117 Social Media | Summary and a Look Ahead
This module has reviewed how researchers might use social media to share research expertise, research outputs, and begin building a robust social media strategy to reach specific audiences to build longer-term research partnerships and impact. Topics covered in this module included types of social media, when to include social media in your research program, designing a social media strategy, learning to use popular social media tools, and determining success of your social media strategy.
The next module will build on this work to cover how to collaborate with the community around knowledge mobilization. Working with broader context experts may help you to better understand the social media habits of those that you’re looking to engage with and expand your social media reach!”
Final Thoughts
By creating a specific social media strategy and learning which tools can reach specific audiences interested in your research work, you are probably thankful that the process is not as daunting as you may have thought it was.
Your research team members have a role in implementing either the social media plan and/or the communications plan. Existing research outputs like clear language papers and posters can be repurposed to reach new audiences through social media networks. You now have concrete metrics to report your success in sharing your research outcomes and products on your next funding grant application.
Your students have been active in building their scholarly networks, reputations and also shared the research outcomes with an even bigger audience than you alone could reach. Although there are new social media tools emerging every day, you have a strategy for evaluating if your intended audience is using the new social media tool and if you should jump on that new tool. There is no doubt that you will build research collaborations and profile as a communicator of impactful research. Your work will reach new audiences on social media who can use and amplify the impact of your research outputs.
