The benefits of ‘dipping a toe’ in social media
Working for a large digital agency like LBi gives us the access to the campaigns of large companies and a knowledge of how brands are ‘sold’ through the different mediums we use.
It’s easy to forget that the web is not only the place for big brands though, it’s also a place where smaller clients and services can make a big impact. When considering the work we do at LBi it’s possible to see how aspects of our work are employed by local organisations on a much smaller scale.
Take the example of my local hospice.
They have a Twitter account and a Facebook page plus a fairly active community who spread the word about how the hospice is raising money and in the process raise awareness for fundraising activities. Plus if the engager is feeling particularly generous they might even give some money themselves. Essentially what has been created is a highly localized social media campaign which is driven by people wanting to help.
I have to admit however, that when I noticed that the local hospice had a Twitter page I was filled with mixed emotions: “Why does anyone need to generate ‘buzz’ around an organization which cares for people in their final moments”. Typical self righteous type! Call me a cynic or just say that I’m totally missing the point, but it did make me feel slightly uneasy.
I decided the best thing to do would be to contact the hospice and ask them why they had decided to put so much effort into creating a social presence for such a seemingly morbid industry…
I spoke to Amy Kilburn the hospice’s full time Communications Officer
“What exactly do you do for Hospiscare?”
“A large part of my work is within the fundraising function, supporting events, corporate FR, trust and grant applications. I am also responsible for the Hospiscare brand and internal communications. I produce all literature and display material, and administrate our websites.”
“I noticed you have a fairly active Twitter account, how did this come about?”
“I attended a couple of conferences – one from Inst. FR and LikeMinds in Exeter, and decided Hospiscare needed to improve its online presence, and could do so fairly easily. I started my own, private Twitter account to test it out (this was Goosgog). I started collecting local followers, and was monitoring for mentions of Hospiscare. Through this account I found I was actually working for Hospiscare, so after about 3 months I ‘came out’ and changed the account name to AmyHospiscare.”
“Aim?”
“To raise awareness of Hospiscare, in order to ultimately raise more funds and break down some of the common myths about hospices.”
“Has using Social Sites such as Twitter/Facebook etc increased the amounts of money you have raised as an organization?”
“I believe that social sites have achieved the aims above, and I’m sure this does translate to increased income, although it is difficult to quantify. It is basically another means of communication. I have found Twitter tends to be more individuals representing orgs, and Facebook to be more individual supporters – walkers, runners etc.
“Your Twitter page @amyhospicare seems to engage with those interacting with Hospicare more than the actual Hospicare Twitter page – is this a good idea? What happens when you decide (if you do!) to leave the organization?”
“The plan is (and there is a plan!) that the AmyHospiscare account is personal and engaging, whereas ‘Hospiscare’ is more of a news stream for events, news and reports. I often RT Hospiscare of course, so can cross sell to followers. If I left the org, the account would be renamed and pictured for new person to take up the baton. AmyHospiscare is ‘me’, but I do have to hold my tweets sometimes on things like the general election as I am always a representative of Hospiscare.”
“Is Social Media something that you believe every organization (in a similar industry) to yours should have or just something which ‘you should been seen to do?’ Has the time spent nurturing the accounts been beneficial?”
“We are still at ‘toe in the water’ stage really, but the return in terms of building relationships definitely seems worth it, so would recommend to other similar organizations. I don’t think you need to be ‘seen to be doing’ as followers will pick up on that – it does need someone who can engage with people and enjoy it, and is passionate about the aims of the org or it won’t work… “
For smaller organizations or companies, these sites are the alternative to spending tons on local newspaper ads and typical local business marketing. Plus they allow for a completely organic progression of their marketing campaign, which involves little effort. All they have to do is to facilitate in spreading the message (posting updates etc) and due to the very nature of what they do, people flock to help…
In many ways my opinion as to why they use social media type sites has changed completely. Whereas before I saw it as perhaps ‘latching onto a trend’, now I see their usage as an entirely excellent model for the implementation of social media into smaller situations. The truth be told – I’m slightly envious that I didn’t think of it…
In many ways my own cynicism towards Hospiscare using social media was grounded in a personal misunderstanding. I did not recognise initially how powerful a campaign of this nature could be for a charity. Fundraising and charities have always relied on the benefits that face to face networking and networking tools have provided over the years. Thus, although it is hard to quantify the exact financial impact, for Hospiscare the use of social media online has been a thoroughly natural and completely positive progression. It has changed my perception and I believe it has changed others.
At LBi it is great to think that our core aim is “Building Believable Brands”. However, it can be extremely reductive if a client chooses to put high emphasis on a quantifiable and expected financial gain. As a result, I believe you can potentially miss the point of what is so exciting and powerful about social media. At LBi we aim to build a believable brand who’s message transcends into something truly wonderful and leaves a lasting mark amid the slightly disorganized chaos of a swiftly moving world.
Tags: Case Study, charity, Hospice, Hospiscare, LBi, LBi London, LBi UK, Social Media, Tweet, twitter