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Social Media Strategy: Maximizing the Use of Instagram

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Social Media Strategy: Maximizing the Use of Instagram

Libraries play a critical role in our society. Accordingly, libraries are responsible for the

democratization of information and knowledge as well as for linking individuals with knowledge

and information sources (Murugan &Krishna, 2018). In higher learning, libraries are responsible

for the dissemination and distribution of information (Muruga & Krishna, 2018). Due to their

role in sharing of knowledge, libraries can be likened to sharing economy. While libraries have

continued to play a critical role in sharing knowledge and knowledge resources, it has evolved to

add other functions. Accordingly, libraries are playing an increasingly important role in

supporting community-oriented goals. For example, libraries are increasingly being used as part

of the health system due to their contribution to health knowledge in society (Philbin et al.,

2019). The Brock University Library, like other libraries, has started offering or lending out non-

traditional items that support community-oriented goals. Among the different non-traditional

items that Brock University Library offers are boardgames and stress busters. This can be seen

through its boardgames and stress busters lending programs.

Looking into the social media activities, it is clear that students have little enthusiasm

about the boardgames and stress busters lending programs by the students. This is despite

attempts by the library’s attempt to offer attractive terms on them. One factor that might be

contributing to the little enthusiasm about the boardgames and stress busters is lack of

awareness. Accordingly, the students might be having little information about the program. The

Brock University Library can change this situation by creating awareness using its social media

accounts to engage different stakeholders. This report will present a strategy on how the Brock

University Library can use its Instagram account to increase awareness and engagement amongst

students for its boardgames and stress busters lending programs.

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Literature Review

Student Mental Health and Wellness

Student mental health and wellness has been an issue of concern for scholars and

policymakers (son et al., 2016). In a study by Rose et al. (2016), it was found that 89% of

students in Canada are overwhelmed by their workload while 57% were overwhelmed by

anxiety. Worryingly, the researchers found that these rates of anxiety and workload are

increasing. The researchers also found a close link between poor mental health and poor

performance of students (Rose et al., 2016). In a recent study, Son et al. (2020) found that

college students experienced an increase in stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Role of Libraries

According to Rose et al. (2016), student mental health is increasingly being considered a

campus-wide responsibility. This means that numerous stakeholders are being involved in

student mental health. As stakeholders in learning institutions, libraries have a great role to play

in addressing the mental health of students. Several scholars have explored the role that libraries

can play in supporting student mental health. According to Rose et al. (2016), libraries can help

address the mental health of students by creating an environment that enables students to relax

and cope with stress. Libraries can also support the mental health of students by promoting and

resourcing initiatives that target improving the mental health and wellbeing of students (Merga,

2020). Additionally, libraries can support the mental health of students by operating as safe

spaces for learning as well as promoting and supporting bibliotherapeutic practices (Merga,

2020). Libraries can also support the mental health of students by partnering with other

stakeholders (Cox & Brewster, 2020). According to Cox and Brewster (2020), mental health and

well-being are multi-dimensional issues that require the support of multiple professionals. As a
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result, a partnership between libraries and other services in the learning institutions helps

improve the effectiveness of mental health initiatives (Cox & Brewster, 2020).

Role of Boardgames and Stress Bursters

Board games are games that are played by moving game pieces on special boards

(Nakao, 2019). Several scholars have explored the important role that board games play in

mental health. In a study by Nakao (2019), it was found that traditional board games such as

chess, Go and Shogi reduce the impacts of cognitive impairment and depression. Nakao (2019)

also found that newly developed board games are helpful in behavioral modification. In another

study, Bayeck (2020) examined the learning potential of board games. From the study, the

researcher found that board games provide spaces that can enable the learning of different

content. According to Bayeck (2020), board games allow for interaction that promotes

teamwork, creativity, and computational thinking.

Social Media Use by Libraries

Libraries are increasingly using social media to engage with their users (Alfonzo, 2019).

