# make it buzzzz

*Article written by Mariette, our social media magician*

Mapmakers, yes! Social media managers also.

You are doing great with your local tips. As you commit to make your local habits and favorite HQs shine,  and your lifestyle known, appreciated and respected, let’s also share your recommendations to the crowd and promote your work behind the map: on SOCIAL NETWORKS! We are still hippies making free artsy maps, with alternative local tips and no-nonsense tourist information for young people, but we also need to go with the flow, and grow with our time.

People use USE-IT content when they get the paper map in their hands.\
People use USE-IT content when they browse our super website.

Spreading your content wider thanks to the Internet will make people discover it, use it (literally), and love it! The more, the merrier.

## Our Bible: The USE-IT website

On [use-it.travel/cities](https://use-it.travel/cities), you will have a dedicated city page that let people to know your work is in progress and/or ready to use. SEO ma(p)gic will attract people looking for travel advice in your city with our 2025 website version. 

<p align="center"><a href="https://www.use-it.travel/" class="button primary">VISIT USE-IT.TRAVEL</a></p>

<figure><img src="/files/xvAHdeUvBUfb8lXzfjpU" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Create your own website

It’s absolutely okay to have your own additional USE-IT-project related page on your NGO website. We have feedbacks, tutorials and several cool processes from the DIG-IT project to help you with that.

{% hint style="success" %}
*EXPLORE OUR RESOURCES*\
[The DIG-IT minisite](https://use-it.travel/dig-it) by the DIG-IT team
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="/files/XH14wqqZD9x3ufYPwuod" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

*Screenshot from USE-IT Nantes – Association Salut Monde* [*website*](https://www.useitnantes.fr/)

## Social media: Focus on community

Your teammates, your friends, your sponsors (to-be), students, expats and travellers arriving in your city… They are your first users. They are also your ambassadors sharing the maps. They are eager to get some more.

Workshop invitation, crowdfunding call, behind the scene teamwork, release party carrousel, map extracts, focus on spot, stories about your way of life in the city, prizes that you may won to make your project become real: storytelling is key when making a map (cf. the writing part), as for the social (media) management. **This, both before printing AND during your map 18-months lifetime**. No, your ‘work’ does not end with the release party. As you will spread your map in every corner of the city, you will also eventually make it shine BRIGHT. ;)

Here a quick review of the main social networks to get attention from your Europe lovers e-fans:

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[*USE-IT Bologna Facebook page*](https://www.facebook.com/useitbologna)

### Facebook

Facebook is so cancelled and full of old people BUT also overflows nowadays (!) with travellers, expats, young people looking for accommodations and travel tips in dedicated groups. So it’s still relevant to be there. Good news, we have a tip to be on Facebook while not being really on Facebook!

1. Create your Facebook page labelled “USE-IT yourcity”.
2. Follow the USE-IT page and the others from your country at least, ideally all the pages from “active cities”.
3. Pair your Facebook page with your Instagram account to only create/upload/share content on Instagram that will be automatically shared on Facebook. The only advantage of Meta…
4. Invite all your friends, people that come to your events, sponsors and official account from your city, local influencers maybe if relevant.
5. Start posting/sharing (see below instances and good practices)!<br>

### Instagram

Instagram is definitely still the network for travels, food, culture (snap)shots with a wide range of people, influencers (hello, you are one) and businesses like your fav wine bar or the new pop-up queer space in town. To exist on this platform, even if again it is Meta related, is highly recommended.

