Tips from the trenches.

• Author: Schlossberg, Michael
• Position: SOCIAL MEDIA

Are you out of interesting ideas for using social media? Here are a just a few ways you can energize your efforts

We have finally hit a point where being an elected official on Facebook is no longer unique, but practically a job requirement. In fact, if you are reading this article, chances are, you are already using social media to help communicate with your constituents.

But, do you use it well? Uniquely? In a manner that is engaging, informational and provides added value for your constituents? Or are you just using it to regurgitate press releases?

If so, don't. Using press releases on social media may be fine, but it's not going to get more people to like or follow you.

To get constituents to connect with an elected official on social media, they have to want to get to know that official on a deeper level. They want to see what a day is like for their representative and where he or she stands on issues. Constituents want to get information that is relevant to their lives.

Break the mold. Take full advantage of social media by incorporating some of these innovative ideas into each of these social networks.

"Where Am I?" Pics on Facebook

When I'm out and about in my district, I'll take a photo of a unique facade, upload it into Facebook, and ask, "Where am I today in the 132nd District?" Doing so serves two purposes: it shows off cool features in your district while establishing that you are out and about, not just sitting in your office.

Town Hall With a Twitter Twist

With enough advance notice and planning, you can host a constituent Town Hall. In a nutshell: Send out a press release, solicit questions and then answer them through tweets during a set time while using a Twitter hashtag (I use #AskSchloss). As an added bonus, the media loves covering stories like this, so you'll likely get traditional press as well.

Vine Your Vote

You can record a video of your vote on an important issue and send it out via the Vine to give your vote an added push. Vine has the added bonus of appearing directly in someone's Twitter feed, making the video easy to watch. Integrating it into your Facebook page is also a snap. A word of caution: Make sure it's legal to shoot the Vine. In Pennsylvania, for example, no pictures or video can be recorded on the floor of the House...