Weekly Round-Up 11/20/14

It was an outstanding social media week for the three organizations I am following; many posts were made, they were especially appealing, and a wide range of new ventures and topics were discussed.

The American Red Cross discussed Influenza, a new Measles and Rubella initiative, a new partnership with the NFL and Fedex Air, winter weather preparation, home fire relief, donation, a new Target Partnership, pet safety, and world toilet day.

The following Facebook post was especially appealing. It is discussing the work that Red Cross does with home fires.

“Did you know that even at 1:30 a.m., Red Cross disaster volunteers are helping families after home fires? Get an inside peek here:http://rdcrss.org/1xkUol8”

Here, the writer used a rhetorical question to grab the reader’s attention. The fact that the organization has workers out in the middle of the night shows dedication, importance, and commitment. These are all traits that the audience will admire, so this inevitably reflects well on the organization. In the photo, the process of home fire relief is described as “A Night In The Life.” This is effective at grabbing the reader’s attention and spreading awareness about home fires. The wording is catchy, the visual format of the photo stands out, and the red signals danger.

Care posted about a partnership with Amazon, midterm elections & policy, an H&M partnership for poverty and female empowerment, a company newsletter, clean water, Syrian and African conflict, their #MyPath campaign, donation, world toilet day, Ebola, and the organization’s mission.

The following post stood out among the rest:

CARE is equipping vulnerable communities in Sierra Leone and Liberia with tools they need to stop the spread of Ebola. Give today and join CARE in the fight to #EndEbola. http://shout.lt/LtcS

The communities that CARE helps are described as vulnerable and in need. This emphasizes the importance of the work being done and works to engage the audience, along with the #EndEbola hashtag. This post will stand out to past and present donors by grabbing their attention with phrases like “Give today and join CARE in the fight” This phrase emphasizes the fact that the organization is promoting a good cause, and a cause that is in need of help and support. The photo above shows a community of people in Africa who have been helped by CARE. They look like they are/were in some kind of trouble (Ebola) and this emphasizes the importance of the work that CARE is doing. All of this is important in the process of raising awareness and fundraising because once a reader is drawn in by appeal and realizes the important nature of the work that CARE does, he or she will be more likely to donate and follow the social media campaign.

Doctors Without Borders focused on Ebola, their Vital Pact campaign, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Malaria, TB, New Guinea, Syria, and malnourishment in Cameroon.

The following Instagram post was especially appealing:

“Amina Moussa: “I got diabetes when I was four-years-old. The treatment is too expensive in Lebanon so I was going back to Raqqa in #Syria to get my medication.” Amid the trauma and desperation of the #Syrian #conflict, those with chronic illnesses struggle even more. #Diabetes requires constant monitoring of blood sugar levels as the pancreas is unable to deliver the hormone #insulin. People find living with this routine difficult enough in normal circumstances. As a refugee in #Lebanon, Amina was forced to go to even greater lengths to procure the #medicine needed to keep her alive. Lebanon 2014 © Ghazal Sotoudeh/MSF “

The post extensively describes what life is like for a girl living with diabetes in the Middle East. The situation comes off as a desperate one; a condition as treatable as diabetes proves to be a struggle to deal with in the conflict-ridden regions of Lebanon and Syria. In the photo, Amina looks like she has suffered in her life and survived. This puts a face to the work that DWB has been doing, and helps to engage the audience by providing them with a touching and emotionally appealing story. These rhetorical aspects enable the post to accomplish DWB’s purpose of spreading awareness about global health issues as well as physically dealing with them.

My own personal experience with social media marketing

Shortly after creating Humanitarian Awareness, I created Facebook and Twitter accounts for the blog for promotional purposes. I had no challenges with the creation of these accounts; it is easy, free, and should definitely be used by all businesses, big and small. The more I used the accounts, the more I got an inside look into how effective and engaging social media can be from a business perspective; social media engages, promotes, and informs better than any website alone can. It allows the business to promote issues in depth, cater to specific customer interests, and provides easy ways of communication. For example, if a customer/follower has a question for the organization, it is much more time and cost effective to conduct this exchange on social media rather than over the phone, e-mail, etc. I also learned that what you say is just as, if not more, important than how many posts are being made. If your rhetoric is unappealing, bland, and repetitive, your audience is not going to take your posts as seriously and may even stop following the campaign altogether. I feel that the posts I made were effective at promoting the blog, engaging the audience, and spreading awareness; however, it was a challenge to constantly keep updating.

Weekly Round-Up 11/13/14

The organizations didn’t post too much on social media this week, and the posts that were made were not too appealing; however, I managed to analyze what I could.

This week, the Red Cross discussed Veterans Day, winter heating safety, and influenza.

