In his book “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” Gary Vaynerchuck lays out 6 rules for successful social media conversations. Content should be native, not interrupt, make demands sparingly, leverage pop culture, micro, and is consistent and self-aware (2013, p. 16-28). The most important point being that an organization should be native on its respective platform. Utilizing each platform, and playing to each of their individual strengths keeps content blended and viewers interested in their marketing. Going native can make sales pitches more natural and not turn off potential consumers who may be tired of seeing advertisements and promotions in their feeds.
Vaynerchuck illustrated some non-profit organizations that have utilized social media as a free marketing resource however some have been more successful in going native than others. I was interested in non-profit organizations who successfully utilized social media in the way that Vaynerchuck described. I found that the March of Dimes utilized the attributes of good social media. I analyzed their Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest presence and found that March of Dimes does a good job of “jabbing” and creating conversations in a native fashion.
Vaynerchuck says that us that an organization does its storytelling on Facebook (2013, p. 29). March of Dimes does this in the following ways:
– Acknowledging awareness weeks and months such as “sleep awareness week” and “Women’s month” leverages the pop culture and events outside of the organization. While these days aren’t directly tied to their mission of helping women have full-term pregnancies and research issues that threaten the health of babies (March of Dimes, nd), they have ties these awareness days with the women that they are reaching to. By recognizing sleep awareness week and giving advice on better sleep for pregnant women, they’ve created a conversation with their core audience.
– Created a “Share your story” campaign, enabling fans to interact with the brand.
– They must have notice that photos get more traction on Facebook, and they post photos in just about every posting.
By storytelling and introducing short, micro bits of information, March of Dimes is storytelling and creating a conversation with its Facebook audience.
Instagram
The March of Dimes does repurpose their images from Instagram and push them on to their Facebook page. However, they have recognized Instagram’s artistic platform and have filled their page with striking images. They could include more hashtags, but do a great job of including various hashtags throughout their posts to garner more audience views.
Pinterest
March of Dimes has gone native in Pinterest. Alongside boards that are branded exclusively March of Dimes, they also include boards called “In your Gym Bag”. “Pregnancy”, and “Healthy eats for moms to be”. They understand Pinterest’s platform and have connected their interests with those of their core audience. Women may not be looking for March of Dimes related content, but are connected with the organization when they come across a healthy eating tip that they have pinned.
References:
instagram.com/marchofdimes
facebook.com/marchofdimes
March of Dimes. (nd). Mission. March of Dimes. Retrieved from www.marchofdimes.org
pinterest.com/marchofdimes
Vaynerchuk, G. (2013). Jab, jab, jab, right hook. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers