American Bird Conservancy Pt 2 Flashcards
How do you approach creating compelling/engaging content across multiple platforms?
My approach starts with understanding the audience and the strengths of each platform. At California State Parks, I created short-form, visually engaging videos on Instagram and Facebook—wildlife sightings, restoration work, or highlights from our birding walks—edited in CapCut with music and voiceovers to keep it accessible and dynamic.
For more professional platforms like LinkedIn, which I manage in my IAVCEI role, I focus on clear, informative graphics and articles using Canva or Illustrator, tailored to a scientific audience. There, it’s less about flash and more about delivering value—highlighting research, member benefits, and key deadlines.
Regardless of the platform, I always think about the goal: what’s the message, and what action or emotion am I trying to inspire? It’s really about storytelling with strategy—meeting people where they are.
How do you manage multiple social media accounts and what tools do you use to stay organized and track performance?
It really comes down to having a clear strategy, staying organized, and using the right tools. I usually start by creating a content calendar that aligns with upcoming events, campaigns, and larger goals. I use tools like Hootsuite and Meta Business Suite to schedule and automate posts, which helps keep everything consistent and saves time when juggling multiple platforms.
I also dedicate time each week to review analytics: to track engagement and follower growth. These insights helps me refine the strategy and focus on what’s resonating.
Flexibility is also important. I’ve often had to shift content quickly due to weather, last-minute trail closures, or unexpected wildlife moments, so building in room for spontaneous posts is part of my planning process too.
What is your favorite platform and why? (this is a good time to be proactive and also suggest which platform you think is best for their brand)
Honestly, my favorite platform is Instagram. It offers the best of both worlds—you get the high engagement of short-form video through Reels, which are great for quickly grabbing attention, and you also have the ability to share more in-depth educational content through photo carousels and thoughtful captions. That flexibility makes it easy to connect with different types of audiences, whether they’re casually scrolling or actively looking to learn something new.
For the Non-GMO Project, I think Instagram is a powerful platform because it naturally supports both education and community building. I really like how you already incorporate fun, quiz-style posts that encourage learning. One opportunity to deepen that engagement even further could be adding more interactive features, like polls, through Stories or within post captions, or even “this or that” votes. Small, low-barrier actions like tapping on a poll can help build a stronger two-way conversation with your audience and make your educational content even stickier and more memorable.
How do you tailor a message to the intended audience?
I always start by identifying who the audience is—what they care about, what tone resonates with them, and what action I want them to take. For example, when I was a State Park Interpreter, we were trying to reach local families and nature lovers who may not have known the park existed yet. So I focused on friendly, inviting language, lots of visuals of wildlife and trails, and captions that highlighted fun, free activities like bird walks or pond explorations.
In contrast, for my internship with IAVCEI, the audience is more academic—geologists, volcanologists, and early-career researchers—so the tone is more professional and informative. I focus on clear, concise messaging, often linking to papers, deadlines, or workshops, and I include graphics that make technical information easier to digest.
I also consider platform. A message on Instagram might be casual and visual, while the same message on LinkedIn would be more detailed and direct. Overall, it’s about meeting the audience where they are—with a message that feels relevant and speaks their language.
Have you worked with partners, collaborators, or influencers on social campaigns? What did that look like?
Yes, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with several partners and organizations during my time with California State Parks, particularly while promoting Dos Rios State Park—a rewilded floodplain. We regularly partnered with nonprofits like River Partners and the Tuolumne River Trust, who played a major role in the park’s restoration. Our collaboration included cross-posting content, sharing each other’s stories, and tagging one another in posts to boost visibility and show united support for the restoration work.
We also worked with groups like local schools, Girl Scouts, and Stanislaus Audubon Society to promote educational programming and events. When we hosted youth-focused events like bird walks or Earth Day cleanups, we would coordinate with our partners to create joint promotional content. This not only helped us reach a wider audience, but also gave the content more credibility, since it highlighted collective community effort.
Overall, these collaborations allowed us to build trust with our audience, expand our reach, and reinforce shared conservation goals through social media storytelling.
Explain the difference between each platforms and their audience. What are the most important KPIs?
Each platform has a unique audience and tone, so I tailor content accordingly to meet both audience expectations and platform strengths.
- Instagram & Facebook: These are great for visual storytelling and community engagement. Instagram is ideal for Reels, stories, and polished visuals to build brand identity and reach a younger, visually-driven audience. Facebook leans slightly older and is good for sharing events, updates, and community building.
o Key KPIs: Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares), reach, video views (for Reels), and event RSVPs or link clicks. - TikTok: Fast-paced, informal, and trend-driven, TikTok is best for behind-the-scenes, personality-driven, or educational short-form videos. The audience skews younger and values authenticity.
o Key KPIs: Video views, watch time, shares, comments, and follower growth. - LinkedIn: This is a professional platform where content should be informative, educational, and industry-relevant. It’s great for B2B communication, and showcasing organizational impact or achievements.
o Key KPIs: Impressions, click-through rate (CTR), post engagement, and follower growth. - Twitter/X Bluesky: Best for real-time updates, industry news, or event coverage. It can be good for sparking conversations.
o Key KPIs: Retweets, replies, mentions, link clicks, and impressions.
