Archive of tag "philanthropy"

Issue #138: Word of mouth for tough topics

June 30, 2009

[Welcome back to the You Can Be a Word of Mouth Marketing Supergenius! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]

Disease, war, famine, political issues — they’re all serious, difficult topics to bring up. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to help your fans spread their support for your cause, here’s how:

1> Find a middleman
2> Find a symbol
3> Find a positive

1> Find a middleman

It’s hard for people to talk to someone they barely know about awkward or serious topics. Try to find a “middleman” — a talker with established trust with those you’re trying to reach — and educate them on your issue. Teachers, doctors, parents, or public officials could all be excellent mediators for the topics you’re trying to share.

2> Find a symbol

When the topic is too tough to talk about, give them something else to share with the world. Colors, wristbands, and themed events make it easy for people who believe in a message to share it without having to discuss diseases or world issues. If you can find something to symbolize the issue you care about, you can give supporters a way to talk without focusing on the tough details.

3> Find a positive

People are much better at sharing good news — so try to keep the themes of your topics about how you and your supporters are saving lives, curing illnesses, and changing the world. You could create a special newsletter or big celebration focused on highlighting all the great things your cause or organization has accomplished. Just remember: People are much more willing to drag in their friends if it feels like they’re having lots of success and making a difference.

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Social Media Case Study from Ed Nicholson of Tyson Foods

June 12, 2009

BlogWell San FranciscoCome to BlogWell: How big brands use social media on June 23 in San Francisco to hear Dell, Wells Fargo, Kaiser Permanente, SAP, Pepsi, Cisco, and Intuit share case studies in corporate social media. You’ll learn how to get started, get past roadblocks, and make your social media program phenomenal — in one afternoon, for just $250.

You’ll get practical, how-to advice on creating great content, getting management buy-in, educating employees, keeping lawyers and regulators happy, simple and ethical disclosure, and engaging fans. You’ll ask questions, discover new ideas, and get answers from people who have been there, done that — all in four hours.

In his BlogWell New York case study presentation, “How Tyson Foods Uses Social Media to Build Community Around the Issue of Hunger,” Tyson Foods’ Director of Corporate Community and Public Relations, Ed Nicholson, describes how Tyson uses social media tools to engage stakeholders around the company’s primary philanthropic focus, the issue of hunger, with a blog and a quickly-growing Twitter account.

A focus of Ed’s presentation is the issue of “monolithic” companies — where large corporations are often cast in a negative light instead of shown as well-meaning entities. The presentation shows how to humanize large corporations and the importance of doing good in the community.

(Special thanks to our lead sponsor, nGenera, for help making BlogWell NYC possible.)

BlogWell New York Social Media Case Study: Tyson Foods, presented by Ed Nicholson from GasPedal on Vimeo.

BlogWell New York Social Media Case Study: Tyson Foods, presented by Ed Nicholson

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Issue #133: Word of mouth for your charity walk

May 26, 2009

[Welcome back to the You Can Be a Word of Mouth Marketing Supergenius! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]

The “walk for a cause” concept was once original, but now that everyone has one, you’ve got to do something extra to get them talking.

1> Have a theme
2> Have fun along the walk
3> Have a friendly competition

1> Have a theme

Give your walk a unique theme that everyone can get involved in. Yours could be as simple as encouraging participants to bring their dogs along with them to more crazy themes like wild costumes or obstacle courses. Whatever you choose, remember that a walk on its own is no longer creative enough to get people talking about your event.

2> Have fun along the walk

Having interesting things to see or do along the walk can help you go from just another event to something of an adventure. By doing a “bar crawl” or museum tour, you could add a bunch of little destinations to check out during the event. In addition to adding some fun to your walk, you can also work with these businesses to help promote your event and encourage people to sign up months in advance.

3> Have a friendly competition

Get people excited for your charity event by adding a little competition to it. Firemen vs. police, teachers vs. students, or the football team vs. the basketball team are just a few examples of how you could get people pumped up. Not only could this raise more money, but it will also lead to participants going out and getting more people involved in hopes of winning.

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