According to Alfonzo (2019), many librarians are using social media as a communication and

promotional tool. In a study by Doney et al. (2020), it was found that more than 50% of posts

from the Instagram account of Libraries from eleven land-grant universities consisted of

showcasing posts (posts that about the resources of the library or campus) while a smaller

percentage of the posts consisted humanizing posts (post about warmth or humor) and

crowdsourcing posts (posts soliciting for feedback). While using social media platforms, libraries

need to have an understanding of how to effectively use social media. According to Smith and

Gallicano (2015), effective use of social media requires clarification of the concept of social

media engagement. This clarification can be done during the development of social media
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strategy (Alfonzo, 2019; Smith & Gallicano, 2015). A social media strategy provides a

framework for managing and using social media (Alfonzo, 2019).

Recommended Post Types for Instagram

Social media is increasingly being used in libraries (Alfonzo, 2019). According to

Alfonzo (2019), librarians use social media to tap into the world of teens and young adults.

Instagram provides a unique and valuable avenue to reach this group of audiences. However, the

effectiveness of Instagram depends on various factors including the content posted and the

characteristics of the audience (Belanche et al., 2019). Brock University Library can increase

awareness and engagement amongst students for its boardgames and stress busters lending

program by taking into consideration the types of posts that they post. Accordingly, the library

needs to diversify content, posts questions, and create a contest.

Diversify Content

From the study by Doney et al. (2020), it is clear that most social media posts by libraries

are not diversified enough. According to Alfonzo (2019), this lack of diversification of posts has

negative impacts on engagement as relying too much on one style or topic can lead to boredom

and users tuning out over time. Diversifying content promotes engagement by increasing the

appealability of posts among the target audience (Romeing, 2020). Additionally, diversifying

content helps to gather for the different needs of the audience. According to Romeing (2020),

while some social media audiences prefer video content, others prefer reading content. This

means that combining the use of videos and readings can appeal to a larger audience.

An analysis of Brook University Library’s Instagram account reveals that its content

lacks diversification. Accordingly, the content dominating the library’s Instagram account is

infographics. Additionally, the posts are posted less frequently. On average the library posts two
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posts per day. For the library to achieve a reasonable engagement, it needs to improve this

frequency. Figure 1 gives a mock-up of how diversifying content can look like. In figure 1, we

can identify the use of infographics, videos, and questions.

Figure 1: a view of the content of Brock University Library’s Instagram account

Brock University Library can diversify its posts by using different strategies. First, it can

diversify its content by incorporating more videos. Although the library uses videos, the amount

is very low compared to infographics. Increasing the number of videos would increase the

amount of content that the library posts. As a result of an increase in the number of posts, the

library will be able to increase the amount of engagement. In the case of boardgames and stress

busters lending programs, increasing the number of videos and the frequency of posts will

increase the engagement level as the posts will be able to reach more target audiences.

Another way in which the library can diversify its content is by combining showcasing

posts with humanizing posts and crowdsourcing posts in almost equal amounts. An analysis of

the posts on the Brock University Library’s Instagram account confirms the findings by Doney et

al. (2020). Accordingly, the majority of the posts on the library’s account consist of posts that

give information about the resources in the library and the university. For the library to increase

its engagement level, it needs to increase the number of crowdsourcing posts and humanizing
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posts. While tapping on the use of video, the library can take advantage of the “video stories”

feature, which allows short videos and images to be posted for 24 hours.

Post and Answer Questions

Asking questions and encouraging followers to ask questions is a proven method for

improving engagement. According to Neirotti (2020), questions are useful tools as they open

communication lines. Additionally, questions give out information, improve interactions,

facilitate sharing of ideas and facilitate analysis of situations (Neirotti, 2020). For Brock

University Library, the most important reason for posting questions is to facilitate interactions. It

is through such interactions that students will be made aware of various resources and programs

including the boardgames and stress buster lending program.

