, but our sample posts give examples of how to share key messages in various ways.

Twitter: Sample tweets and social media cards are available for usage on Twitter.

LinkedIn: Sample posts and social media cards can be shared via LinkedIn too. This is a fantastic way to spread campaign messaging and to inform your professional network about the campaign.

Instagram: Instagram can be a very useful channel for engaging a younger audience in the campaign. Don’t post too often and use striking photos e.g. of your new bins when they are installed, or of an installation if you use one.