Since it was veterans day this week, the organization made multiple posts about veterans and topics of interest to them. The following post on Facebook was especially appealing:

“See the latest Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces team train alongside the military at Ft. Bliss, Texas. From advanced first aid training to knowing what to do when a Humvee rolls over, they’re preparing for a 5 month tour of duty at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. http://rdcrss.org/1EvqBbC”

The post, by putting members of the Red Cross alongside members of the military, effectively communicates the message that the Red Cross is involved with the armed forces and is a military-friendly organization. The Red Cross workers are learning specific skills and preparedness information to prepare them for humanitarian work overseas. This appeals to veterans and their families, current members of the military and their families, and others who are interested in supporting the U.S. troops. The link includes a video that contributes to the serious nature of the Red Cross’ involvement in military affairs overseas. Workers are interviewed and make statements like “I work for the Red Cross and I love it” and “We bring a smile and they’re so happy we are here.” This puts the work being done in a positive light and establishes a sense of passion among those who work for the organization. This positivity and passion is touching and appeals to the emotions of the audience.

Doctors Without Borders discussed Ebola, the crisis in South Sudan, affairs in Afghanistan, and more. One post in particular was especially appealing:

“That was the day my life changed”: Managing #Ebola in West Africa http://bit.ly/14jywMq  via @BW

This post, regarding DWB’s work in West Africa, grabs the reader’s attention with the quote at the beginning. This tells the reader just how important the organization is. It changes the lives of those it provides aid to. By establishing that the organization does serious work overseas, potential and current donors with be inspired to give to the life-changing organization. The included web address is a link to a Business Week article about Doctors Without Borders’ work to manage Ebola overseas. The included information about the non-profit’s work appeals to the reader’s logos- it establishes a great deal of credibility and legitimacy for the organization through use of quotes and statistics. For example, “Since 1995 it’s responded to more than a dozen outbreaks of the virus, managing to limit the number of deaths in most areas to double digits.”

Care posted about the Berlin Wall anniversary, job opportunities, poverty, sustainability, the crisis in Syria, and more. The organization also made an especially appealing post about Ebola this week:

“It is essential to scale up the prevention measures to help #EndEbola in West Africa. Working with trusted community leaders, CARE is implementing social mobilization activities, health surveillance and hygiene promotion to vulnerable and affected communities. http://shout.lt/HW42”

The choice to use words like essential, vulnerable, and affected establishes a sense of severity and importance regarding CARE’s work overseas. The hashtag #endebola engages the audience in the conversation and is good for donor relations. In addition, the post lists a number of specific ways the non-profit has made an effort, which promotes transparency and credibility.

Weekly Round-Up ~ November 7th, 2014

It was a relatively slow week on social media for all three organizations.

This week, the Red Cross discussed Halloween safety, fire safety, Typhoon Haiyan, Ebola, and the organization’s new Monsterguard App. One post in particular regarding Typhoon Haiyan was especially appealing.

Typhoon Haiyan: 1 Year Later (6 photos)

Children are all smiles at Tanghas Elementary School, where the American Red Cross is installing hand water pumps, constructing new latrines, and repairing classrooms that were badly damaged by Typhoon Haiyan. Even though it was ravaged by high winds and fallen coconut trees, about 20 families used the school as an evacuation center and shelter after the storm. One year after Typhoon Haiyan, see how the Red Cross is helping this group of students. See the story: http://rdcrss.org/10o4owB

The post opens with a statement that the children are “all smiles” as the Red Cross helps them. This tells the audience that the victims and beneficiaries of the the Red Cross’s work are made happy by the help that they receive. In addition, the post goes on to describe specific actions that are being taken to help these victims, such as repairing classrooms, installing water pumps, etc. By listing specific ways the organization is helping victims/using funds, this promotes transparency within the organization and effective communication. The photo above shows the victims as happy and relieved, and puts the work of the Red Cross in a positive light. Appealing to the reader’s sense of compassion and emotion, the post is effective at reassuring the audience that their money is being well spent.

Doctors Without Borders posted about Ebola, Tuberculosis, Malaria, and South Sudan. Their posts were quite repetitive in the past week, lacking variety and creativity. However, one post on the non-profit’s Twitter page seemed especially appealing:

“This is no time for complacency”: Global drug-resistant #TB is racing towards a worldwide public health crisis http://bit.ly/1yKa68b

The tweet is quite alarming and uses word choice to create a tone of desperation. The quote “this is no time for complacency” catches the reader’s attention. The description of TB as global and drug-resistant is quite alarming, and effectively conveys the message that TB is extremely dangerous and spreading. Other descriptions such as “worldwide public health crisis” instill fear in the reader and contribute to the tweet’s overall tone. The tweet effectively conveys the desperation in the situation and promotes awareness and fear of the virus.

Care discussed World Savings Day, Ebola, South Sudan, Typhoon Haiyan, and a new partnership with H&M. The organization had some great posts this week. One in particular, also about Typhoone Haiyan, stuck out from the rest:

One year ago this week, Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Yolanda) devastated the Philippines. With your help, CARE reached more than 318,000 people with lifesaving food, shelter and livelihood assistance. We’ve continued our work in the region, helping the community to rebuild back safer.

This post relies heavily on audience appeals. “Devastated” grabs the reader’s attention while emphasizing the severity of the situation in the Philippines. “With your help” is a key phrase in this post. It engages the reader (and donor/potential donor) and includes him/her as part of the process of providing aid. A number like 318,000 adds to the organization’s credibility and emphasizes the large-scale nature of the work that CARE has been doing. Specific uses of funds are listed, which again promotes transparency and accountability.