Like the rest of the U.S. population, many of us enjoy scrolling mindlessly through social media feeds in our personal time. But, when we're on the clock in our professional capacity as bicycle and pedestrian advocates, those same social media channels can become... intimidating.

What platforms should we be using? How can we leverage them to maximize our work? And how do we deal with the ever quickening hamster wheel of digital innovation that shifts the landscape on a near daily basis? (I'm raising my own blood pressure just typing this!)

First, take a breath. It doesn't have to be overwhelming.

Led by Austen Levihn-Coon and Hemly Ordonez of Fission Strategy we delved into Organizing, Leadership and Digital Strategy for a Stronger Movement at our 2015 National Training last month. Here are 10 big-picture tips and tangible tools they shared to make social media more effective — and manageable.

Five Tips

If You're Just Getting Started...

If you're not on Pintrest and have no earthly idea was Snapchat is, don't worry. If you're feeling overwhelmed or don't know where to begin, Ordonez recommends starting with Facebook, Twitter, and a blog (whether on your site or an external option like Tumblr). If you're rocking those three already, look at adding Instagram to your arsenal. 

There's Method to This Madness

Social media shouldn't be relegated to the youngest person on your staff or delegated to an intern. Effective online engagement isn't an isolated aspect of your work, but an integral part of your overall communications plan. As you're looking to engage your followers in a particular campaign, reflect on your narrative to propel you to a happy ending.

Don't Post Unless...

Obviously expounding on the finer points of the draft Bicycle Master Plan or explaining best practices in pedestrian refuge design isn't going to score points on social media. So what type of content gets traction? Here are five questions to consider before you hit Post.

Make Your Followers Click

The holy grail of social is getting folks to share. So make sure your tone doesn't drain the enthusiasm from your eager readers or give away the full story without compelling a click first. 

Be Positive and Embrace Humor!

Advocating for safer streets and equitable mobility options is serious business. Social media, for the most part, isn't. As one training participant noted, his organization keeps their social media channels lubricated with a steady stream of fun or humorous posts — to keep folks engaged for those serious moments when they need to take action to advance your campaigns. 

Five Tools

Lucky for us, that same Silicon Valley brain trust that's dreaming up the next Twitter right now is also pumping out tools to make our social media presence more engaging. Here are a few free resources to enhance your online presence.

• Aviary is a phone app for Android and iPhone that allows you to easily edit photos, like Photoshop for your phone. Here's a quick tutorial on editing photos in Aviary.
• Photo Grid is another phone app that allows you to easily create photo collages that can be very effective for use on social media, particularly Instagram. Here's how to use it.
• Canva is an online resource that gives you everything you need to easily turn ideas into professional-looking designs — no expensive design software required! Here's an example of how to create a logo in Canva.
• Giphy is a great place to find gifs that evoke a particular emotion or reaction you want to share — while Instagiffer is an application that allows you to turn any YouTube video into a GIF. Here's a quick primer on searching Giphy and a how-to for Instagiffer.
• Memebetter.com allows you to generate memes using popular meme templates.Here's three steps to creating a meme, like this... 

Stay tuned for more resources from the National Trianing in coming days!