Strengthening Public Health One Tweet at a Time
Public health experts recognize health communication as vital to public health programs. It enhances the program’s ability to promote and improve the health of individuals, communities, and policy. This is why since 2013, the American Public Health Association (APHA) has recognized the need to offer social media training to their annual conference attendees, and JSI has been their trusted partner throughout.
The Social Media Lab offers APHA attendees the opportunity to receive 1-on-1 technical assistance on using social media to advance public health. During 20-minute virtual sessions, participants work with a JSI expert and receive hands-on advice and instruction.
Over the course of three days at the 2021 annual conference, in partnership with APHA, we trained 72 public health professionals on everything from making their first TikTok video to developing a social media strategy for their organization. Here’s what a few of the participants had to say:
“Arman [Lorz] was incredibly helpful. I feel like I had a combination of ideas and concerns and I just put them all on the table and Arman was able to help me wade through them and identify my next steps in a series of targeted approaches. Thank you for creating a space that was conducive to learning and sharing.”
“Aisha [Moore] got me thinking in ways I hadn’t before about social. She was super helpful and encouraging. I walked away with both concrete ideas and general inspiration for where I could take my new accounts.”
“I’m completely new to using Twitter and Instagram. Danielle [Fortin] was so kind and helpful in sharing tools and skills that will be useful for me as a beginner. She also helped me strategize how to reach my target audience, ensure content accessibility, plan my content, and how to distinguish myself through branding/content templates.”
JSI and APHA social media experts also hosted 15-minute presentations on a variety of social media topics. Slides from JSI’s presentations are available below. You can also download a 1-pager of resources for content creation.
Social Media Toolkits 101 [DOWNLOAD SLIDES]
Presenters: Aisha Moore, MPH and Emma Kane
Social media toolkits can help your public health organization expand the reach of your social media campaigns. Social media toolkits typically contain key messages, graphics, and other resources to help partners amplify your efforts. In this session, presenters walk through how to develop, disseminate, and analyze the performance of a social media toolkit.
Say less: making the most of short but impactful videos [DOWNLOAD SLIDES]
Presenter: Julianne Battista, BFA
Visual social media platforms, e.g. TikTok and Instagram Reels, have changed the way people experience video content. During this 10 minute session, presenters shared best practices for creating engaging content that makes the most of the platform’s tools.
Two-Hour Work Week: How to manage your profiles like a pro [DOWNLOAD SLIDES]
Presenter: Clancey Bateman, MS, MPH
Managing your organization’s social media can seem overwhelming. It’s available 24/7 and can feel like you always have to be posting and engaging. In this session, we covered how to create content quickly, develop an editorial calendar, and engage in just 10 minutes per day.
We’ve worked with public health agencies across the U.S. to build their capacity to implement effective communication strategies that leverage the power of social media to impact health behavior.
Interested in offering a Social Media Lab at your upcoming conference, or learning more about our customized training and TA offerings? Contact us and sign up for our newsletter to learn more about JSI’s Health Communication work.