Case Study: Benefits Plus Learning Center (BPLC)
Sector: Social Services
Project: Social Media Content Strategy
Benefits Plus Learning Center (BPLC), a program of Community Service Society of NY, equips New York social services professionals with tools and resources to help their clients access and keep government benefits. They sought support from Sarah Best Strategy to develop a more effective, efficient social media content strategy. SBS partnered with BPLC on a social media strategy, and a series of tailored coaching sessions that empowered BPLC’s staff with best practices and actionable next steps for engaging current followers and attracting new audiences.
The Challenge
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The Community Service Society of New York has worked with and for New Yorkers since 1843 to promote economic opportunity and champion an equitable city and state. They offer multiple programs and services, including the Benefits Plus Learning Center (BPLC), which equips social services professionals across New York state with online tools, publications, trainings, and consultation services on public benefits and housing programs. Families often find the public benefit system challenging and will seek help from professionals to assist them in navigating complicated rules and regulations. BPLC equips the professionals with tools and resources to help their clients access and keep benefits.
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Having built followings on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, BPLC staff sought support from Sarah Best Strategy to understand how to create a social media content strategy that would yield greater engagement and increase audiences across all three platforms.
SBS’s partnership with BPLC aimed to help them optimize their social media strategy and better promote the array of useful tools and programs they offer to social services professionals. Primary goals for our work together included:
SBS’s partnership with BPLC aimed to help them optimize their social media strategy and better promote the array of useful tools and programs they offer to social services professionals. Primary goals for our work together included:
- Promoting BPLC’s programs and resources to social services professionals more effectively in order to grow and retain audiences across multiple channels (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) and grow their subscriber base to Benefits Plus Online;
- Understanding how to use organizational time and resources most effectively when managing social media;
- Gaining new digital marketing skills and best practices for generating effective, engaging content on different social media channels; and
- Developing confidence in using paid social media opportunities to achieve their goals.
The Idea
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We began by meeting with the BPLC team to kick off a social media audit and strategy. SBS developed an in-depth understanding of BPLC’s existing social media efforts and performance by:
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After compiling and analyzing this comprehensive data, we developed and shared a detailed strategy presentation with the BPLC team. We highlighted best practices BPLC was already implementing and new identified opportunities for growth, including:
- Improving the efficiency of their social media management workflow;
- Effectively communicating their services and mission with the goal of engaging existing and potential audiences; and
- Growing followers across social media channels.
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The Sarah Best Strategy team also engaged BPLC staff in a series of hour-long virtual coaching and consulting training sessions designed to build their skills and confidence around a variety of topics from social media content strategy to conversion tracking:
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The Results
As a result of our work together, the Benefits Plus Learning Center staff have been empowered with best practices and actionable next steps for developing and maintaining an effective, efficient social media content strategy.
They were equipped with tools and techniques for creating engaging messaging, posts and graphics that cut through the noise of social media and showcase their unique offerings for social services professionals. SBS also helped them understand how to utilize reporting and analytics to assess their impact, and how to optimize their content based on those results.
They were equipped with tools and techniques for creating engaging messaging, posts and graphics that cut through the noise of social media and showcase their unique offerings for social services professionals. SBS also helped them understand how to utilize reporting and analytics to assess their impact, and how to optimize their content based on those results.
