ICTworks

Social media, specifically Facebook, use is growing rapidly around the world. It is becoming one of the most popular sources of information, even in poor Southeast Asian countries.

• According to Geeks in Cambodia, Facebook is the choice social media platform in Cambodian with a total of 4.8million users recorded in 2017, amounting to a whopping 1.4 million growth since 2016.
• According to the Open Institute, Facebook has overtaken radio as the second most common place Cambodians get their news, only trailing television.

Many civil society organizations have recognized the potential of social media to engage with their beneficiaries and have started Facebook pages. Yet, many are finding that simply having a page is not enough. Creating an engaging social media page requires a different approach to traditional CSO communications. Unlike traditional CSO communications, social media is fast, less formal, interactive, and multimedia-enabled.

That’s why USAID’s Development Innovation project has collaborated with the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia have created the The Social Media Handbook.

The lessons in each section of The Social Media Handbook are building blocks for CSOs to improve their social media communications and understand the level of resources required to manage an effective Facebook page.

While many of the lessons and tools can be applied to different social media platforms, and in different countries, this handbook focuses on the use of Facebook since it is the most popular platform in Cambodia.

The handbook contains 8 steps for using and managing Facebook pages, including:

1. Define Goal, the Objectives & Targets for Social Media
2. Promote Your Facebook Page
3. Know your Audience
4. Develop Social Media Guidelines
5. Create Engaging Content
6. Use Best Practices for Posting Photos, Video & More
7. Develop a Content Plan
8. Monitor and Improve your Social Media

Each step has screenshots, figures, tables, flow charts and case studies to illustrate how the strategies can be applied in the real world. It also includes 9 worksheets to help plan, organize and clarify objectives and content.

Handbook users are encouraged either to use the handbook and worksheet in order to develop a complete social media strategy, or to refer to the section that meets user needs.