Ultimately, the KPIs I focus on depend on the campaign’s goals. If it’s awareness, I look at reach and impressions. For engagement, it’s likes, comments, shares, or watch time. And for conversion-focused goals—like event signups or memberships—I track CTR, website traffic, and conversions.
Tell us about a time you had to adapt your content or strategy on the fly.
During my time as a State Park Interpreter, we had a situation where we planned to promote an in-person event with a series of scheduled posts leading up to it. Unfortunately, unexpected rain and flooding closed access to part of the park just days before the event, and we had to pivot quickly. Rather than cancel all the social media content we had planned, I quickly adapted our strategy.
We shifted focus to a ‘virtual birding’ experience by turning our scheduled content into a mix of pre-recorded videos, ID challenges using various apps, and educational bird fact posts. I also created a stories featuring footage of common residential birds with captions highlighting where they nest, what they eat, and how people could look for them in their own neighborhoods.
This unexpected pivot ended up driving a lot of engagement. It was a great reminder that flexibility, paired with creativity and quick content editing skills, can still help us meet our goals—even when plans change at the last minute.
How do you balance brand consistency with creativity?
I see brand consistency and creativity as complementary rather than competing goals. To me, brand consistency means maintaining a clear voice, visual identity, and messaging framework—so the audience always knows who we are and what we stand for. But within those boundaries, there’s actually a lot of room for creative expression.
For example, when I created social media content for California State Parks, we had branding guidelines from the state to follow—like logo use, tone, and color palettes. But I still found ways to get creative, whether it was through playful captions, behind-the-scenes videos, or themed series like ‘Tuesday Talks in the Parks,’ which helped give our posts more personality and consistency at the same time.
I also use tools like Canva and Illustrator to build reusable templates that match the brand while giving flexibility to experiment with layout, imagery, and seasonal design. It’s all about knowing the brand inside and out—so I can confidently explore fresh ways to connect with our audience without straying from our core identity.
What are your 3 strengths and 1 weakness?
- Digital storytelling: My background in science communication and interpretation has given me the ability to translate complex ideas—like climate change or conservation projects—into accessible and engaging content, whether it’s through Reels, graphics, or educational captions.
- Content planning: grow the online presence of a brand-new state park and increasing engagement for an international science organization, I’ve developed and executed content strategies that align with goals like follower growth, in-person event turnout, and post engagement—using tools like Hootsuite and analytics to guide my approach.
- Platform versatility: I understand the nuances of different platforms—what works best on Instagram vs. LinkedIn or TikTok—and I create tailored content that fits the audience and tone of each one. I also stay on top of trends while making sure everything stays aligned with the organization’s messaging.
One area I’m always working to improve is my communication—especially verbal and cross-team communication. While I’m comfortable writing and creating content, I’m actively investing in becoming an even stronger communicator across settings, whether that’s in meetings, presenting ideas, or working with new collaborators. I’ve been attending communication workshops and even hope to pursue a master’s in communication in the future to continue building that skillset.
What do you do if a campaign fails?
If a campaign doesn’t perform as expected, I see it as a learning opportunity rather than a failure. The first thing I do is take a step back and look at the data. I’ll review performance metrics like engagement rate, reach, impressions, and click-throughs to identify where the disconnect might’ve been—was it the timing, the platform, the messaging, or maybe the format?
Once I’ve identified what didn’t resonate, I adjust the strategy. For example, during my time as a State Park Interpreter, we once tried promoting an educational walk series with a static post and saw very low turnout. I realized the content needed more motion and storytelling to spark interest—so we switched to short-form video highlights. The result? Attendance and engagement noticeably increased in the following weeks.
I also value feedback—from the audience and the team—and use it to improve. The goal isn’t just to avoid ‘failed’ campaigns, but to continually evolve content that’s creative, impactful, and aligned with the organization’s mission.
What are your goals for our social media (what would you like to achieve within next few months/years) + what is your idea to make it happen?
In the next few months, my goal would be to boost engagement and follower growth by creating a consistent, educational content calendar that highlights the Non-GMO Project’s mission, shares behind-the-scenes stories, and celebrates Verified brands and consumer voices. I’d also work to grow newsletter signups and resource downloads through strategic, trust-building storytelling.
Over the next few years, I’d love to help the Project become an even stronger digital leader in food transparency by building a loyal, engaged community and expanding reach onto emerging platforms. I’d use tools like Hootsuite, Canva, and analytics to track what’s resonating and adjust in real-time, keeping our content fresh, informative, and impactful.
