SHARING YOUR STORY

BONUS SECTION – JUST FOR FUN

Joyce Sullivan created a collection of social media sharings that appeared on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram from the October 2015 ARA Convention. We hope you’ll enjoy reading about the event as seen through the eyes of the attendees.

Talking Social Media Strategy with #ARAExpo https://storify.com/joycemsullivan/talking-social- media-with-araexpo

7 Tips for Getting Your Social Media Going 1. Find hashtags most aligned with your organiza-

tion, product, service. Hashtags are key words that are associated with your online areas of interest. Hashtags are generic terms that anyone can make up. There are some hashtags that have become more well known and used and this is where you want to begin your search.

The anatomy of a hashtag: The # sign precedes a word or series of words (two or more words do not have a space between them) that may be used online to connect with other interested parties. Each hashtag is a unique search engine tool for finding specialized content and its creators.

Some examples of auto recycling hashtags may include: #autorecycling #carrecycling #autoparts #catalyticconverter #usedcarparts. These tags can be combined with specific auto type hashtags e.g. #fordsedan #chevytruck #BMW etc for a variety of car models and makes to further refine the search. Hashtags work in Google search and can be an excellent way to find where the conversation is hap- pening online. 2. Listen to learn. Start listening to the conversation that is happening online with the key words (or hash- tags) that are of most interest to you. There is so much to be learned by listening to where the conver- sations are happening. EXAMPLE: Let’s see what we can find by using the Hashtag for #AutoRecycling across three popular social media platforms: #AutoRecycling on twitter: twitter.com/search/autorecycling #AutoRecycling on Instagram: www.instagram.com/explore/tags/ autorecycling/

42 Automotive Recycling | January-February 2016

Treasure Trove of Shares from #ARAExpo 2015 https://storify.com/joycemsullivan/the-ara-face- book-treasure-trove-of-shares-for-arae

Say Hello to “LARA”: Ladies of Automotive Recycling Association https://storify.com/joycemsullivan/say-hello-to- lara-ladies-of-automotive-recyclers

Day 2 - #ARAExpo 72nd Conference and Expo https://storify.com/joycemsullivan/ara-72nd-con- ference-and-expo-day-2

#AutoRecycling on Facebook: www.facebook.com/search/str/autorecycling/ keywords_search 3. Keep a notebook. Write down when and where social media conversation is happening around the topics you are following to begin to know where your audience is connecting.

4. Schedule social media appointment. Just as you schedule time for an event, make a regular appoint- ment with yourself for social media listening and learning.

I recommend three times a week for 30-45 minutes each. This “prework” is essential to get you comfort- able so you can be ready as you prepare your first public post. You’ll get your learning going in bite-size time segments, every other day, incorporated into your workweek. 5. Test the waters. Now that you’ve searched hash- tags, kept a notebook, and listened to online conver- sations, you’re ready to start sharing.

What should you share? Go back to the Five