www.charitycomms.org.uk/events

1. Developing Your Brand and Image Conference
30 March 2011
Building brand communities
using social media
CharityComms is the professional membership body for charity communicators. We
believe charity communications are integral to each charity’s work for a better world.
W: www.charitycomms.org.uk T: 0207 426 8877 E: emma@charitycomms.org.uk

2. Building brand communities
using social media
Gary Nunn
Communications Officer

3. Question
• Does your charity have a
Facebook page, a Twitter
account AND a YouTube
channel?

4. What this session will cover
• Why is Stonewall ahead of the curve?
• Bringing your digi-comms to life
• Adding personality to your branding
• Rapid pace vs wider strategy
• Integrating social media & campaigns
• Integrating social media & the Press Office
• Addressing criticism

5. How did Stonewall get ahead
of the curve?
• Wider environment – LGB people are
‘early adopters’
• Recent re-brand to appeal more to 16-21s
• Early internal buy-in
• Staff member dedicated to trend-watching
• Result: we have social media following
bigger than charities / campaigns 10 times
our size…

6. Numbers
Charity Facebook Twitter YouTube upload
views
Barnardo’s 4,800 4,665 4,074
Shelter 6,665 6,751 91, 612
Liberty 6, 877 2,110 20, 061
Mind 10,016 6,112 N/A
National Autistic 15,627 2,657 49,339
Society
Stonewall 20, 554 9,274 95, 809

7. Numbers
Charity Facebook Twitter YouTube upload views
Stonewall 20, 554 9,274 95,809
Time To Change 37,821 4,209 172, 495
Red Cross 14, 539 13,423 839, 691
Amnesty 37, 843 26, 536 1,734,089
International
Oxfam 44, 875 18, 048 3,048,745

8. Branding – bringing your
digi-comms to life!
• What words, colours and moods describe
your brand – how will this translate online?
• Is there a popular slogan that sums you
up?
• Stonewall’s profile pic:
• YouTube

9. Branding - tone
• Don’t just broadcast earnest updates –
YAWN! Dialogue.
• Show your human side ‘eg We’re in the
office and we have cake!’
• Add personality, humour and a USP to
your online branding
• Eg: ‘Hello lovely supporters!’
• Tweets brought to you by…

10. Who is this?

11. Branding – the human touch
• Rebecca Black, Charlie McDonnell
• Don’t get too caught up on celebrities
– but appreciate their value too
• Social media is about real people

12. Rapid pace vs wider strategy
• Rapid pace:
• use your #
• Live tweeting
• Top Tweets
• Wider strategy
• Distracted being reactive
• Flexible weekly strategy
• Social media working group

13. Integrating social media with
campaigns
• Stonewall’s ‘It gets better…today’
campaign
• Set targets of increasing referrals to
your website, moving your supporters
up the pyramid of giving
• User-led content

14. Integrating social media with the
Press Office function
• Social media polls
• Case studies: call outs and reporting back
• Promoting coverage which both highlights
the need for your cause to exist, and
backs up your charitable objectives

15. Addressing criticism on
social media
• Consider having house rules
• Don’t censor
• Don’t try and have the last word: you can’t

16. Finally
• Everything you say is public
• But this can be a good thing!
• Any questions?

17. Contact details
Stonewall
Tower Building
York Road
London
SE1 7NX
020 7593 1856
www.stonewall.org.uk
gary.nunn@stonewall.org.uk