BGCA’s Kevina Fullwood is BACK and bringing her extensive experience both in Club and at the National Office to help you build this powerful recruitment tool.
As a former Club director and the creator of BGCA Tap In on Instagram, I understand the challenges of convincing the social media department about the benefits of having a dedicated social media channel for your teen center. Social media can significantly boost teen recruitment and engagement by meeting teens where they are and contributing to positive content. However, marketing departments often have limited resources, and adding an additional channel can seem overwhelming. By doing some prep work, you can make it easier for your social media coordinator and increase the chances of getting approval. Here’s how you can successfully launch a social media channel for your teen center:
Start by Establishing a Safety Policy
Work with your Safety and Marketing teams to create clear guidelines. Photo releases should be a part of your membership materials for all youth, and it is of the utmost importance that you follow them. There could be both legal and safety ramifications if you don’t. All site-level staff should know who is not allowed to be in photos or videos. Boys & Girls Club staff can find sample photo release language on BGCA.net. Also consider policies such as:
- Avoid the use of teens’ last names
- Obtain permissions before posting as needed
- Avoid showing Club exits and entrances in videos
- Offer social media safety training to all staff
- Clear guidelines on what staff can and cannot post to their personal accounts
- Avoid reposting personal youth or staff accounts to official Club accounts
Identify the Purpose of Your Channel
Having a clear purpose for your social media channel is crucial. While it may seem obvious to start a channel because teens are always on their devices, you need to be intentional. Teens will scroll past your page if it’s not engaging. Some possible purposes include:
- Building awareness of your program offerings and special events
- Recognizing teen members, staff, and partners
- Increasing teen attendance to your Club
Identify 3-5 Content Areas You Want to Post
Start with a few consistent themes to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Here are some good starting points:
- Program schedules
- Special event promotions
- Teen spotlights and testimonials
- Tours of your teen center
These posts help new teens understand what your program offers and what they can expect. Here’s an example from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington’s Richard England Clubhouse.
Create Templates for Consistent Posting
Templates can streamline the process and reduce the need for frequent marketing reviews. Standardizing posts helps create brand awareness and ensures consistent posting while allowing for customization in images, colors, and language. Boys & Girls Club staff have access to Canva, an easy yet robust online graphic design tool, which makes creating templates simple. We use it for BGCA Tap In and the BGCA Youth Development Facebook page! Learn more and get tutorials and more at Marketing.BGCA.net. (Canva has a TON of other uses for your Club as well!)
Build a Media Folder
Collect b-roll video footage (clips that aren’t people talking to camera such as youth playing a basketball game or participating in an event) and high-quality images of your teens and your teen center. These can include photos of current Club events or special activities. Consider hiring professional photographers for events or to host photoshoots, and also integrating photography into programming and using teen-created imagery. This Club Tour from the Navy Kings Bay Teen Program gives a great example of b-roll footage:
Promote Your Channel
Create a content schedule. Plan your posts in advance, similar to how you plan afterschool programs. Highlight monthly events, weekly programs, and special achievements. Use a content calendar to stay organized and maintain consistent posting. Keep it simple, authentic, and fun. Here’s an example I created:
Test Your Content
Get feedback on your posts from your current teens. Involve them in creating content, which can also serve as a learning opportunity. Use data reporting tools from the social media platforms you decide to use to see trends over time and find out what content is most popular, another great learning opportunity for youth to learn skills they may use in their careers. Social media channels take time to grow, so be patient and stay consistent with your efforts, while also continuously getting better.
Launching a social media channel for your teen center can be incredibly rewarding and effective for engaging teens. By following these steps, you can make the process smoother for your marketing team and create a vibrant online presence for your teen center. Remember to stay patient and consistent, and you’ll see your efforts pay off over time.
Get other resources for tween and teen engagement on the Serving Teens page on BGCA.net and in the Teens tag here on the ClubX Blog.
How do you keep programs exciting for teens and tweens? What have been your most successful recruitment strategies? We want to hear! Comment below, on the BGCA Youth Development Facebook page, or email ClubXBlog@bgca.org.
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