Brilliant Avenue

You have the power to inspire others to action.  Now you just need to figure out how to use it.

That was the goal of a large group of socially conscious women who gathered in The Motherhood on November 10, 2011, to discuss best practices for using social media to promote social good.

The live chat was organized by the American Cancer Society.  Jesica D. at the ACS said, “All of us at the American Cancer Society are excited for today’s discussion! A huge thank-you for everyone who will be sharing their insights, knowledge, and ideas.”

Keep reading for an overview of the conversation, or click the “Talk” button to see the entire discussion.

Getting Started: Identify Your Passion

You have limited time and resources – you can’t help everyone, but you can help someone.  Your first step should be identifying what you are passionate about.

“Do what resonates with you the most. There are millions of causes out there but only one you, so be choosy and give the one (or three) that you choose your BEST!” said Renee Ross.

Ronnie added a suggestion to “‘follow the love.’ Getting involved in things that matter to you shouldn’t be difficult or cost lots of money,” she said. “Go with what feels right. There should be easy actionable things that you can do that make a measurable difference.”

Sometimes, a little research will provoke a lot of emotion – and that’s when you know you’ve found your cause.

Gina Carroll said, “When I joined the Mom’s Clean Air Force, I knew that clean air issues hit close to home because I have a household full of allergy and environmentally sensitive souls. But when I learned that my child’s asthma was significantly impacted by the pollution that makes my hometown one of the coal-fired power plant pollution centers of the nation … and when I learned that the entire African-American community is disproportionately impacted by air pollution to an extreme detriment to our health and quality of life … I got downright mad!”

And if you have a passion for business, like Simone Smith’s passion for jewelry design, you can combine your entrepreneurship with your nonprofit mission to make an even bigger contribution to the cause.

As Gina pointed out to Simone, “Your ability to combine your passion for jewelry and your cancer mission is so inspiring. We are often told to do what we love and the rest will follow. But to put your talent toward such a worthy endeavor inspires others to be creative about how they can help, and to step out of the business envelope to consider how to involve meaningful giving back.”

And giving back will make you feel great.  “I don’t know about you, but there is a lot of passion here. Our causes benefit from our passion, but so do we as individuals! Doing good feels good, whether it’s through digital means or face to face, hand to hand,” said Helen Jonsen.

Work on Cutting Through the Chatter

Charitable causes are popping up everywhere these days, and it can seem like a daunting task to get people to concentrate on yours and inspire them to action.

“Focus on your message and get others to lend their voice to your cause,” said Tonya Lewis Lee, A Healthy Baby Begins with You. “I also think that when dealing with issues that are not ‘sexy,’ like infant mortality, you have to find the positive side, the inspirational tone of the cause to get people to act. Make sure they understand there is hope and there is something they can DO to make a difference.”

Helen Jonsen, editor of Working Mother, agreed, “Focus for a time on one message in all that you do and engage other strong voices at the same time. The more voices, the stronger the sound.”

How? By Telling Stories and Asking Questions

The best method for getting through to other people is to share your own compelling stories and ask others to share theirs.

“The power of storytelling is incredible, and social media is a vehicle for bringing those stories forth for hundreds and thousands to see and experience,” said Sondra Bloxam.

“At the American Cancer Society, we’ve found that what drives people the most on our social networks is the desire to share stories,” agreed JesicaD. “It often doesn’t matter what we post about – whether it is screening guidelines, a cool picture from one of our events, something coming up, people just want to tell us how cancer has affected their lives. So anything that enables people to share and connect with other people’s stories has been really successful for us.”

Gina Carroll said her involvement in the Moms Clean Air Force started with stories.

“I was recruited with a group of other bloggers. The idea was not so much to recruit environmental bloggers, but parents who already had thriving communities that they could go back to with our message,” she said.  “We started with our own stories. Then we started to look around at how the clean air issue was playing out in our own neighborhoods and cities. Then we started a very aggressive social media blitz, cross-posting, tweeting each others work. And we recruited our friends.”

Your personal story is powerful, too, and social media is the best way to share it quickly and efficiently.

Simone Smith is a cancer survivor and a business owner – she designs and sells her own jewelry.  “Through Twitter & Facebook I have been able to share my story, updates on jewelry shows, celebs supporting Simone I. Smith – for example, who’s wearing SIS & where,” she said.

And Robin promotes her cause online by asking “lots of open-ended questions. Also, just sharing a meaningful photo or two seems to get people commenting,” she noted.  “I check all my pages many times throughout the day and try to respond back personally to every comment. I use people’s names as much as possible to help it feel more like a real conversation.”

Create Visuals for Your Stories

Spreading the message through social media doesn’t have to focus on words alone.  Remember to integrate YouTube, Flickr and other photo- and video-sharing into your outreach.

“I think that the best way to be heard on social media is actually to be seen. The best campaigns weave a visual element throughout social channels, whether that’s posting video on YouTube or encouraging supporters to take pictures,” said Karyn Watkins, The Red Pump Project. “There’s nothing that makes a great story even better than an awesome visual!”

