The RFDS family consists of 7 different companies, across a vast continent, and when we try to communicate across social media channels routinely posts get driven by business priorities. From the perspective of the customer/supporter, this can create a confusing and mixed message.
A key part of the RFDS content strategy is to align content around content pillars, rather than individual company business needs.
So how do we define content pillars?
A content pillar is a subset of topics or themes which create the foundation for our overall content strategy. Also known as content buckets, content pillars represent relevant topics for RFDS target audiences.
Content Pillars:
OUR WORK - This is content that talks to the services the RFDS delivers. Aeromedical rescues, GP and nurse clinics, telehealth, dental, mental health services, road transport, patient repatriations, etc. It also includes emergency relief and much more, as represented in the following graphic.
OUR PEOPLE - This content pillar is about the more than 1600 staff that work for the RFDS across the continent. It also includes our auxillaries and volunteers. We are not just talking about pilots and doctors and flight nurses (who do an incredible job), but also the engineers, the finance teams, the fundraisers, the aviation and medical specialists who keep everything to the needed standards. The RFDS is so lucky to have the professional, dedicated and passionate staff we do. Many of our staff have been with us for decades and they continue to work for the RFDS as their know that their work is saving lives and making a difference for rural communities. There are so many social media posts that can be done around the content pillar of Our People. Even former staff have amazing stories to tell.
OUR OFFICE - The RFDS office is different than what most people imagine. We both fly and drive across the harshest of landscapes, in climates that can be scorching during the day and freezing at night. Our office also changes by day - particularly for our aviation, medical and road service teams. They see sunrises and sunsets that people in metro areas can only imagine. They travel through electrical storms, severe weather events, over floods, fires and more. The RFDS day to day work across the country, in remote and rural communities is rich and vibrant content that is vital to our social media content strategy.
OUR COMMUNITIES - The communities that the RFDS serves are the very reason why the Service exists. Rural and remote communities rely on the RFDS to provide services that they can otherwise not access, and those communities are made up of real people, real families, real businesses. The RFDS is very much part of these communities, from the local volunteer that comes to clear the local airstrip so the clinic plane can land, to the CWA that makes the morning tea, or the local first responders that have to keep patients calm and alive until the RFDS arrives. A lot of social media can be self-promoting, but this content pillar is probably the most important of all content pillars. The RFDS ONLY exists to care and provide service to our communities. We have analytics and data tools to identify rural and remote populations that are not receiving the needed health access, and it is the RFDS's job to work out how to ensure that ALL Australians are able to access the needed health services that those in metro areas enjoy.
Social media posts about our communities MUST be a regular feature every week in our social feeds. Tell the stories of the communities we serve. Provide a snapshot with an individual, a family, a local business that supports us, etc.
OUR STORY - The RFDS story is over 9 decades long. It is woven into the fabric of Australia and even represented on the $20 note with Reverend John Flynn and the images of an RFDS plane in remote NSW. We are an iconic Australian organisation, loved and cherished. Our supporters love historic photos, stories and learning more about the story of the RFDS -- not just historic but also the contemporary strategic changes we make to deliver even better service. Keep these stories occurring regularly.
Brand consistency on social channels is vital and our content pillars assist us to do that and also frame our content around the key aspects of what the Service is, who we service, and why our work remains so important for rural and remote Australia.
