Five social media charity campaigns you need to know about

From Movember to #nomakeupselfie, Zoe Amar compiles the top five campaigns and explains how they were achieved. (http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2014/apr/03/five-social-media-charity-campaigns?CMP=twt_gu)

Zoe Amar

Since the #nomakeupselfie campaign raised £8m for Cancer Research, charities have been asking how they can replicate its success. Whilst it's undoubtedly a game changer, charity social media campaigns come in many flavours and there are lessons we can learn from them all. Here are five.


Movember

Founded in 2003 to fundraise for men's health through sponsored moustache growing, Movember has built a community based on shared humour. The campaign garnered 1.2m social media mentions alone last year, whilst fundraising currently stands at £63.9m. In 2013 it doubled its Facebook reach and increased retweets by 45%. Prostate Cancer UK, one of Movember's main beneficiaries, also reported a rise in calls to its helplines. Whilst some may ask which way next for Movember, its social media success is still strong and can be attributed to its wit, irreverent tone of voice and camaraderie.


Action on Hearing Loss

Photograph: John Lewis/PA

Last year Action on Hearing Loss convinced John Lewis to add subtitles to its Christmas TV advert, just by asking on Twitter. It was a very simple but effective social media campaign that nevertheless made a big difference to its beneficiaries. Campaigns don't always have to reach millions of people; asking one influential person for something at the right time on social media can have just as much impact. I've seen small charities use this approach successfully.


#nomakeupselfie

Holly Willoughby's #NoMakeUpSelfie. Photograph: Guardian

The #nomakeupselfie campaign, which began with people posting images of themselves without make up on social networks, wasn't started by Cancer Research but their social media team quickly got involved and asked people to donate via text. The campaign raised £8m in just one week. This kind of grassroots viral campaign is impossible to replicate but charities of all sizes can position themselves to take advantage of the next social media phenomenon by responding rapidly and creating a sense of community around the movement. Cancer Research did this very skilfully by making donors feel appreciated and being transparent about the ways in which funds raised will be spent.


UNICEF- Likes Don't Save Lives

UNICEF Sweden ran a campaign last year to show that likes on Facebook weren't enough to help them save children's lives. They created four YouTube videos, including one of a child saying (ironically) that he feels hopeful because of the amount of likes UNICEF's Facebook page has achieved. Each video ended with the message that likes can't fund vaccinations. The videos were viewed more than 750, 000 times across 195 countries, and led to more than 10,500 tweets (8,000 of which were international) during the campaign period. It is also likely to have converted supporters who were less involved into donors. Charities shouldn't be afraid to use social media campaigns to ask some difficult questions, but this needs to be followed up with a good case for the ask.


Rethink- #FindMike

Rethink's #FindMike campaign sought to reunite Jonny Benjamin, who lives with schizophrenia, with the man who talked him down from jumping off Waterloo Bridge six years' ago. They devised a multichannel campaign that included social media, digital content including videos, broadcast interviews and newspaper coverage. #FindMike became the top trending topic on Twitter in the UK and Rethink received 5,000 new Facebook likes, 2,600 new Twitter followers, and a fivefold increase in traffic to its site. Most importantly, the coverage helped reunite Jonny with Neil Laybourne, the man who saved him. Key to its success was that social media was part of an integrated approach across several channels. This is a brilliant way to boost your social media campaigns, even if you're on a tight budget. The timing was also important- it was a positive story in January, which people were keen to share through their social networks.

What do these campaigns have in common? Having a visible brand on social media, planning carefully and being ready to respond quickly are essential.

Zoe Amar is a charity marketing and digital communications expert. You can check out her blog here. She tweets @zoeamar.