Tag Archives: Facebook

Why Social Media is a Fundraisers Dream- A Breakdown of Social Media Efforts for Japan

13 Apr

Although I briefly touched on fundraising for the disaster in Japan in an earlier post, I think it’s important to now examine the long term projects which have developed. We are seeing that fundraising was not just a trend at the time of  crisis, rather, it’s an on-going relief effort.

And what is shocking is that many of these events or programs are actually based in the social space. Below are examples of how designers, musicians and even chefs are banding together in the digital space to bring relief to Japan.

Fashion

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is hosting an online auction through April 28 on charitybuzz.com. Auction items include a meeting with Vogue Editor- in- Cheif, Anna Wintour, and a behind the scenes tour of the 2012 Tommy Hilfiger photo shoot.  They are promoting this event heavily in the social space, asking friends to share it on Facebook and use certain hash tags on Twitter. All proceeds go to the Japan Society.

Music and Gaming

Lady Gaga recently donated $1.5 million to Zynga’s fundraising efforts with Save the Children and the American Red Cross. This is not the first time either of them have donated time or talent to Japan. Lady Gaga is featured on the upcoming Songs for Japan CD which also features Beyonce, Justin Beiber and other popular artists. Zynga has been fundraising on their own in the social space via their popular social games (Farmville being one of them). They were able to donate $2.5 million through the donations players had made.

Culinary

Keeprecipes.com is putting together an All-Star digital cookbook with 86 cents of every dollar going to the American Red Cross for Japan relief. The digital book features 21 Japan-inspired recipes by various chefs and will be available on iTunes $10. Continue reading →

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Social Media Relief: What Facebook, Twitter and Bloggers Are Doing to Help Japan

14 Mar

A few months ago, we saw the power of social media as protests erupted in Egypt.

Google and Twitter quickly came together to create a voice mail system which allowed people to call and their message would automatically be tweeted. According to a Mashable report, the rise of crisis related tweets increased from 122,319 January 16- 23, 2011 to 1,317,233 January 24- 30, 2011.

This past weekend, we started to see again how social media is playing a key role in the disaster relief in Japan.

  • Facebook

As of March 13, 2011 Facebook Causes has raised $31,130 from 879 donors and has stated their fundraiser goal as $50,000. (www.allfacebook.com) Facebook also prompted its users to donate through the Red Cross and Save the Children. When donating via Facebook Causes, users have the option of their name and donation amount being posted to the wall. There are also anonymous listings.

  • Twitter

Twitter has been a leading force in news updates and donations for the recent earthquake and tsunami. Hash tags such as #PrayForJapan and #JapanEarthquake are being used all over the site so that people can follow and express their thoughts on the tragedy.

After phone lines were knocked out, tweets from Tokyo were topping 1,200 a minute according to Tweet-o-Meter.

The Red Cross is also using Twitter as a platform to inform people how to donate and give updates on where and what they’re doing. 

  • Blogs

Bloggers can take the very simple step of embedding a bar at the top of their site with links to donate. Visit Mashable for more instruction on how to do this on your blog.

With the use and effectiveness of these outlets, it raises a key question–

Is this how people are going to respond to disasters, and are old tactics such as telethons gone?

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Social Media and PR: The Rules Every Organization Should Follow

9 Mar

Social media can help or harm any organizations pubic relations effort, depending how it is being used.

There are organizations which use social media tactics correctly, and in turn develop a better relationship with consumers. On the flip side, there are those brands that are hurt by poor social media practices.

Social media can help an organizations PR efforts if it engages in the following actions.

  • Engage consumers. Ask them questions which relate to your brand

Companies such as Southwest and Food Network do a great job of this. Rather than just posting content, they engage consumers by reaching out and asking them questions.

Simple statements like “What’s your favorite St. Patrick’s Day fare?” or “What’s cooking this weekend” (@foodnetwork) reach out to followers and make them think about something related to the Food Network brand. Also, Food Network recently tweeted live during their show “Chopped,” asking viewers questions and sharing comments about the show.

Although not all brands have the opportunity to tweet live during a show, there are still simple ways to engage consumers based on asking questions. Consumers want to share their opinion, so prompt them to do so.

  • Talk Back. Don’t just post content and ignore your followers

Nothing makes a consumer happier than hearing back from a brand they love. And it’s great and effective PR!

The definition of public relations according to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is:

“Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.”

By talking back and communicating via social media, and organization can not only help their publics adapt, but the organization itself can also adapt. It’s through conversation with consumers that companies can see what is working and what isn’t.

The feeling of hearing back from an organization which you mentioned in the social space is also gratifying. I recently tweeted my friend about our favorite grocery store back home, Wegmans. My tweet read something along the lines of ‘I miss Wegmans, I wish I had one near me.’ And sure enough, @Wegmans replied with a “We miss you too!” and link to a list of all their store locations. 

Needless to say, that simple personal interaction made me love Wegmans even more and immediately increased my brand loyalty.

  • And if you start talking, don’t stop!

Continuing the conversation with consumers is a must. When building a relationship with anyone, it’s rude to just stop conversing. It gives a bad impression and makes the other person take a step back.

The same goes for social media.

It’s horrible PR to start talking with consumers and engage them, then stop replying or posting. Be honest with consumers if you can’t tweet for the next week, and end conversations on a positive note. Continue reading →

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