I’m a big believer in buying local produce.  Buying local and seasonal produce supports the local economy, has minimal cost to the environment, is healthier, and is very often cheaper than buying from the big supermarkets (see my previous blog post about Buying Local for more detail)

Seasonal foods tend to be fresher and more nutritious.  But here in the UK, we are in the habit of importing our fruit and vegetables from the far reaches of the globe.  As consumers we expect to have various produce available all year-round – so much so that very often we don’t even know what the British seasons are!

Of course, being able to have any food all year round is very attractive, and it’s great to be able to have a taste of the ‘exotic’ every now and then.  But also, I think we should also be more aware of the impact that our shopping choices have on our health and environment.

Find out more about Pippa’s local seasonal produce here and treat yourself to a cucumber or two!

Here are 5 points to keep in mind when designing your social media strategy;

1.  Decide what your key messages are
Your key messages are the points that you want your audience to remember.  Write down 2 or 3 bullet points of a sentence or two each.  Remember your key messages need to be easy to remember and convey!  Don’t be too technical and avoid jargon.

2.  Identify your audience
Which audiences do you want your messages to reach?  Identifying the right audience is essential in choosing the most effective way to communicate with them, so be specific!  It’s no good saying ‘everyone’ – you need your audience to be definable and your goal to be reachable.  (See my previous post on Knowing your Publics for further information)

3.  Test your message
Does your message hit the nail on the head with your target audience?  With the best will in the world, your professional communication will fall flat on its metaphorical face if it doesn’t reach or compel the people who you are targeting.  Remember, the whole idea of a social media strategy isn’t just ‘having a twitter profile’, it’s about making sure the content of your tweets is relevant to your target audience.  Test the effectiveness of your messages by establishing what your message means to your target audience through focus groups or interviews with the people you want to influence.

4.  Choose your social media platform
Once you have tested your message and identified your key audience, you can choose how you wish to communicate with them.  Setting up a social media profile on most of the most popular platforms is very easy, for example Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Slideshare, or YouTube.  The Mashable article ‘Choosing the right Social Media Tool for your Business‘ may help you choose which platform will suit you and your needs best.

5.  Monitor
Now it’s a matter of keeping an eye and an ear out about what people are saying about your messages and your organisation.  Track the conversation using online tools such as Addictomatic or Google Alerts or see how far your message is travelling with tools such as Tweet Reach.  A good article about the types of social media monitoring tools available can be found on The Next Web‘s site.

And finally, always bear in mind that the key to a successful social media campaign is not just about broadcasting and listening.  It’s about actively engaging with your audience – whether this is about responding to customer service enquiries, or actively participating in discussions around your particular area of expertise.  Be part of the conversation.

Any questions?

Ok, perhaps ‘angrily’ is the wrong word. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I felt saddened by the article.  Saddened to see such an overly overt waste of money, while elsewhere in the UK the number of people surviving on low incomes is ever increasing, and a staggering 4million children live in poverty.

Now I defend anyone’s right to have fun and to spend their own money as they please (this isn’t a blog post about capitalist excess or about redistribution of wealth), but just to put things into perspective, here are a few ideas of how else he could have spent his £168,000…

• The annual salary of 6 youth workers for one year (based on average salary of £25k)
• 84 powered wheelchairs of children with disabilities (average cost £2k per wheelchair)
• 11 Kidney dialysis machines for a hospital (based on average cost of £15k)
• The annual salary for 7 nurses for one year (based on average salary of £21k per year)
• A place in a care home for an elderly person for 5 1/2 years (based on an average cost of £30k per year)

I just hope that the hangovers were worth it.

Campaign group Southend Against the Cuts urges “whether you are on strike, work in the public sector or a user of public services, join us at this rally to show your support for the fightback against Cameron and Clegg’s vicious politics of cuts and job losses”

Pickets will take place outside South Essex College, Revenues and Customs, and Southend Jobcentre, among others, with a lunchtime rally at Victoria Plaza at 12.30.   For more information see Southend Against the Cuts

For those not in ‘the know’,a co-operative is a business organisation that helps to build a better world by giving everyone a share of the profits and an equal say in how the business is run.  According to the Co-operatives Fortnight website, there are over 4,900 independent co-operatives in the UK, in all parts of the economy, and these co-operatives are owned by over 11million people who have an equal share in the profits and have a say in what the co-operative does.