Use a Variety of Platforms to Spread Your Message

Don’t limit yourself and your cause to one platform, but remember not to spam people with your message.  Create content that will be interesting and meaningful to your audience so they are interested in opting into following you.

Helen Jonsen pointed out, “Who is your audience and how do they want to hear from you? Are you fundraising, running a petition or educating? Each one may have a different tolerance and a different level of commitment.”

“We emailed our blogging friends before we launched The Red Pump Project to help drum up support,” said Karyn Watkins.  “And, now we use Twitter, Facebook, and our site to continue with the message!”

To make yourself heard on Twitter, use hashtags. “I think the use of hashtags on Twitter gets folks connected,” said mgyerman. “When I write for MCAF, when I post the link on Twitter, I always use key words to drive people to the Tweet.”

Added Robin, “Right now it seems like my Facebook page is the most interactive platform for engaging supporters in dynamic conversation … linking both to each other and my blog works great for a time-saver.”

Social media is just the beginning, though.  Use sound bites and interesting facts and stories to hook people, and then direct them to a website or other platform to learn more and get involved.

As Tonya Lewis Lee said, “Everyone must be consistent in their messaging while they are raising the awareness. Then you must direct them to the places where they can get the education. Its true that it’s often hard to get more than a sound bite in our culture, but after telling them the problem direct them to the information.”

Collaborate with Other Groups

Your mission might overlap with the goals of other groups – so why not work together?

“Personal stories are grabbers. But so is collaboration. In fact, the childhood cancer community has begun ‘Project Collaboration’ to bring together many of the foundations that spring up as well-meaning, but then work separately, dividing those who might be a great force if they worked together,” said Helen Jonsen.

“Collaboration can be powerful, and it’s inspiring to see groups working together,” agreed Mary Davis.

Angela pointed out, “Partnerships are critical to building momentum at the community level. Its great to be able to strike the balance between national causes and local needs as well.”

In addition to being a handy communication tool, social media can also help connect you with collaborators for your project or cause.

“Social media has exposed me to so many people with similar goals and missions … I sometimes just reach out to them!” admitted Karyn Watkins.

When you are familiar with a potential partner’s mission, reaching out can benefit both groups. But be sure to do your research first.

“It’s important to be open to others and find ways that you can get your message out to their constituents. At the same time, be sure to vet your potential alliance. Make sure their agenda is consistent with yours,” advised Tonya Lewis Lee.

Engage Relevant Audiences

When you are crafting your message and finding your voice through social media, it is important to have a clear understanding of the groups you are trying to engage and encourage to act on your behalf.

Reaching younger people can bring vitality and energy to your campaign.

“In an effort to raise awareness about the troubling U.S. infant mortality rates, the Healthy Baby Begins with You campaign utilizes college students to spread healthy lifestyle messages for the sake of their children in the future,” said Tonya Lewis Lee.  “I would encourage anyone to reach out to young people and get them involved in helping to get your messaging out as well. They are cheap and tireless!”

“And they are the digital natives and know their way around social media!” added Gina Carroll.

Bloggers are another key group to consider mobilizing around your cause.

“For a moment I’d like to highlight the excellent work of the American Cancer Society. They were one of the first organizations to utilize a group of bloggers in a Blogger Advisory Council,” said Renee Ross. “We are asked for input, we blog when we want to and have helped raise awareness about the More Birthdays Campaign. I think it is important when organizations ask for help from bloggers that they don’t go overboard and allow them to give of their time as it fits into their own schedules. I appreciate this about ACS!”

And pay attention to the timing of your social media outreach – knowing your audience will also help you understand the best times to reach them.

“If you’re using Facebook for your organization or cause, you can check the Insights to see which posts do better at different times. On Twitter, start paying attention to when your followers are the most active. Those will definitely be the best times for you to get your message out!” said Karyn Watkins.

Bring Online Action into Real Life

The biggest challenge for any cause is converting awareness and education into action – using your message and voice online to encourage people to get involved offline, too.

“Lead by example & share your information,” said Simone Smith. “If they are interested they will be engaged. You will touch someone but not everyone.”

“I don’t want to force MY beliefs on people, but I do want to appropriately educate so that I can empower others to make informed choices,” agreed Temaka Williams.

You might not see immediate results.  Eventually that will change.

“Sometimes it can be surprising to find out that people were listening and only later decided to get into action themselves,” said Emily McKhann of The Motherhood. “Sometimes ideas have to percolate.”

Not everyone will be inspired by your message, but don’t lose heart.

“You can lead a horse to water but can’t force them to drink,” pointed out Renee Ross. “All we can do is put out the information and hope that people are motivated/inspired to do something. Not everyone will be, but if just one person does something – I believe you are a success!”

Thank You

A big thanks to the American Cancer Society and the amazing, inspiring group of powerful women who co-hosted this Talk!

Gina Carroll, Moms Clean Air Force

Helen Jonsen, Working Mother

Tonya Lewis Lee, A Healthy Baby Begins with You

Renee Ross, Cutie Booty Cakes

Simone Smith, Simone I. Smith

Karyn Watkins, The Red Pump Project

See the original Talk here: http://tmotherhood.wpengine.com/talk/show/id/62287