This blog is part of a showcase of exhibits from Latin American think tanks participating in the Think Tank Initiative’s Policy Engagement and Communications (PEC) programme. You may view other entries on the Latin America PEC Showcase Overview Page. 

Social media has become a powerful communication tool that researchers and their organisations can no longer afford to ignore.  Every think tank must have a Twitter account and a Facebook profile! But it is also time to re-think why and how social networks can really contribute to the strategic goals of the think tanks. Developing a social network strategy would be a good way to start.

Between March and May 2014, Asociación de Investigación y Estudios Sociales (ASIES) developed a spanish-language guide to help them manage their social networks more strategically. Social media communication has been prioritized by the organization due to expansion of social media and growing trends in the use of Internet and smart phones for accessing information. According to recent studies, the majority of social media users are university students, professionals, professors and people interested in politics and economy, and are a strategic target group for advocacy activities.

To develop the ASIES Social Networks Strategy, the organisation’s facilitator, Vanesa Weyrauch scanned relevant literature and reviewed practical experiences on the topic.  She then conducted a brief assessment of the way social networks were currently being managed at ASIES (through observation and analysis by the facilitator and through interviews with different researchers and collaborators whose work related to ASIES social networks). ASIES has already implemented the strategy through the collaborative work of its researchers.

This strategy contains:

1. Background
2. Main objectives
3. Key criteria for networks management
4. Prioritized stakeholders
5. Actions
6. Roles and responsibilities
7. Monitoring and evaluation
8. Policies

Showcase exhibit: View ASIES Social Networks Strategy (Spanish only)

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This post has been produced as part of the Think Tank Initiative’s Policy Engagement and Communications (PEC) programme. However,  these are the author’s personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of TTI. You can find all ongoing outputs related to this project via the PEC mini-site on Research to Action. To get updates from the PEC programme and be part of the discussion sign-up to our RSS or email updates. You can also follow our progress via Twitter using the following hashtag #ttipec.

Image courtesy of FCW.