CDC Social Media Tools, Guidelines & Best Practices

The use of social media tools is a powerful channel to reach target audiences with strategic, effective and user-centric health interventions. To assist in the planning, development and implementation of social media activities, the following guidelines have been developed to provide critical information on lessons learned, best practices, clearance information and security requirements. Although these guidelines have been developed for the use of these channels at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they may be useful materials for other federal, state and local agencies as well as private organizations to reference when developing social media tools.

Social Media Toolkit [PDF - 2.42 MB] – The Social Media Toolkit has been designed to provide guidance and to the share lessons learned in more than three years of integrating social media into CDC health communication campaigns, activities, and emergency response efforts. In this guide, you will find information to help you get started using social media—from developing governance to determining which channels best meet your communication objectives to creating a social media strategy. You will also learn about popular channels you can incorporate into your plan – like blogs, video-sharing sites, mobile applications, and RSS feeds. (Revised July 2011)

CDC’s Guide to Writing for Social Media [PDF - 1.57 MB] – CDC’s Guide to Writing for Social Media was written to provide guidance and share the lessons learned in more than three years of creating social media messages in CDC health communication campaigns, activities, and emergency response efforts. In this guide, you will find information to help you write more effectively using multiple social media channels, particularly Facebook, Twitter, and mobile phone text messaging. The guide is intended for a beginner audience, although some readers with an intermediate level may find it useful too.

Guidelines for the following tools are available:

• Facebook Guidelines and Best Practices [PDF - 530KB]
  [Revised May 2012]
• Twitter Guidelines and Best Practices. [PDF - 310KB]
  [Revised February 2012]
• Button and Badge Guidelines and Best Practices [PDF - 245KB]
  [Revised June 2010]
• Health-e-Card Guidelines and Best Practices [PDF - 194KB]
  [Revised June 2010]
• Text Messaging Guidelines and Best Practices [PDF - 99KB]
  [Revised June 2010]
• Widget Guidelines and Best Practices
• YouTube and Online Video Guidelines and Best Practices [PDF - 357KB]
  [Revised June 2010]

Additional reference detailing CDC-specific security information related to social media is included in the following document developed in conjunction with the Office of Chief Information Security Officer (OCISO).

• Social Media Security Mitigations [PDF - 154KB]