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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Using Social Media

Using Social Media to recruit  

If you're looking to grow your section/group then using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media platforms can be useful to help you get the message out and drum up interest from both young people and adults who might want to join.  

Social media can be broken down into two categories: 

1. Social Networking:

Platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Used for: To connect with people online

Communication: Yes you can direct message

Benefits to group:

  • More visibility for the Scouts  
  • You get to know the community in your area  
  • They get to know your group 
  • You can build relationships with local people/businesses  
  • Helps build trust because people can see what you get up to  
  • People can direct message you for more information

2. Media Sharing:

Platforms: Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok 

Used for: To find and share photos and videos  

Communication: Yes you can direct message 

Benefits to group: 

  • Great for brand awareness  
  • Targets younger people – more so than Facebook for example  
  • Post engagement - you can monitor how successful the post has been e.g. how many likes, how many times it's been seen. 
  • Visual images/videos mean that you can really get people to understand what your scout group is about, in a fun exciting way!
  1. Find an image - use the Brand Centre to choose a suitable image or find a good one of your own section (remember photo permissions will be needed). 
  2. Personalise and edit it - Make sure you can see the fun youth members are having and add some text that will appeal to your target audience. 
  3. Share it – use the image that you have created to post on all the platforms you normally use. You might want to share the image with your youth members for then to use on their own social media if they want to. Lastly, be sure to include some friendly text to go alongside the image so that people know how to get in touch. 
  1. Keep it simple – short text and a relevant picture, just remember your contact information  
  2. Follow up promptly - remember to check your social media inbox and respond within 48 hours 
  3. Make it fun - this is all about the picture or video, use chatty language and pick a really exciting image that shows youth members/adults doing ‘stuff’!  
  4. Use the Brand Centre – it saves time, uses the right language and you don’t have to worry about photo permissions! 
  5. Post publicly not just on closed groups - the more people that see the post the better, you never know you might even go viral!  
  6. Paid promotions – if your group finances allow, consider using paid promotions to attract families who live nearby. 
Tools to help you