Whether you’re tackling ever-evolving climate crises, social justice issues, or animal welfare concerns, it can be challenging to know how to effectively utilize technology on your company’s journey to making the world better. Luckily, it’s at your fingertips with the click of a button (literally). Here’s how to harness the power of technology and social media to do good.
In life, there are the dreamers and the doers. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance your company aims to be the latter. But perhaps you’re wondering: how can we really make a difference? In our ever-evolving world of climate crises, social justice issues, and animal welfare concerns, it can be challenging to know where to start or how to make actionable change.
Luckily, doing good can be achievable with the click of a button — literally. Social media and technology are two powerful ways to enable your company to authentically live its values and make a difference.
Participate in Community-Led Movements Online
When it comes to activism, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Unless your cause is smaller and unknown, there’s a good chance community members have already begun a movement, and trying to do “your own thing” can not only be perceived as self-serving but can actually hurt the reach of existing movements.
Instead, get involved in community-led movements that matter to your organization, and spread the word by posting on your social media channels and using the existing hashtags. Some ongoing movements include Black Lives Matter, Stop AAPI Hate, and #MeToo.
Just remember: as with any cause marketing, ensure you do it in a meaningful, actionable, and non-performative way. Show genuine support for causes that matter to your organization, encourage your audience to participate, and contribute to the conversation where appropriate.
A company that often gets involved in movements on their social platforms is ice cream retailer Ben & Jerry’s. They have created multiple Instagram posts to support the Black Lives Matter movement and continue to show their support for new movements on a frequent basis.
Use Grassroots Marketing & Technology to Amplify Specific Causes
Through social media, community movements can grow into global movements. Grassroots marketing, or creating inspirational and highly shareable content targeted to a very specific niche or locale, is a great way to raise awareness of specialized causes that matter to your organization. Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? This is a classic example of successful grassroots marketing.
Social media is a fantastic medium for grassroots marketing due to the fact that it’s easy to share content. To be successful with a grassroots social media campaign, you’ll want to keep the target audience tight, either psychographically or geographically; tell a story that resonates and inspires; and, most importantly, encourage people to share your content.
Alternatively, if your organization is built on particular values, social media posts can be a way to educate your audience about very specific issues. Canadian clothing retailer tentree uses social media to bring to light a variety of environmental issues that matter to them. For example, they use Instagram to highlight the environmental impacts of the dyeing process, the importance of protecting coral reefs, and the benefits of the circular economy.
Innovative use of technology is another way to help amplify and raise awareness of important causes. For example, National Geographic used Meta Spark to show Instagram users what the world will feel like in 2070, while a VR experience called Greenland Melting shows the unfortunate effect of warm ocean waters on glaciers in Greenland.
Take a Stand on Causes That Matter to You
According to Sprout Social’s #BrandsGetReal: Brands Creating Change in the Conscious Consumer Era Report, based on their 2019 survey, 70% of consumers believe it’s important for brands to take a public stand on social and political issues and 66% believe brands should do so because they can create real change. And social media is a great place to publicly show your stance and advocate for real change, especially if it’s something that is relevant to your organization.
For example, Nike is a brand for athletes, many of whom are Black people who experience discrimination and police brutality, particularly in the United States where Nike is headquartered. Knowing they’d receive backlash for supporting Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee in protest at a football game in 2016, they made him the face of a global campaign in 2018.
Amplify Advocates and Activists Within Your Community
When it comes to doing good, letting others take the lead is, sometimes, the best path to take. There are many notable organizations and activists who are on the front lines of causes and supporting them helps amplify their important work.
Follow relevant organizations and activists on social media, reshare their content, and reach out to partner with them for initiatives, such as an Instagram takeover, contest, or content swap. Similar to participating in community-led movements, you’ll want to ensure you’re doing this in a meaningful and non-performative way.
Patagonia, a B Corp–certified outdoor clothing retailer, often shares content from like-minded creators and activists in the outdoor space. For example, they featured a non-binary climber who advocates for a more supportive climbing community, and their Run To film series, promoted on Instagram, features runners who are advocating for issues, such as saving a watershed and honouring Indigenous scientists, past and present.
Make Goals for Sustainable Change
It’s one thing to have big ideas to do good, but it’s another thing to execute them. Social media is a great opportunity to hold yourself accountable to your goals.
You’ll want to post about your goal and update your audience when you reach certain benchmarks. For example, Glossier, a US-based beauty company, opted not to use a vague post about “doing better.” Instead, they pledged to donate to various BLM organizations and commit to ongoing change within their company, as shown in an Instagram post.
But how do you know if you’re getting close to your goal? There are various apps that can help you track your progress, like Strides, Way of Life, and ATracker.
Let Sparx Help You Use Social Media And Technology to Do Good
By engaging with social media in these ways, companies gain the power to amplify their own purpose-driven initiatives, support and boost the visibility of ongoing mission-aligned efforts and changemakers, share impact stories to an ever-growing audience, and drive positive change.
At Sparx, our mission is to create content to make the world better.
If you’re looking to make an impact using social media and technology but aren’t sure where to start, the experts at Sparx Publishing Group are always available to chat. We help purpose driven organizations secure their website, create great content, build experiences to delight their customers, and help grow their business. You can reach us here.
