My Involvement

My main focus during my time with Bellingham Story Hour was on marketing and day-of event support. I took pictures during the workshops and story shares to use in Instagram and Facebook posts. I made my own marketing infographics on Canva, aligning with the mission and goals of the organization. When I wasn’t the photographer, I also participated as a storyteller and facilitator in the workshops and story shares. My favorite part was meeting the eager community of storytellers and listeners at our events!

Project Objectives:

  • Post consistently on Instagram and Facebook to advertise upcoming events and foster an engaged and informed community
  • Photograph events and design new marketing styles using pictures and/or video
  • Implement a new outreach method
  • Facilitate workshops and story shares to ensure the processes run smoothly

Project Process:

This was a rolling project. There was not a final deadline as much as a weekly push for marketing alongside participation in a monthly event calendar. My weekly memos outlined my tasks for the week (see the Appendix). I used the project plan as a guide to organize how many social media posts I would make a week.

In a typical week, I would roll out one or two posts and participate in an event.

I would use Canva to make a social media graphic. I used some of Krissa’s templates, but also created my own and used inspiration from other social media accounts I follow. I would draft a few different ideas until I found the right fit.

From there, I would post on Instagram and Facebook, crafting a suitable caption to engage with commentors or share about the upcoming event.

On Tuesday, I would attend the workshop or story share for that week. I wore two hats: co-facilitator and storyteller. Most importantly, I took pictures of other storytellers during these events to use in future social media posts. I had to keep track of who had signed a photo release form too.

Taking pictures from the audience

I would also share a story! Afterwards I would interact with the audience to learn why they were interested in attending and how else we could engage with them.

Sharing a story about selling data

And then I’d do it again the following week!

Project Outcomes:

  • Dozens of pictures became the basis for multiple forms of outreach
  • New Instagram posts had 4x more likes and 2 new commentors, more than doubling account reach
  • New outreach practice in the form of a Facebook event page was implemented
  • Almost 30% increase in followers on Instagram in the last 90 days
  • Workshop attendance and audience participation grew
  • I got to know some awesome people in the community who all share a love for authentic storytelling!
  • Check out the appendix for more documentation