A few years back a brand expert was asked about ISKCON UK’s presence on social media. His response was simple and to the point: ‘the good news is that you are not scary anymore, you are just confusing’. Though temples and devotees do have a solid presence on social media, the big question remains, how effective is that presence? To examine this question, devotees from across the UK came together at Bhaktivedanta Manor for a weekend of communications training that focused on social media.

The invited speaker for both days was Avelo Roy, aka Ajita das, entrepreneur, investor, educator and motivational speaker. Avelo flew into the UK from Kolkata, his main base and from where he runs his various businesses in the US, Hong Kong and India. He came to the UK’s attention following the huge success of the ISKCON 50 function in Kolkata. Devaki, manager of Bhaktivedanta Manor communications, met Avelo in India and returned to the UK insisting: ‘we must invite this devotee to the UK. With just $100 and social media, he filled the Netaji Stadium twice. We need to learn from him’. After watching his several TED talks, it was decided to invite Avelo. 

Over two days, Avelo was entertaining, challenging and abundant with information and experience of social media. Referring to studies and success stories he led us on an incredible journey through setting up events and boosting presence on Facebook, deciding what to post on Instagram and Twitter, why to be present on Linkedin, and what age groups you will expect to find on Snapchat.

Next came ‘share worthy’ content development, and the fundamentals of a digital media strategy. Within hours, devotees were crystallising their objectives, identifying their target audiences, choosing complementary colours, images, and words that packed a punch. Avelo then moved onto graphic design and the use of PowerPoint and Canva to knock up graphics for posters and quotes at the speed you need them and without having to wait forever on a graphic designer.

Day two was spent on personal branding, marketing, insights and analytics. Exhausted from all the learning, the attendees came alive again for the final subject: Facebook Hacks. Hacking seemed to have a special allure for attendees, however it was all above board and focused on how to get the most conversion and visibility with paid ads and organic posts. Following each full day session, Avelo offered one-to-ones with all the attendees. A guest attendee Paresh Solanki, with years of experience as an editor for the BBC, remarked ‘even though Avelo’s presentation was presented for a devotees audience, the tricks and techniques presented were invaluable for all’.

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You can read more about Avelo at www.aveloroy.com