Hockey

Sticks
Together

Social Media Guide

 Social media:
Your tool to share with the
rest of the world, the
passion you have for your
organization.

Show what makes

your organization
great
 Social media
platforms:
Facebook
Most popular and versatile social media platform. Allows for
the posting of many forms of multimedia along with lengthy
text posts. Allows for the promotion of an organization’s
content from Instagram and Twitter. Currently is the most
utilized platform by Hockey Sticks Together and its programs.

Instagram
Mobile platform focused on the sharing of photos and videos.
Photos and videos posted on Instagram need to be of high
quality in order to catch a user’s eye.

Twitter
Allows for the posting of multimedia content with 280
characters and under text posts. Popular due to its
scan-friendly format which requires all tweets to present
necessary information in as few characters as possible.
 Designating a
manager
It is best to have one
Qualifications: person as your
designated
1. Actively involved social media manager
2. Passionate
3. Be creative
4. Have a smartphone with a working
camera
It is that simple!
Being a social media manager is as simple as
following these simple guidelines while
showcasing what your organization is up to.
 The basics
To create effective social media for your
organization, fulfilling these three
characteristics are required.

Be interesting
Post content that followers are going to want to see when
scrolling through their timelines. Show and tell the world why
your organization is great. Focus on the big picture rather than
the small details. Have fun with it and be creative.

Be of quality
Double check your posts to avoid posting with grammatical
errors and misspellings. Post only pictures that are of high
quality, taken in focus, and no one is cropped out. Make sure
the links you attach connect to the webpage you want.

Be consistent
Post consistently by following a schedule. Avoid posting
multiple times in a day after not having posted for a few days.
Commit to maintaining a consistent voice in all posts. Make
your social media look well organized.
 Guidelines for
posting
The following post guidelines are your tools to
fulfill the three characteristics needed to create
effective social media.

Text length:
Posts should only contain the necessary information in the least
amount of characters as possible. A general rule of thumb includes
limiting text to one sentence or two sentences per post. Rely on
links and multimedia when dispensing vasts amount of
information.
Twitter caps text limit at 280 characters. Being as
concise as possible is essential when using Twitter.

Post content:
No post on any social media
platform should be a text only post.
All of your posts should include at
least one of the following: a tag,
picture, or a link. Lastly, every post
should contain at least one hashtag.
Tagging/@:
The proper way to communicate or mention another account is
to tag or “at” them. Tagging can also be a testimonial toward
another organization as it can show a positive engagement
between your and the other organization. it is essential to tag
or “at” any other account you have a positive interaction with.
See thank you post as an example of tagging.

Pictures:
Pictures should be posted as often as possible as they have a
higher chance of catching the user’s eye as they scroll through
their timeline. This also includes infographics.
Rules:
1. Pictures must be in focus
2. Pictures must be of suffiecient pixel amount. Pixel guide
3. Everyone featured in the picture must be in frame
 Guidelines for
posting cont.
Links:
Insert links into posts to direct users to another website so the
user can obtain more information, documents and much more.
When inserting a link, influence the reader to follow the link to
find more information. For an example, see

Instagram does not allow for clickable links in captions.

Hashtags:
What are hashtags:
Hashtags are your organization’s tool to reach users beyond
your already existing followers. A post not utilizing hashtags
will only be seen by existing followers; unless shared. A
hashtag is the pound symbol (#) preceding a term or phrase.
A hashtag creates a link for users to follow, and see other
posts using the same hashtag.

Type hashtags as if
you’re typing a single
word. Once you enter
a space, the hashtag
ends.
 Using Hashtags:
Your organization has the option to utilize already existing
hashtags such as #HockeyisforEveryone, or to create a new
hashtag. Hashtags created by your organization are less
likely to reach more users than an already established
hashtag. To find established hashtags, find likeminded
organization’s social media and observe what hashtags they
use.
Rules:
1. One hashtag in every single post
2. Maximum of three hashtags in a single post
3. Only use hashtags relevant to your post and organization
4. Try to use the same hashtags consistently

When to post
Posting at times your users are most likely to be browsing their
social media, increases the number of followers viewing your
posts. In general, it is best to post on all platforms from
12 p.m. to 6 p.m. This is a general time frame in which social
media platforms see higher numbers of active.
Timeliness:
Post about current events.
Avoid being late with
posting about particular
events such as tournament
and game recaps.
 Find your
voice
Knowing how to word your posts is equally as
important to know what goes in them. Learn how
to find your voice on social media.

Voice:
Your voice on social media is how you word your posts. How
will those that read your posts perceive your account? Your
voice is the personality of your social media.

Finding the balance:

Have a voice that is personable, but professional at the same
time. Maintain a professional look while appearing friendly and
engaging with followers and other users. Posts made by robots
are not engaging and posts too personable can damage
professional integrity.
What to avoid:
Profanity:
If you wouldn’t say it in front of a child, don’t post it. Profane
language has no place on your social media as it negatively
impacts how followers perceive your organization.
Negativity:
Your purpose on social media is not to focus on the wrong and
bring others down. Use only positive language and live by the
saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say
it.” In a case an anonymous user directs negative language
toward your account, do not respond. Ignore the user and
resort to blocking them if it is needed.
Subjectivity:
Your organization’s social media is not a platform to voice your
own opinions. The focus of your social media is any participant
of your respective organization. Keeping objectivity adheres to
maintaining a professional and organized appearance.

Have fun
The most important guideline in this guide. The best
social media accounts are run by those that have fun while
doing so. Be creative with what you post, show your play-
ers, coaches, volunteers, and parents having fun with what
they do. Hockey is a fun game, and running social media for a
hockey team should be fun as well.