1. Create your Instagram account on the basis @useit\_city for the nickname, “USE-IT City” for the name.
2. Follow the @useitmaps page and all the others from the network on Instagram.
3. Pimp your bio text with the USE-IT manifesto among which a few suggestions:\
   "*Honest tourist info map about your city, made by locals / Free map of your city, made by young locals, not commercial and up-to-date / The best of tips to help you act like a local in your city / Your fav your city guide."* \
   *—* Mention your link to our network @useitmaps.\
   — The release year when your map is out!\
   — Links to your crowdfunding / your project page / your USE-IT city page / your playlist…
4. Invite all your friends, people that come to your events, sponsors and official account from your city, local influencers maybe if relevant
5. Start posting (see below instances and good practices)!<br>

### TikTok

TikTok is full of young people, our main target tho, BUT it requires special content creation with mostly videos and trends to repeat. If you have someone good at it in your team, or eager to learn, that’s good, let’s have a trial! But it probably needs more than repeating the usual (and cringe) sponsored videos “we discovered this new restaurant”. We truly believe TikTok can be a cool place for creativity to expand the USE-IT vibe, but it definitely deserves a bit more work than the other platforms.

For what we know, not that many USE-IT teams are creating content there, so if you are willing to try it, give us feedbacks!

Plan B: you can create your video content on Instagram with reels edits and upload them on TikTok. It’s the Boomer version to be there without taking time here. ;)

### Inspirations

Best feeds to get inspired:

→ [USE-IT maps](https://www.instagram.com/useitmaps/)\
→ [USE-IT Nantes](https://www.instagram.com/useit_nantes/)\
→ [USE-IT Oslo](https://www.instagram.com/useit_oslo/)\
→ [USE-IT Tilburg](https://www.instagram.com/useit_tilburg/)[\ <br>](https://www.instagram.com/useitmaps/)Cool instances from USE-IT network teams:

<figure><img src="/files/Ll6TyL2Qd0MeeAgvwqqT" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

[*USE-IT Oslo embodied lifetstyle post*](https://www.instagram.com/useit_oslo/)

<figure><img src="/files/epLrcP97Tw398pkuP5U8" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

[*USE-IT Lille ‘Find me’ stories folder*](https://www.instagram.com/useit_lille/)

<figure><img src="/files/qbnccthM8LibtsGoINId" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

[*USE-IT Nantes Instagram bio and themed stories folders*](https://www.instagram.com/useit_nantes/)

<figure><img src="/files/HAfzGXdtnz95K212prvw" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

[*USE-IT Amsterdam hybrid map post*](https://www.instagram.com/useitamsterdam/)

<figure><img src="/files/IYIJnsakovOABwbyDfUW" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

[*USE-IT Nijmegen shoot of the day X history focus*](https://www.instagram.com/useitnijmegen/)

<figure><img src="/files/ELXTUxCvRg2zAltbJwb7" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

[*USE-IT Prague network issues and local HQ post*](https://www.instagram.com/useit_prague/)

<figure><img src="/files/NiQdGpdDztP7teZsEPnz" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

[*USE-IT Brno bio and stories folders*](https://www.instagram.com/brnouseit/)

<figure><img src="/files/95f0xLe49dfj25HoVtwV" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

[*USE-IT Nantes map access*](https://www.instagram.com/useit_nantes/)

## Good practices summed-up in a TO-DO

* **USE-IT**: network values focus to see what you’re up to, set the context!
* **Team**: we want to see who’s behind the map, why you love your city so much to commit into this project full of mappiness, what are your skills (artistic vibe, good writing, fastest bike runner…)!
* **Project progress**: to show your workshops and events (invitations and post-event photos/videos)!
* **Money crawl** with call-to-action crowdfunding!
* **Community engagement and spots** quest with quizz and thematic question box in story to get content from your city mates, votes with poll (for artistic direction, cover colors, which tourist classic to consider)!
* **Cover release!**
* **Release party** swag!
* Distribution spots, **where to find the map in town** (posts + folder of stories recommended)!
* **Spot focus** with one time a map extract, another one, your map in photo with the spot, another one with you there..!
* **Lifestyle**: your day-to-day in a photo/reel and a caption to explain how[ this is how you do it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hiUuL5uTKc)!
* **Map extracts** (paper and digital version)!
* **Digital version info** (and link in bio)!
* **Local events** (first snow, amazing free festival, your own USE-IT gatherings)!
* **USE-IT Meeting** energy!
* **Team**: recruitment for the next map!
* And now, let’s go for another round with your own experience feedbacks and ideas <3

See you soon, online!&#x20;


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