If you are running a one off event or regular sessions within a community, we would highly recommend posting the details of your event or organisation on our newly relaunched Staffordshire Connects website. This is free and easy to do and once approved by ourselves it will be live on the site for Staffordshire to see! Aimed at anyone from children, families, SEND, adults and communities – if you provide a service or group you can add your details to our directory for people to find.

To make an account for your organisation, go onto the Staffordshire Connects website and follow these steps:

1. Choose the 'register' option from the top right corner of the screen.
2. Enter some basic details to create your account, including the email address you wish to be associated with the account (preferably a work / organisation one).
3. Keep the page open and check your email inbox for an activation code. Copy this into the registration form.
4. Once your account has been activated, sign in for the first time using your email and password.

To add a directory record:

1. Select 'Manage your local services listings'.
2. Choose '+ Create a new directory record'.
3. Provide details for the listing, which must include a title and description.
4. You can also add optional details such as contacts, social media links, websites, venues, costs, timings, and even upload a logo, pictures, and documents.
5. Save your record. It will then be submitted for review by our team, and once approved will be listed on the site.

The powers of social media are well worth mentioning in this section. Even without paying for boosts, general posts and comments spread through digital word-of-mouth.

Disruptive Advertising’s article on Social Media Marketing 101 is worth a read and we also touch upon paid for social media advertising within the Social Media section of this toolkit.