I love co-operatives and all that they stand for, so to celebrate Co-operatives fortnight in my own special way, here are my top 5 all time favourite local (and not so local) co-operatives.  In no particular order…

• Leigh Fishermans Co-operative – I’ve bought many a trout from this gem of a fishmongers, which is run by real life fishermen.  Situated on the coast in Old Leigh, this a beautiful place to buy a beautiful bit of fresh fish  Directions
• Essex Savers Net Credit Union – recently taken over from Southend Credit Union, this is a financial co-operative that offers a safe, convenient way to save, with easy access loans at fair rates of interest.  Writing about this coop has reminded me that I must get round to joining!  Website.
• Zero Credit – a co-operative of individuals with personal experience of debt.  This is a national co-operative which aims to end the stigma which pushes debtors into unsuitable products and services and to start a responsible dialogue with government and the finance sector.  This is on my list of favs after meeting Emma (founder & director) via collaborate work at CL.  Website
• The People’s Supermarket – situated in central London, this is a supermarket for the people, by the people.  The vision is to create a commercially sustainable, social enterprise that achieves its growth and profitability targets whilst operating within values based on community development and cohesion.  Arthur Potts-Dawson shared his vision for the People’s Supermarket at our Chain Reaction event in 2009. Website
• Southend Jazz Co-op – this is a group of musicians who get together every Saturday morning to play jazz, each session is run by various tutors focusing on developing improvisational skills.  I’ll be honest, I’ve never been to this co-op, but I just love the fact that it exists! .Website

Find out more about Co-operatives Fortnight on the website, and don’t forget to sign the petition to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor.

James is attempting to raise £1million from the kindness of strangers.  Starting with one solitary pound, James is asking the general public to double the last amount donated.  So, £1 becomes £2, £2 becomes £4 etc etc, until the goal of £1million is reached.

On his website James says;

Everyone who donates will be given pride of place on this website and a little note about why they gave to this very special cause…Sometimes we’ll have to fight for the next stage and entice business or well known philanthropists – other times we’ll be fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of an act of kindness from a complete stranger.  Whatever your background, whatever you can afford – we’d appreciate it.

Like a crowdfunding initiative (a collective pooling of money by a network of people support a project or a cause), this campaign has the  potential to motivate a lot of people into making a positive difference.

I love this idea because it’s original, it’s a huge challenge, and because it has the potential to make a huge and positive difference to people living with life-limiting illnesses.

Donate now, and/or help spread the word:  http://www.justgiving.com/1toamillion

That’s my plan anyway – having signed up for the Run to the Beat half marathon to raise money to support Community Links’ work tackling poverty in east London.

Having missed this year’s Southend Half Marathon (organised by Haven’s Hospice it’s my favourite local running event), I felt that I needed a challenge for the summer.  Run to the Beat is the only UK half marathon that’s set to music, which will be an interesting experience (I’m expecting it will all be motivational music, and not ballads by Leonard Cohen!), plus I hope to raise some ££’s for a good cause.

There are still places available via Community Links for Run to the Beat, so snap up a charity place now!  Free fundraising support and Nike Dri-Fit t-shirt included.

Sponsor my half marathon efforts at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LaurasRun2TheBeatChallenge

On Wednesday 8 June 2011, nine teams from Canary Wharf and the City took part in the Chevron Community Links Karting Challenge, raising over £24,000 for Community Links’ poverty-fighting work in east London.

The event now in its 16th year, is an annual event for London business teams who raise sponsorship to compete in a 2 hour endurance race. Since its beginning, Community Links and event sponsor Chevron have raised funds for the charity’s work in an area where 1 in 4 children live in poverty.

It was wonderful to work on this event, and fantastic to have so much support!  Thanks to everyone involved!

Not only will this allow donors to give ‘on the move’, but the donation itself is collected via the donors mobile phone bill – meaning minimal hassle.  According to The Guardian, 89% of adults in the UK own a mobile phone, so the fundraising potential for charities is enourmous, plus 100% of any donation made via Just Text Giving will be given to the charity.

So far the team have added our unique code to fundraising posters, surveys, and email footers, as well as sharing with our networks on Twitter and Facebook, and I’ll be interested on seeing in the coming months how many people use the service…

In the meantime, if you would like to donate to Community Links Just text COML11 to 70070 and include the donation amount i.e COML11 £10.  Thanks!!

*Photo: Creative Commons via veesees

It’s going to be an evening of adrenaline fuelled fun…watch this space for updates…