Website
If community members have questions about your SFSP, the first place they'll look for answers is the internet. A website will aid in the execution of a multi-channel strategy to promote your SFSP by housing operational information. List locations, dates, meal times and the USDA nondiscrimination statement. You can also feature your menu, pictures from your site or upcoming activities. If the sponsoring organization already has a website, add information about the Summer Food Service Program there.
If the sponsoring organization doesn't have a website or would like to build a new site dedicated to the program, sites such as Wordpress, Weebly and Wix offer free options and easy-to-use templates. See below for an example of a free site built on Wordpress.
If the sponsoring organization doesn't have a website or would like to build a new site dedicated to the program, sites such as Wordpress, Weebly and Wix offer free options and easy-to-use templates. See below for an example of a free site built on Wordpress.
Social Media
According to Pew, 75% of internet-using parents use Facebook, meaning it's very important to have a social media presence to engage with your target audience--especially young parents.
Facebook is the most widely-used site by parents and setting up a page for your program is simple. Learn how to create a page here.
Once your page is set up, you can invite Facebook friends to 'like' the page, meaning they'll receive updates when you add content like photos or written updates. You can also create Facebook events to promote special activities at your site. Find out how to create a Facebook event here. When creating an event, be sure you are creating an event logged in under your SFSP page and not your personal account.
Though Facebook may be a great option for reaching parents, youth are more likely to use Instagram or Snapchat. These social media platforms are very personal, which makes it hard for organizations to connect authentically with users of these platforms. If you have the capacity to run multiple social media pages, here are some helpful tips about using Instagram as an organization.
You can also keep things simple: Facebook owns Instagram. This means, that if you "boost" a post or event on your Facebook page, you can link it with your Instagram account, and the ad will run on both platforms. This makes it so you can still engage with Instagram users without the pressure of constantly updated an Instagram feed. More on boosting Facebook posts here.
Twitter is another popular sharing site that can be used for quick updates on your program such as weather cancellations or menu changes.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter will most likely be the most effective social media sites to use in order to reach parents. Other popular social media sites include Snapchat, Youtube, and Pinterest. A recent trend in social media marketing is using 'filters' on Snapchat. If you'd like to learn more about how to create custom filters to advertise your site, please email Christina at costmeyer@kansasappleseed.org.
Facebook is the most widely-used site by parents and setting up a page for your program is simple. Learn how to create a page here.
Once your page is set up, you can invite Facebook friends to 'like' the page, meaning they'll receive updates when you add content like photos or written updates. You can also create Facebook events to promote special activities at your site. Find out how to create a Facebook event here. When creating an event, be sure you are creating an event logged in under your SFSP page and not your personal account.
Though Facebook may be a great option for reaching parents, youth are more likely to use Instagram or Snapchat. These social media platforms are very personal, which makes it hard for organizations to connect authentically with users of these platforms. If you have the capacity to run multiple social media pages, here are some helpful tips about using Instagram as an organization.
You can also keep things simple: Facebook owns Instagram. This means, that if you "boost" a post or event on your Facebook page, you can link it with your Instagram account, and the ad will run on both platforms. This makes it so you can still engage with Instagram users without the pressure of constantly updated an Instagram feed. More on boosting Facebook posts here.
Twitter is another popular sharing site that can be used for quick updates on your program such as weather cancellations or menu changes.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter will most likely be the most effective social media sites to use in order to reach parents. Other popular social media sites include Snapchat, Youtube, and Pinterest. A recent trend in social media marketing is using 'filters' on Snapchat. If you'd like to learn more about how to create custom filters to advertise your site, please email Christina at costmeyer@kansasappleseed.org.
