Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy & Social Media

Overview

Daniel Bradley

Syracuse UniversityCommunications Management Master’s Program

PRL 600 – Social Media August 12, 2013

For Educational Use Only

Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy & Social Media

• Background• Research Questions• Literature Review• Industry Thought Leader Interviews• Benefits of Social Media for CSR• Best Practices • Challenges • Conclusions• What’s Next

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Background

• What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?“CSR is a process with the aim to embrace responsibility for the company's actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders, and all other members of the public sphere who may also be considered stakeholders.”

*Source: Wikipedia – The Free Encyclopedia (2013)

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BackgroundSource: Cone Communications LLC (2013), www.conecomm.com

CSR Return

Social Impact

Engagement and Communications

Sustainable Business Practices

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Background

“Social media is transforming the face of CSR, as citizens worldwide have unprecedented access to information – via websites, blogs and apps – about corporate behavior.”*

*2013 Cone Communications/Echo GLOBAL CSR STUDY

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Background

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)Flourishing Business Function

Social Media Strategic Communication Vehicle for CSR

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Research Questions

• What are the best practices for integrating Social Media into CSR Strategy?

• What communications theories are applicable for CSR Strategy and Social Media?

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Literature Review

• Examination of research articles on Social Media and Traditional Channels

• Analysis of Communications Theories– Social Construction Theory (Frederick, 2008)– Competitive Context Theory (Porter & Kramer, 2006)– Community Relations Theory (Heath & Ni, 2010)– Stakeholder Engagement Theory (Heath & Ni, 2009)

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Industry Thought Leader Interviews

• Kate King, Digital Marketing Manager, Timberland, blog.timberland.com

• Linda Qian, CSR Communications Manager, Intel Corporation, @Intelinvolved

• Jonathan Yohannan, Executive Vice President, Cone Communications, @jyohannan

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Benefits of Social Media for CSR

• Social Media is a powerful communication vehicle that can amplify CSR messages and label a company as a good corporate citizen.

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Benefits of Social Media for CSR

• Transparent Nature of Society– It is expected that companies will do good and

communicate the good that they do.

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Benefits of Social Media for CSR

• Tool for listening, monitoring, and responding to conversations about your CSR efforts and relevant trends in the field.

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Benefits of Social Media for CSR

• Stakeholder Engagement and Dialogue– Thought Leaders, Social Influencers, Employees,

Consumers, Local Communities, and Regulators

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Benefits of Social Media for CSR

• Social Media is a natural fit for CSR.– Social Media is a world-wide phenomenon for

organizations to embrace. – If a company does not use Social Media for CSR,

stakeholders will assume nothing is being done.

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Best Practices

• Develop a systematic and comprehensive strategy with a solid foundation.– Define interests, passions, and audiences.– Construct the CSR identity of the brand.– Know the goals and purposes for CSR advocacy.

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Best Practices

• Create a solid infrastructure and agenda.– Don’t leave it to one area; involve all key players.– Clarify roles; form a Center of Excellence.– Invest in resources and personnel.– Establish user guidelines and train.– Empower CSR leaders.

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Best Practices

• Engage with Important Stakeholders.– Focus on stakeholders who have credibility,

influence, expertise, or relevance with core business issues.

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Best Practices

• Engage with Important Stakeholders.– Communicate with CSR Thought Leaders and

Social Influencers to ensure a seat at CSR Table.

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Best Practices

• Engage with Important Stakeholders.– Conduct regular employee engagement.• Create a social media channel for employees.• Display Employee CSR Engagement (volunteerism and

real impact stories) on social media platforms.

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Best Practices

• Engage with Important Stakeholders.– Involve the company’s local communities.– Establish neighborhood connections.

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Best Practices

• Engage with Important Stakeholders.– Respond to positive and negative conversations.

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Best Practices

• Content is King.– Content should align with the brand’s mission and

provide a competitive advantage.– Messages must be clear, honest, informative, and

compelling.

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Best Practices

• Storytelling– Explain what the brand is doing for CSR.– Use in-depth stories to highlight impact of CSR.– Humanize the content.– Describe the brand’s social identity.

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Best Practices

• Report Outcomes & Results of CSR Programs– Corporate Responsibility Report– Executive Summary– Use appropriate social media platforms.– Demonstrate impact of CSR.

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Best Practices

• Selection of Social Media Platforms– Look at strategy and where audiences are found.– Each platform has strengths and limitations.– Incorporate multiple channels if relevant.

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Best Practices

• Selection of Social Media Platforms– Twitter• Excellent channel for engaging with Thought Leaders

and Social Influencers• Discovery and networking tool• Real-time communications

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Best Practices

• Selection of Social Media Platforms– Blogs• Good for engaging with Thought Leaders and

stakeholders who share an interest in CSR topics• Excellent storytelling vehicle• Ability to share long-form content

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Best Practices

• Two Examples of Excellent Blogs – Intel: CSR@Intel

• Slogan: “Exchanging ideas and enriching lives through innovation in education, technology access and sustainable solutions.” *Source: Intel Corporation (2013)

• Blog.intel.com/csr/

– Timberland: the bootmakers blog• Slogan: “Stories from the Timberland community about our

brand, our business, our products and our passions. Making Our Difference: TBL CSR.” *Source: Timberland LLC (2013)

• Blog.timberland.com/category/corporate-social-responsibility/

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Best Practices

• Selection of Social Media Platforms– Facebook• Highlights a brand’s CSR efforts to large audiences.• Good way to engage consumers• Excellent channel for using pictures to tell a story

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Best Practices

• Define success and measure outcomes.– Measurement programs should include

quantitative and qualitative metrics.

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Challenges

• Social Media is inherently risky. – Lack of Control– Message Interpretation Issues– Inability to formulate how data affects society

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Challenges

• Lack of adequate strategies or infrastructure– The building blocks are not defined.– Content is not aligned with business strategy.– Using Social Media for demonstration only.

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Challenges

• The more a company talks about CSR, the greater chance for negative feedback, criticism, and scrutiny.

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Conclusions Research Question #1

• Best practices for integrating Social Media into CSR Strategy:– Develop a comprehensive strategy. – Create a solid infrastructure.– Monitor and listen to CSR feedback.– Align content with business goals.– Engage with important stakeholders.– Select social media platforms appropriately.– Tell your brand’s CSR story explicitly & consistently.– Measure outcomes for success.

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Conclusions Research Question #2

• These communications theories are valuable for CSR Strategy & Social Media.– Social Construction Theory

– Competitive Context Theory

– Community Relations Theory

– Stakeholder Engagement Theory CSR Strategy & Social Media

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What’s Next? (The Trends)

• Importance of Social Media in CSR Strategy• Storytelling and Discussion over Statistics• CSR Complexity • Stakeholder Engagement• Niceness• Performance

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What’s Next (The Future)

• The concept of CSR will continue to evolve.• Trust and Innovation will be paramount.• Social media will broaden CSR opportunities. • Engagement will drive CSR reputation as a

good corporate citizen.

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What’s Next (The Future)

• “Social media is increasingly supplementing / replacing more traditional means of communications (press releases, pitch letters, etc.) and I think that’s going to continue regardless of whether the “story” is product-related or CSR-focused. Social presents so many great opportunities that we haven’t had in traditional communications to share our stories and engage on a deeper level with consumers and that’s exciting.”*

*Source: Kate King, Digital Marketing Manager, Timberland, Personal Communication (2013)

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CSR Strategy & Social Media

• Questions• Email: dbradley93@verizon.net• Twitter: @dmbrad93

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