The question and answer posts can be categorized as crowdsourcing posts (Doney et al.,

2020) as they solicit feedback from audiences. One Instagram feature that facilitates the use of

questions is the IG story question sticker. In addition to facilitating the asking of questions, the

IG story sticker facilitates the answering of questions. Moreover, the sticker protects the

confidentiality and privacy of followers by ensuring that responses are not shared publicly.

An analysis of Brook University Library’s Instagram account reveals that it incorporates

the use of questions in its posts. However, the amount of questions posted on its Instagram

handle appears to be few. Specifically, the library posts two questions every Tuesday. Further

analysis of the questions reveals that the questions revolve around academics alone. Brook

University Library also has an engagement session every day. However, its engagement takes

place on the library’s website. The engagement needs to be moved to Instagram for students to

be engaged. Additionally, the library needs to post questions that deal with personal issues
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including physical and mental health issues. Figure 2 represents a mock-up of a question and

answer session that the library can use.

Figure 2: Mock-up of posts of answer and question (Mobile App Daily, 2021)

Create a Contest

According to Alfonzo (2019), contests are effective for promotion, increasing

engagement, and growing followership. Setting contests will encourage users to like the post, tag

a friend and even like the page. In Instagram, the more like and tags that a given account gets,

the more engaging it is. Additionally, an increase in the number of likes and tags makes the post

reach more people, which in turn can increase the level of engagement (Byatt, n.d).

Brock University can create different types of the contest via its Instagram account. For

example, it can design like and/or comment to win contests or photo caption contests or tag-a-

friend contests, or trivia-based contests. While designing contests for Instagram posts, the library

needs to take into account its target audience. This is because the contests should be tailored to

meet the interests of the target audience. These contests will encourage the participants to engage

with the posts being posted. As a result, the library will be able to increase the level of
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engagement in its Instagram account. Figure 3 represents a mock-up of how posts on Instagram

contests should be designed.

Figure 3: An Instagram TV ad (Circontrol, n.d)

Conclusion

Brock University Library can rely on Instagram to optimize its boardgames and stress

buster programs. Accordingly, its Instagram account has the potential of increasing awareness

and engagement among students for the program. An analysis of its Instagram account reveals

that the posts are mostly focused on academic matters, are less diversified, do not incorporate

contests, and have few questions. For the library to increase awareness and engagement on its

posts, it needs to modify its posts. One of the best ways to modify its posts is by increasing its

diversification. Accordingly, the library needs to incorporate more videos on its posts while at

the same time increasing the frequency of posting. Another way in which the library can increase

its engagement is through initiating question and answer sessions on Instagram. A question and

answer session improves engagement by soliciting feedback from the audience. One feature that
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makes the use of questions and answers easily on Instagram is the IG story question sticker.

Engagement can also be improved by initiating contests. Accordingly, contests increase

engagement by encouraging the audience to compete with others.

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References

Bayeck, R. Y. (2020). Examining board Gameplay and learning: A multidisciplinary review of

recent research. Simulation & Gaming, 51(4), 411-

431. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878119901286

Byatt, L. (n.d.). The importance of social media competitions. Arise. https://wearearise.com/the-

importance-of-social-media-competitions

Circontrol. (n.d.). Instagram contest TV

Ad. https://circontrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/photo-Contest2-300x169.jpg

Cox, A., & Brewster, L. (2020). Library support for student mental health and well-being in the

UK: Before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Journal of Academic

Librarianship, 46(6), 102256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102256

Merga, M. (2020). How can school libraries support student wellbeing? Evidence and

implications for further research. Journal of Library Administration, 60(6), 660-

673. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2020.1773718

Mobile App Daily. (2021). nstagram Stories Question Stickers: How To Use ‘Ask Me A

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Neirotti, R. A. (2021). The importance of asking questions and doing things for a

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Philbin, M. M., Parker, C. M., Flaherty, M. G., & Hirsch, J. S. (2018). Public libraries: A

community-level resource to advance population health. Journal of Community

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