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: [email protected]• Twitter: @dmbrad93
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