Social Media Report for the Canadian Red Cross
Abstract
This report is an assessment of the Canadian Red Cross’s (CRC) social media use. The Canadian Red Cross’s primary strength lies in the organization’s trustworthiness; it is a top Canadian charity with active social media accounts and many followers and supporters. The CRC’s social media reach could be improved by altering how they interact and engage online. The CRC could achieve this by increasing direct communication with their target users and creating more content with a positive message.
Social Media Report on the Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) is a charitable non-governmental organization (NGO) that focuses on humanitarian action within Canada and abroad. It is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the largest humanitarian network in the world (The Red Cross, 2019, par. 2). The Canadian Red Cross’s mission, as stated on their website, is “to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and around the world” (2019, par. 1).
To draw attention to those in need, whether because of small-scale tragedies, such as a house fire, or natural disasters affecting thousands, and to highlight the programs and services they offer, the CRC relies on social media. The nature of social media allows non-profits to “reach a larger audience on a relatively limited budget” (Digital Marketing Institute, 2019, par. 4). Connect with their target audience drives NGOs, just like for-profit businesses, to be active online presences. The CRC has their own website, where they post their blog, and they are active on Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin. The CRC mostly uses these platforms to inform their audience about recent disasters, ask for donations, and promote volunteer work.
We have been hired to report on the effectiveness of the Canadian Red Cross’ social media use to advance their vision. This report details the CRC’s social media’s strengths and weaknesses and suggests improvements for their platforms.
Methodology
We assessed the Canadian Red Cross’s social media presence by analyzing their social media outlets and collected data into a table (see Table 1). We evaluated the CRC’s comments, response rate, followers, likes, reactions, and shares and took screenshots as samples (Screenshot 1 and 2). We also researched for pre-existing information the Canadian Red Cross, the types of social media interaction and their level of impact (Table 2). Combining these resources helped pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of the CRC’s social media presence and helped us provide suggestions for improvement.
Results
Table 1. The CRC’s social media presence.
Screenshot 1. Sample Twitter post by the CRC.
Screenshot 2. Sample Facebook post by the CRC.
Table 2 (screenshot). Most Shared Emotions (Go-Gulf, 2014).
Discussion
Although the Canadian Red Cross is very active online (Table 1), they do not draw a lot of attention or engagement. Despite having thousands of followers, on average their posts only garner between 10 to 300 likes, up to 30 shares, and approximately 20 comments. Screenshot 1 is an example of a common post by the CRC with low engagement. Engagement is important because “the better and more engaging a piece of content is, the more impressions it will gain[, and e]ngagement correlates with [r]each” (Socialbakers, 2014, par. 2). The more reach the CRC can obtain, the better they can spread important information, accumulate donations and find volunteers.
An explanation for low engagement is that many of the CRC’s posts (such as Screenshot 1) evoke feelings of sadness, a negative emotion. Negative posts are not attractive to viewers (Table 2, Go-Gulf, 2014). According to CoSchedule, a global marketing blog, posts that inspire positive feelings are shared the most often (2019, par.15). Since many of the CRC’s posts highlight disasters, users are not likely to see the CRC as a positive, shareable site. To illustrate this point, the CRC gets more comments/likes/shares on posts about individuals (Screenshot 3). These posts may be perceived as more positive, and thereby prompt viewers to engage.
According to Buffer, a social media management platform, “posts with more active and thoughtful interactions will get more reach” (2018, par. 9). While the use of hashtags, like #photooftheday, paired with a captivating photo and story can increase engagement on the post, these are not active interactions. The CRC rarely replies to comments or shares, which does not encourage further communication from their followers.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Although the Canadian Red Cross is an active, popular NGO, their social medias lack in engagement. To appeal to their audience, the CRC should emphasize positive posts that highlight their achievements and showcase the impact of donations and volunteers. Positive posts can be made in several ways, such as changing the wording of a post, or by expressly stating what donation money is going to. For example, instead of posting “help meet the humanitarian needs emerging after cyclone Eldai struck…donate now” (screenshot 1), the CRC could write “Our team is ready to help the people of Mozambique after the devastation of cyclone Eldai. Help us by donating and make a difference”. By starting posts with a positive message, the CRC could increase their engagement, extend their reach, and attract more viewers. The CRC should also emphasize posts that highlight their achievements and showcase the impact of donations and volunteers. For example, they could define how influential a five- or ten-dollar donation is and push more posts like Screenshot 2 to encourage volunteers to join. The CRC should also put more effort into responding to comments on their posts and engaging viewers, in order to encourage their followers and start a conversation.
References
Canadian Red Cross. (n.d). About the Canadian Red Cross. Retrieved March 25, 2019, from https://www.redcross.ca/about-us/about-the-canadian-red-cross.
Digital Marketing Insitute. (n.d). How nonprofits can use social media to boost donations. Retrieved from https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/en-ca/blog/18-03-2018-how-nonprofits-can-use-social-media-to-boost-donations
Eckstein, Mike. (2019, Jan 15). Social media engagement is the new social media marketing: how to do it well. Buffer. Retrieved from https://buffer.com/library/social-media-engagement. (Original work published 2018, Jun 7).
Go-Gulf. (2014, July 14). What people share on social networks – statistics and trends. Retrieved from http://www.go-gulf.ae/blog/what-people-share-on-social-networks/
Ibrisevic, Ilma. (2018, July 13). 7 Nonprofit social media trends taking over 2018. Donorbox. Retrieved from https://donorbox.org/nonprofit-blog/7-nonprofit-social-media-trends-taking-over-2018/.
Patel, Neil. (2015, Dec. 14). The 6 types of social media content that will give you the greatest value. CoSchedule Blog. Retrieved from https://coschedule.com/blog/social-media-content/. Â
Ross, Phillip. (2014, Jun 23). How engagement and social interactions correlate with reach. Socialbakers. Retrieved from https://www.socialbakers.com/blog/2203-how-engagement-and-social-interactions-correlate-with-reach
