Social Media: Finding a happy medium
By Elisa Birnbaum
May 17, 2010
Tweet this: social media has finally arrived in full force. Last year, many organizations were still ambivalent about its adoption. Today, however, a large percentage has embraced the tool, incorporating it into their work and objectives. To be sure, some remain quite cautious, taking baby steps and learning as they go. But the year has been a real education.
The question is: does the approach to social media differ depending on the occasion? And can it ever be considered incompatible with other goals? For example, May brings with it a stream of month-long awareness campaigns. Will that automatically entail the ramping up of tweets and updates? Or does the immediate, short-term flavour of social media undermine its capacity to promote a long-term 30-plus-day-event? Does it help or hinder?
An added push
According to Stewart Wong, national senior manager of media and public relations at MS Society of Canada, the answer is clear: it's a good thing. "Overall, social media has helped our awareness month because it gives us a chance to focus some of the activities into certain timeframes," he says of May's MS Awareness Month.
With the organization's social media channel's of choice — Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube — it uses the tools in some unique ways during the month. First, there's Twibbon, allowing Twitter followers to show their support. There's also a Facebook badge and the chance to donate your status to the cause. What's more, they've packaged together a number of activities, with social media integral to each, such as an MS Research Teleconference and an offer by their corporate partner, Mr. Lube, to donate five dollars from every oil change on May 8th.
The immediacy of the Mr. Lube offer, smack in the middle of the month-long event is what makes Twitter and other social media initiatives work so well. "Part of it reflects the time-compressed culture," says Wong. "People want to support charities but do it in a quick way."
Of course, that approach holds true throughout the year, not simply in May. Case in point: the society ran an online advocacy program lobbying government to increase research funding and income security for people living with MS. Supporters were asked to input their postal code on the MS website, automatically connecting them to their members of parliament to whom they sent messages. The project was highly successful, with 97% of all MPs receiving at least one email and approximately 2400 individual messages sent. "People want to have immediate ways of making change," Wong affirms.
"Throughout the year it's more about awareness, in May it's activity-oriented." |
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That said, social media will still be ramped up this month, though the distinction may seem subtle at best. Efforts are focused on packaging a number of related activities and promoting them, explains Wong. "Throughout the year it's more about awareness, in May it's activity-oriented."
One tool of many
No matter the approach, one thing's for certain: social media is regarded as complimentary to other marketing initiatives, not a standalone effort. The MS Society, for instance, will still be printing brochures, posters and using other traditional media this month. Social media, says Wong, is "added to our arsenal of things so people become aware of MS and issues."
Elaine Wong of the Alzheimer Society of Canada would probably agree. Admittedly new to the tool, the e-philanthropy coordinator is committed to using it, well aware that, "if you're not in it, somebody else will fill that void." The organization's branding proposition is for the society to be seen as the place to find information on anything related to Alzheimer's and dementia. And if social media can establish that goal, well then, bring it on.
But Wong knows only too well that reliance on one form of media is a dangerous thing. Social media is a nice addition to the marketing roster, though, and the nonprofit is slowly learning the ropes. Only in their first year of the social media experiment, Wong is confident and foresees their fan base growing in due time.
Conversation starter
For now, Wong is focused on Alzheimer Awareness Month this May and how social media can help push out content in a much bigger way than the rest of the year. The goal is to invite conversations, questions and ultimately engage people, driving them to the website for more information and infusing more life into news coverage.
In the attempt to discern what people want to hear and where the gap of information resides, social media is taking an especially important role. For example, a recent e-newsletter, supported strongly by Twitter and Facebook, allowed fans to ask the organization's scientific director anything they wanted to know about the disease. The response was great, resulting in an increased fan base. Wong also got a stronger sense of what people were interested in hearing about, allowing the proceeding communications — and its accompanying social media pieces — to be even better positioned.
Social media this month is also focused on promoting key messages the organization wants to share, messages derived from a recent study on the economic burden of Alzheimer's disease over the next 30 years. "This month is a bit more focused, there's more of a push," admits Wong.
I guess you can say the same for Community Living Ontario, currently celebrating Community Living Month. "We use social media pretty intensely throughout the year, it's just a part of our regular communications," says Ken Pearson, online media strategist. But, he continues, when there's a specific event or relevant news, the number of tweets and posts to Facebook are ramped up. And that's their plan for May. "We will be more active, on top of our normal amount."
Leveraging communications
Part of that added content will come from supporting their local associations who are invited to post their news on the central Facebook fan page (they actually have three Facebook pages, two of them dedicated to specific events), and the general website. They also make it a point to re-tweet the associations' postings on Twitter. "Everyone is leveraging off their communications," he adds.
With an integrated website that feeds all their FB and Twitter updates, news remains fresh and allows Community Living to reach a greater audience. In fact, sending news through Twitter is helping Community Living Ontario deliver media messages more effectively too, alleviating the reporter's extra task of digging for information. The new reality will certainly come in handy during the May ramp-up.
In the long run, Pearson hopes to encourage more associations to use social media. "When you have a month like this, it's good to have a unified front by having everyone working together to connect through social media," he says. "It helps the more of us there are."
Some concerns
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But with social media initiatives still so fresh for many, organizations face some obstacles. "It's always challenging," says Elaine Wong. From determining the right content to ensuring it's pushed to their followers on a frequent basis can be downright daunting. Other issues involve determining what role the organization's provincial partners should play in their efforts. "Do they have their own page?" is a common question. Another is, "How do we make sure the information that gets out is the most valuable content?
It's a seemingly common concern and one that nonprofits struggle with daily, not only during their month-long events. Just ask Abigail Brown, communications specialist at Community Living Ontario. It can be sensory overload with all the updates on Twitter and Facebook, and we have to be conscious that people are always watching," she says. After all, as powerful and compelling the tool may be to connect with each other, every tweet and update can spread like wildfire and can be downright annoying.
With everyone and their grandmother using Twitter, organizations need to be cautious and selective of what they put out there and how often. Only send messages when your followers need to hear from you, cautions Brown, adding, "If you want your message to stand out, be careful as to how and when you're sending it, to make the most impact." And make sure you use other methods too for the most effective response.
Elisa Birnbaum is a freelance journalist, producer and communications consultant living in Toronto. She is also president of Elle Communications and can be reached at: info@ellecommunications.ca.
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