The Ice Bucket Challenge, the feel good challenge to empty a bucket of ice over your head to raise funds for research into the cruel Motor Neurone Disease, went viral within days.
With it brought several lessons about the difference between Facebook and Twitter as well as some PR lessons about creating fundraisers.
Facebook versus Twitter
You no doubt heard and ‘felt’ the challenge if you are a keen Facebooker but if you are a serious Tweeter, the likelihood is that you would have been faced more with updates from Ferguson, Missouri or the harrowing death of journalist James Foley or politics.
This demarcation within social media is fascinating. It highlights what MediaWise has long advised its clients. Facebook is for friends and family and Twitter is for headlines.
The reason (or one) for this advice is to do with algorithms: Facebook’s content stream does not allow readers to see everything while on Twitter, anything is allowed.
According to SimpleReach, a US-based social media analytics company, stories about published since Aug. 7 have generated fewer Facebook referrals on average (256) than stories about the Ice Bucket Challenge (2,106).
On Twitter, however, there were more than 3.6 million Ferguson-related tweets sent between Aug. 9, the day Brown was killed, and Aug. 17, compared with 2.3 million ice bucket tweets.
What it shows us – and others – is that Facebook is not for hard news. It is for sharing information that people may find interesting, updates about family and friends and a happy place. It is not a news provider.
On the other hand, Twitter is for hard news and for conversing with journalists. MediaWise has more success engaging with journalists and interesting them in stories via Twitter than Facebook.
Events
Still on the topic of The Ice Bucket Challenge, the challenge of dumping cold water is showing few signs of stopping.
The number of celebrities who have donated $10 for pouring water over their head – or $100 if they have not – is extraordinary and includes Bill Gates, Martha Stewart, Jimmy Fallon and Lady Gaga.
The challenge has seen donations increase to $31.5 billion, from $1.9 billion during the same period last year.
From our perspective, we are intrigued about why the challenge has taken off as it has? For all the good ideas that are out there, why has the public taken this one on? Why has it spread like wild fire across the globe?
Perhaps it comes back to the ‘ice cold’ factor, there is something fascinating in watching people be stupid, suffer and best of all, for a cause.
We don't have the answers but what we can say is:
- When people are raising awareness on behalf of your charity, help them to engage participants. A fun run team for example is a great way of generating en masse support for your cause. But don't just leave it at that. Throw a thank you party for the people who have helped bring new supporters on board and use the party to talk more about what you do and why it matters.
- Go one step further and engage the fun runners (if they want to) in to helping your cause in other ways. It does not just have to be about fundraising. It could be introducing your CEO to VIPs or politicians or lobbying on your behalf.
- Work with those participants to find out what and how they would like to help you more. Their skills may be the perfect match that you have been looking for.
Good luck!