In order to reach a wider and younger audience for the preservation of the BC Gay and Lesbian Archive, It is important that we use a platform that has a bigger reach and that will keep the audience engaged. Showing how this archived had impacted people, and the information that has been discovered through it is a good way to keep these community archives alive. The existing website is a good tool that has exposed those looking for information to the right content, but without looking for it, it can be lost in the sea of information. Having a more accessible platform will keep the archive flowing and growing. This plan proposes the creation of a Tik Tok page that will post regular updates along with a bi-monthly newsletter that will have information on people who marked the Gay Rights Liberation movement in Vancouver BC.
AUDIENCE
This communication plan is targeted for young queer people in British Columbia and surrounding areas. It is also for young historians that want to learn more about their cities’ queer history but don’t know where to go for that information. By using a platform like Tik Tok that is primarily used by a younger audience and it is where they go for news. The short video format is easy to follow and gets the attention of most people. The plan is that the audience will then go to our website and subscribe for the newsletter for longer format and more detail posts.
RESEARCH
Tik Tok has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms amongst young people. While it is mainly used for entertainment purposes and humour, many news agencies have been using it to deliver quick breaking news stories to catch the attention of others who might not search for it. Big news corporations like CBC, CNN, and New York Times all have Tik Tok pages where they post selected stories. The engagement is good, and the comment are interactive.
Gen Z and Millennials are known for being involved in activist movements and are more vocal towards issues that effect minority groups. By targeting said audience, it is more likely they will be interested in the content and sign up for the newsletter.
Newsletters are a good way to share more details on a matter. If we attract the Tik Tok audience towards the newsletter they will already have a basic understanding on the subject but will get to learn more on the details of the archival photos/posters/footage we showcase in those editions.
SPOKESPEOPLE
This plan has 2 (two) main spokespeople and a special ‘guest’ from time to time.
The first Spokesperson is Tik Toker Erin Morina (@erand.morina). He is a queer creator based in Vancouver. His content is mostly focus on Gay nightlife in the city and events that are happening throughout the year. He has 38.4 thousand followers and gets an average of 500 thousand views per video. Erin is a good spokesperson because his followers interact with queer content on the daily and he has a really good reach to young people.
The second spokesperson is Madi (@nosidamyelnahs). They are a non-binary Tik Tok creator that has a lot of content on queer history. They speak on key people who were in the centre of the Gay Rights Movements, as well as important moments in history. While they are based out of Vancouver, I believe their content is too connected not to choose them. Their following is a bit smaller, with only 11 thousand, but they average 700 thousand views per videos, with more than 10 videos surpassing 1 million views.
Finally, I believe it is important for Ron Dutton (manager of the BC Gay an Lesbian Archive) to appear in a few special Tik Toks like the first day of Pride Month Tik Tok.
CONTENT
The Tik Toks will feature a piece of the collection in the background with one of the spokespeople talking about what is is, who it features (if that information exists), why it is important and it will always end with an invitation to go look at the website and subscribe for the newsletter.
For June (Pride Month) the Tik Toks will be daily and they will be focused on parades that have happened in the past. There will be other ‘special’ edition Tik Toks such as Women’s Day, Black History Month and Indigenous Awareness week.
The newsletters is meant to be more of a deep dive into specific pieces that are too complex to cover in the short format that is Tik Tok. This is going to be reserved for big events in the archive and people who have been identified, as a profile piece. It will be colourful and full of images, it will be loosely based on a Zine.
CALENDAR
There will be 3 (three) Tik Tok videos a week, all posted around the same time from 4 pm to 6 pm. This is made with the intention that the targeted audience mentioned before will be scrolling on their phones during that time.
The newsletter will be released every 2 (two) weeks in the already existing website. The newsletter will be uploaded in the morning and those subscribed in the website will receive an email to notify them.
For June (Pride Month) there will be 1 (one) Tik Tok a day that will focus on the liberation movement and other important historical moments that have marked the community.
CONCLUSION
The Tik Toks will create a new audience for this archive, and it will in turn have a bigger reach that will heal maintain the importance of keeping these records. In turn, the newsletter will keep those interested updated in any new information found. It will keep the community close together. Having more engagements will remind everyone about where queer people were in the past and how they got to today.