Older adults 65+ are the fastest growing demographic segment of social media users, and close to half of online adults aged 65 or older are using Facebook alone. Social media plays a critical role in raising awareness about this vital campaign as all partners work to reach older adults, their loved ones and their trusted advisors via targeted campaigns online. The PROTECT Week campaign currently has a presence on social media channels as @PROTECTweek.

As a partner supporting #PROTECTweek, we are providing you with a few resources to use when spreading the word about this important campaign with your organization’s respective audiences on social media, enewsletter listservs, intranets and other marketing avenues.

Please join us in publicizing #PROTECTweek by sharing or retweeting posts from the official @PROTECTweek accounts, which will also feature content from all of the campaign’s partner organizations and sponsors.

If you have any questions about the resources offered below or need assistance, please contact PROFILES’ social media manager, Tabitha Challis, at tabitha@profilespr.com.

Resources

Hashtag #PROTECTweek

Logo http://bit.ly/PROTECTweekLogo

Social Media http://bit.ly/PROTECTweekSocialGraphics

Accounts to Follow

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PROTECTweek

Twitter https://twitter.com/protectweek

Social Media Posts During #PROTECTweek

We have prepared a number of social media posts for partners to use at their convenience. Using these prepared posts on your organization’s social media channels will aid in maintaining consistency with the campaign, while also helping your organization be easily recognized as an official partner of #PROTECTweek.

If you need assistance in properly tagging the official PROTECT Week Facebook page, please contact PROFILES’ social media manager, Tabitha Challis, at tabitha@profilespr.com.

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Also included below are posts supporting the main events taking place during #PROTECTweek offline. If your organization is participating, you can use these posts to share the highlights of the event with your social media audience.

Week of June 3Facebook We’re a proud partner of #PROTECTweek, a statewide

campaign to raise awareness about the financial exploitation of older Marylanders. Follow @ProtectWeek for more information!

Twitter Join us for #PROTECTweek beginning June 10! @PROTECTweek is a statewide campaign to raise awareness about the financial exploitation of older Marylanders.

June 10

Facebook Elder financial abuse—defined as the illegal or improper use of funds, property or assets—costs older people and their families billions of dollars a year. We’re proud to partner with @PROTECTweek to help raise awareness about this important topic that effects Marylanders at every income level. To find out more about the resources available to protect older Marylanders, visit https://www.cccsmd.org/about-project-week/.

Twitter According to The National Adult Protective Services Association, 1 in 5 Americans over the age of 65 have fallen prey to financial abuse or fraud. Join us for @PROTECTweek from June 10-15. To find out more about the resources that are available to protect older Marylanders, visit protectweek.com #PROTECTweek

June 11

Facebook Today is @PROTECTweek’s Tele-Town Hall with @AARP Maryland. This live conversation with the @ComptrollerofMaryland, the @MarylandAttorneyGeneral, as well as #PROTECTweek partners like GuidewellFinancialSolutions and @Eversafe will cover ways to protect yourself or a loved one from fraud and scams. To participate, https://vekeo.com/event/aarpmaryland-36619.

Twitter Today @AARPMD will host a live Tele-Town Hall in honor of @PROTECTweek about protecting older Marylanders from fraud and scams. You can actually call in and get your questions answered by the experts! To participate visit: https://vekeo.com/event/aarpmaryland-36619.

June 12

Facebook As a proud partner of @PROTECTweek, we’re committed to combating financial abuse and fraud of older Marylanders. Comment below if this is a cause important to you and visit protectweek.com for more information about this campaign.

Twitter Don’t forget to follow @PROTECTweek for tips all year round about how to protect older Marylanders from financial abuse and fraud. #PROTECTweek.

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June 14

Facebook @PROTECTweek may be drawing to a close, but our commitment to safeguarding the finances of older Marylanders has never been stronger. Learn more about the free and low-cost resources we and other #PROTECTweek partners offer at protectweek.com.

Social Media at Events

We encourage partners to promote their participation in #PROTECTweek events. We encourage all participants, speakers and attendees to publish photos from the events, quotes from the speakers and even live video of the programs. Some of the events may not be open to the public, but they are certainly not private! Using the drafted posts, we prepared for you on your social media channels before the events will help others recognize that you are an official #PROTECTweek partner.

June 10

Facebook We’re participating in today’s @PROTECTweek kick-off at the Charlestown Retirement Community in Catonsville, MD. We’re committed to helping combat elder financial abuse and fraud, and our very own [Your Organization’s Speaker] will give remarks about this important issue.

Twitter We’re participating in today’s @PROTECTweek kick-off at the Charlestown Retirement Community in Catonsville, MD from 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. #PROTECTWeek

June 12

Facebook Join us in Silver Spring, MD today for @PROTECTweek where [Your Organization’s Speaker] will be sharing information on how to protect you and your loved ones from financial abuse and fraud.

Twitter Join us in Silver Spring, MD today for @PROTECTweek where [Your Organization’s Speaker] will be sharing information on how to protect you and your loved ones from financial abuse and fraud. #PROTECTweek

June 14

Facebook We’re wrapping up @PROTECTweek today at @Charlotte Hall Veterans Home talking with veterans and their families about the importance of being aware of financial abuse and fraud. Visit PROTECTweek.com to learn more about this campaign.

Twitter We’re wrapping up @PROTECTweek today at Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. #PROTECTweek

Key Terms to Use

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If you’d like to craft your own messages to support #PROTECTweek, here are a few preferred terms to consider using:

Please use: Older Americans or Older Marylanders (vs. elder or senior)

Financial exploitation or financial abuse

Focus on positive words like protect, safeguard, or help

Social Media Engagement

#PROTECTweek is a collaborative effort with many partner organizations, elected officials and sponsors. Here are a few tips and guidelines to keep in mind when engaging with the public as a representative, partner and ambassador of this statewide campaign:

If you feel a comment or post on the official @PROTECTweek social media accounts relates to your organization’s area of expertise, please chime in to respond as your organization’s business page on Facebook or Twitter and link to relevant resources.

If you notice any negative comments on @PROTECTweek posts that mention your organization, or comments on posts about PROTECT Week your business has published independently, please address per your organization’s social media policies, and alert the PROFILES team at tabitha@profilespr.com so the agency’s crisis communications team can stand by for assistance if needed.

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