Social Media and Charities

We're often asked how charities should use social media to raise awareness and support for their cause. In this article our Client Services Manager, Rich Crosby, will share his thoughts on the issue.

Social Media and Charities - The Background

There was a time when reaching a mass audience was only an option for large charities with deep pockets. The big guys like World Vision and the Christian Children's Fund had the cash for television and radio advertising, but the small charity with only three people in the office (one of whom is a 17 year-old intern trying to save the world) didn't stand a chance of being noticed.

But as we all know, the times have changed.

Today, charities of any size can take advantage of social media tools to showcase their organisation to the world. I'm not saying having cash to spend won't help, but it is no longer the deciding factor. Creativity is.

When deciding how to use social media for your charity, it is vital that you recognise that no matter how great your social media strategy may be, the best advertising always has been and always will be word of mouth. Yeah, I know that's cliche, but it's very true and the best social media planners know how to build their social media campaign with one specific goal in mind - to generate discussion.

What is the issue your charity is trying to raise awareness about? Is there a controversial headline that will grab people and prompt them to click to find out more? Do you have a timely issue that is relevant to people today? These are all questions that will affect the success of your social media campaign. It's imperative that you answer these questions first before you start exploring social media channels.

Social Media and Charities - The Audience

Right now, there is an entire generation growing up knowing more about social media advertising than they do radio and/or television. For those over 50, this is an incredibly difficult concept. I regularly find myself having discussions with charity directors who want to reach a younger generation but are convince that printing a flyer is still the best way to do it.

For some charities, social media is an afterthought. The idea is - we'll look into some social media stuff when we're done with the real advertising and promotion work.

Please, please listen to what I'm about to say. If your charity is wanting to reach a demographic under the age of 30 (yes, I said 30), online social media should be your first thought, not your last. I could give you about 10 pages of statistics to back me up, but I won't... at least right now (although you can find some here).

Like any advertising campaign, you must identify who you want to reach and then decide what channels will be the most effect for reaching them. Social media will benefit you the most with a younger audience, but not as young as you might think.

Let me give you an example. One of my clients is a UK based songwriter. He has been immensely successful and has a wide international audience. I was aware that most of his fans and supporters were outside of the normal demographic for social media use (Facebook in this case), but I was encouraged to see that the percentage of people subscribed to his page who were 35+ was only 4% lower than those under 35.

Considering how Facebook is much more popular with under 35s, I was glad to see our social media promotion work was reaching a wide audience and not just a younger demographic.

Yes, if your charity really runs with some social media ideas you will be likely to reach more young people than pensioners, but don't underestimate the power of social media to reach a wide audience. Your charity will benefit by gaining new, young supporters who are full of energy while still reaching older supporters who are are more likely to be able to support your charity financially because they aren't living off pasta and Red Bull.

Social Media and Charities - The Plan

Now we get to the fun stuff. How does your charity actually use social media to raise awareness about your charity or about an issue?

1 Determine one (yes one, not 5, not 3, ONE!) key message you want to deliver.

2 Determine your audience. Who do you want that message to reach? Don't just say everyone. We all want our advertising and promotional efforts to reach everyone, but it ain't gonna happen. Define your audience and be realistic. Your charity will benefit from you having your feet on the ground and not airy fairy goals that you won't be able to reach.

3 Test your message on your audience. Are you wanting to reach teenagers? Get the secretary's daughter to come in and talk to her about your idea, but be sure to tell her that it will serve you far more if she is honest rather than just giving you a bunch of empty compliments that will make her nose grow. Want to be really sure it will reach teenagers? Get the secretary's daughter to bring 5 friends with her, buy them all lunch and tell them to be critical of your work. They are teenagers, they'll love speaking their mind and you'll love hearing it (well, maybe).

4 Build the channels and deliver the message! Social media channels are easy to set up and the most popular websites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) love having charities. You can then build your group and import your contacts. This will mean an instant online group of supporters for your organisation. Facebook Pages are the way to go on Facebook. Groups allow messages to be delivered directly to a member's inbox, but that's their only real advantage. Pages offer far more customisation and allow your charity to have more personality on Facebook.