how age uk uses facebook
TRANSCRIPT
How Age UK uses Facebook to engage with its target audience
Rob Mansfield - Senior Digital Editor, Age UK
How Age UK uses Facebook…
Age UK – an overview Our Facebook objectives Why we use Facebook The content that works and doesn’t Success criteria
Age UK: an overview
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Age UK: an overview
3 National Partners: Age Cymru, Age NI, Age Scotland
175 Local partners
2 financial services companies
470+ Age UK shops
500+ local friendship centres and older people’s forums
1 Biomedical research charity
1 International sister charity for overseas relief
What are our objectives?
To build an ongoing relationship with our supporters
Reach new supporters
Drive traffic to the main site
Sell our products and services
Photo: iko via Flickr (Creative Commons use)
Why do we use Facebook?
- You have to be part of the conversation
- Go to your audience: not necessarily bring them to you (5m+ over-50s on Facebook, Mar 2011)
- Instant feedback: our audience is far more at ease with speaking their mind and lets us know what they think
- CRM: another way to help people in need
- Good way to spread a message
- To show that we’re human
“Facebook is the Wal-Mart of the digital space for us. There we find a deep meaningful and easy way to learn from our consumers, co-create with them, market to them and create meaningful experiences with them for the long term”
Shiv Singh, HoD @ PepsiCo
What works well?
Donate a Coat
Projected increase in fans: 10%
Actual increase: 30%
(14.5k ---> 18k)
What works well? (cont)
Campaigns
The tangible campaigning work we carry out always resonates with our audience and Facebook is an ideal way to spread our message, with our audience as the advocates.
This example: >5% engagement
What works well? (cont)
Topical news stories
Our audience may have heard the stories already as part of the regular news outlets, but our Facebook page offers a place to talk about the issue with their peers.
Example: 3% engagement
What works well? (cont)
Fun, lighthearted updates
We don’t only focus on the doom and gloom – we love to celebrate the achievements of older people, be it a 75th anniversary, 70-year-olds swimming the Channel or Doris Day’s new album. Eg: >4.5% engagement
What doesn’t work
Our international workPoor engagement and negative comments, almost every time.
Example: 0.5% engagement rate
Success criteria
This falls into two areas – quantitative and qualitative
• Increase in ‘likes’
• Campaign specific uplift
• Monetary conversions
• Click throughs to main Age UK site
• Event registrations
• Raise brand awareness
• Be able to connect with real people at Age UK
• Enable peer-to-peer connections/conversations
• Feedback
Success...
In July & August 2011, we were ranked in Top 10 of most engaged Facebook pages in UK, according to social media monitors, Socialbakers.
The numbers look low for all brands, but this is the sort of overall engagement you can expect.
Summary
• Have objectives, but don’t be afraid to change them
• Talk to people – accept the bad and the good
• Listen to your audience
• Find out what they like
• Silence is as telling as noise
• Don’t be put off by low percentage returns
Any questions?
Twitter: @robramLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robmansfield