This document summarizes a webinar about communicating corporate social responsibility through social media. It discusses strategies for using social media to promote responsible business practices and engage stakeholders. Specific platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are examined for their suitability for issues-based messaging. Case studies of companies effectively aligning their social media presence with causes are provided. Tools for content creation, community engagement, and measuring results are recommended. The webinar aims to provide best practices for mission-driven businesses to strategically leverage social media.

1. Sharing the Responsible
Business Voice on Social
Media
April 18, 2017

2. RYAN RABAC, MANAGER, DIGITAL MARKETING, ASBC
Ryan Rabac has guided digital marketing and strategy for local and
national nonprofits, building campaigns that enhance brands and
increase their engagement with stakeholders. He holds a Master of
Public Administration from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of
Science in Political Science from Florida State University.
asbcouncil.org/webinars
@RyanRabac

3. • Strategic Use of Social Media for Responsible Business Voices
– Pat Heffernan, President, Marketing Partners, Inc. and ASBC Board Member
• Communicating CSR Through Social Media
– Kevin Maley, Managing Supervisor, VOX Global
– Maggie Kinnealey, Managing Supervisor, VOX Global
• Content, Platforms, and Tools
– Ryan Rabac, Manager, Digital Marketing, ASBC
• Questions
Overview
asbcouncil.org/webinars

4. PAT HEFFERNAN, PRESIDENT, MARKETING PARTNERS, INC.,
ASBC BOARD MEMBER
Pat Heffernan creates mission-focused strategies to unlock the power
of communication to drive change. Pat is a founder and first president
of VT Businesses for Social Responsibility, adjunct faculty & advisory
board member of University of Vermont College of Agriculture & Life
Sciences, serves as an expert witness on communications in federal
court, and has testified at the local, state and national level. Previously,
Pat served as Associate Dean at Vermont Law School. She holds a
B.A. and MBA degrees and is a certified management consultant.
asbcouncil.org/webinars
@pheffernanvt

5. STRATEGIC USE OF SOCIAL
MEDIA FOR RESPONSIBLE
BUSINESS VOICES
Pat Heffernan
April 2017
Session 1: Social Media 5

6. SAME FRAME, BUSINESS LANGUAGE & MESSAGES USED
ELSEWHERE
Session 1: Social Media 6

7. STRATEGY IS…
• How an organization is going to achieve
its mission.
• Strategy is about making choices —what you do (and
don’t do) AND what you do first.
• Our focus today is on strategies for including issues and
public policy in your social media program.
Session 1: Social Media 7

8. SOCIAL MEDIA & PUBLIC POLICY:
THINGS HAVE CHANGED
• Consistency across channels matters to customers:
Vision, Values & Voice
• Recent business examples:
– #WomensMarch
– Ben & Jerry’s: Black Lives Matter
Session 1: Social Media 8

9. MOST COMMON SOCIAL MEDIA FAILS
• Didn’t Check The Hashtag
• Mishandled Responses
• Misguided Campaign
• Didn’t Know What They Were Posting
• Didn’t Monitor Their Auto Tweets
• Tried To Co-opt A Serious Event
• Offensive Campaign
Session 1: Social Media 9

10. SHOULD YOUR BRAND TAKE A STAND?
• WrightIMC surveyed more
than 3,000 consumers.
• Studied 5 major U.S.
brands taking stands in
recent past.
• Majority of consumers
consider social stance of
company when purchasing.
• Differing consumer attitudes
(age, income and
geography as factors).
• “Know your audience and a
strong point of view can
grow it, with some
additional fringe benefits.”
Session 1: Social Media 10

11. WHY SOCIAL MEDIA IS IMPORTANT FOR MISSION-DRIVEN
BUSINESSES
• The social media marketing arena is a (fairly) level playing
field.
• A strong social media presence builds brand loyalty.
• Social media can help you get noticed at events, and
generate earned media coverage for your business and
issue.
• You’ll find customers you didn’t know existed.
• Customers you didn’t know existed will find (and buy
from) you.
Session 1: Social Media 11

12. WHY SOCIAL MEDIA ON YOUR ISSUES
• “Nearly two-thirds of Americans say that after “liking” or
“following” a nonprofit or corporate social responsibility
program online, they are more inclined to support the
cause by volunteering, donating and sharing information.”
Sources: Cone Communications, Edelman PR, Pew Research Center
Session 1: Social Media 12

13. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: B2B, GLOBAL
MARKETS, REGULATED INDUSTRIES &
NONPROFIT
• Need support of employees, some or most customers,
and other constituencies (e.g., key suppliers,
shareholders, trustees)
• Separate social media accounts, link to mission and
annual goals, legal review.
• Can be done. HP as an example:
– Multi-layered public policy
– 10 years of Global Citizen reports
Session 1: Social Media 13

14. THE BIG 6+
(PLUS REDDIT, QUORA, YOUTUBE, SNAPCHAT…)
Session 1: Social Media 14

15. POLICY & ISSUES ARE MOST ACTIVE ON 4
(ALTHOUGH SOMETHING ON ALL 6+)
Session 1: Social Media 15

16. HOW TO SELECT & MANAGE EFFECTIVELY
• Go where they already are: Choose social media
networks based on your audience and the issue.
• Multiple channels: Vast majority of consumers,
businesses and nonprofits are active on 2+ networks.
• Your secret weapons: Twitter Lists, plus
hashtags/keywords.
Session 1: Social Media 16

17. RESEARCH AND COORDINATE KEYWORDS AND HASHTAGS
BEFORE YOUR EVENTS & CAMPAIGNS
Session 1: Social Media 17

18. CLEAR MATCH BETWEEN COMPANY & ISSUE:
WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESSES & #WOMENSMARCH
Session 1: Social Media 18

19. COMPANY AND ISSUE MATCH LESS CLEAR
BEN & JERRY’S: #BLACKLIVESMATTER
Session 1: Social Media 19

20. SUSTAINABILITY, CLIMATE
(KEYWORDS USED ON ALL MAJOR SOCIAL MEDIA
NETWORKS)
Session 1: Social Media 20

21. CONSISTENCY: EILEEN FISHER, SUSTAINABILITY AND
WORKPLACE QUALITY
Session 1: Social Media 21

22. USEFUL TOOLS
• Hootsuite
• HubSpot
• TweetDeck
• Buffer
• Bitly
• BuzzSumo
• Hashtagify
Session 1: Social Media 22

23. KEVIN MALEY, MANAGING SUPERVISOR, VOX GLOBAL
Kevin Maley works with companies and nonprofits on sustainability
strategy, including goal setting, stakeholder engagement, risk
assessment, materiality analysis and emerging issues management.
Kevin also provides organizations with sustainability communications
support, including engagement through social and traditional media,
key messaging, report writing and website development. Kevin holds a
bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Syracuse University and a
master’s degree in Public Affairs from the University of Massachusetts.
asbcouncil.org/webinars
@KevinAMaley

24. MAGGIE KINNEALEY, MANAGING SUPERVISOR, VOX GLOBAL
Maggie Kinnealey works with clients to secure media coverage,
develop targeted consumer and internal communications, and provide
social media strategy. Prior to joining the VOX team, Maggie spent
seven years at Tractenberg & Co., a New York City based full-service
public relations firm, specializing in the beauty and lifestyle space
industries. In that capacity, Maggie worked with both large and small
brands, securing extensive media coverage, designing social media
programs, conceiving both consumer and cause-related campaigns,
and planning and executing a variety of events. Maggie graduated
from the College of the Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Arts in
Psychology.
asbcouncil.org/webinars
@MaggieKinnealey

25. 25
Communicating a Commitment to Environmental Finance
Bank of America

26. 26
Source: VOX Global
Connecting to Good through the Power of Technology
AT&T

27. KEY TAKEAWAYS
27
• Use all channels where your key audiences are:
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat,
Medium
• Engage your stakeholders and influencers to amplify
your message and bring credibility to your message
• Get creative: Use GIFs, still photos, consistent
hashtags, quote cards and animation to capture
attention
• Identify key metrics to measure your results
and build on your success

28. Thank you!
Maggie Kinnealey
mkinnealey@VOXGlobal.com
Kevin Maley
kmaley@VOXGlobal.com

30. CREATING CONTENT
• Start with Strategy
– Build followers?
– Send people to a website?
– Add signatures to a petition?
• Ask the 5 Ws: Who, What, Where, When, and Why
• Find your voice
– Efficient, direct language
– Build a sense of community
• Establish a cadence

31. THOUGHTS AND RESOURCES
• Editorial Calendar
• Automation when appropriate
• Your personal accounts, your staff and your board members
– Anyone in your circle not using social media could be a missed
opportunity.
– Use pre-written content and toolkits to help others engage.
• Think mobile first
• Use real pictures of people
• Be as real-time and responsive as possible
• Native and live video on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
• Learn from results – did your content work as intended?

32. Date Platform Type Content
April 18 Email Invitation Please join
us on May
2!
April 20 Facebook Post These
businesses
are
standing
up against
climate
change.
EDITORIAL CALENDAR

33. ORGANIZATIONAL PLATFORMS
• LinkedIn Company Pages: evolution from job hunting tool to
content provider and news source for professionals.
– Access to 476 million professionals, 60% use on mobile
• Twitter: Engage in ongoing trends and discussions by using
hashtags and influencers to enhance your message.
• Instagram: Visual and personal. Not good for written content
or clicks.
• Facebook: Hard to win without paying, but try native video
and Facebook Live.

34. PERSONAL PLATFORMS
• LinkedIn: publish thought leadership pieces, share
surprising/novel insights, repost articles and columns from
other publications, post pictures from professional and
volunteer events.
• Twitter: Engage in ongoing trends, use your account to
amplify your brand, mix in your personality
– Tag your brand in your bio
– Aim for 2x as many followers as following

35. Upcoming Events
April 26
Webinar: Effective Advocating & Lobbying Your Elected Officials
May 1-2
National Climate Business Lobby Day on Capitol Hill
#Biz4Climate17
May 3
Webinar: Hone Your Message and Work with the Media to Get It
Out
asbcouncil.org/webinars

36. Questions
• Raise your Hand or Submit a Question
• Panelists will answer questions in the order they are received
• The webinar will end at 5pm ET