Put Up Your Yard Signs: Why Posting Often Matters for Community Leaders

This past October, we blogged More is More. We highlighted the importance of posting frequently for maintaining an audience and fostering opportunities for meaningful two-way interactions with community members. Part of the story there is simply about the way most social platform content systems work. When you post content, that content shows up in newsfeeds of your current contacts and (oftentimes!) in the newsfeeds of the contacts of the contacts who have engaged with your content.

If you are a community leader, think of your posts on social media as yard signs. The more you put in the ground, the more eyes will see them. Of course, the content matters, which is why you take time to think about what those signs say and how they say it. You also realize, if you have a limited number of signs to distribute, that you may want to think about where to place those signs–a busy street corner perhaps.

We are raising these ideas again now because they have never been more important. In fact, given the sensational headlines and rapid proliferation of misinformation, we recently discussed the importance of real tangible local content shared by trusted community leaders. These posts are not always “ground breaking”. They are often simple–sharing the date of a town food drive; highlighting a new program available through the local school district; amplifying non-profit organizations to reach marginalized or vulnerable individuals. Sharing this type of content is a win-win in countless ways (but let’s count some!) 1. Community members (your constituents) are more likely to learn about organizations, resources, programs, and opportunities that may benefit them. 2. You amplify real, honest, true content within the social media ecosystem. This content is further propagated, and impacts recommendation algorithms beyond the lifespan of that content alone. 3. You “put your yard sign in the ground” on new street corners. For example, if you re-share a post from the local YMCA with some added text, most algorithms work such that your post is likely to appear on the newsfeeds of individuals who follow the YMCA (but may not have followed you before). 4. You increase visibility and boost the social capital of the organizations to whom you bring attention.

Using your platform to connect constituents with local organizations and community resources is a low-cost act of servant leadership. This philosophy of leadership emphasizes characteristics such as listening, stewardship, and community building. It also stands as a beacon in the current political climate, having special impact at the local level. That is–put up your yard signs–post and and share day-to-day content that matters to your constituents. It will increase your visibility, it will serve the groups and organizations you amplify, and your message will propagate far beyond the corner lot.