Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy & Social Media

Overview Daniel Bradley

Syracuse University Communications Management Masters 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 Whats Next
CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only 2

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)
CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only 3

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

Engagement and Communications Sustainable Business Practices

Social Impact

CSR Return
CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only 4

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

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

Background
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Flourishing Business Function

Social Media
Strategic Communication Vehicle for CSR

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

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?

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

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)

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

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

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

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.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

10

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.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

11

Benefits of Social Media for CSR

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

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

12

Benefits of Social Media for CSR

Stakeholder Engagement and Dialogue
Thought Leaders, Social Influencers, Employees, Consumers, Local Communities, and Regulators

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

13

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.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

14

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.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

15

Best Practices
Create a solid infrastructure and agenda.
Dont 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.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

16

Best Practices
Engage with Important Stakeholders.
Focus on stakeholders who have credibility, influence, expertise, or relevance with core business issues.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

17

Best Practices
Engage with Important Stakeholders.
Communicate with CSR Thought Leaders and Social Influencers to ensure a seat at CSR Table.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

18

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.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

19

Best Practices
Engage with Important Stakeholders.
Involve the companys local communities. Establish neighborhood connections.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

20

Best Practices
Engage with Important Stakeholders.
Respond to positive and negative conversations.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

21

Best Practices
Content is King.
Content should align with the brands mission and provide a competitive advantage. Messages must be clear, honest, informative, and compelling.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

22

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 brands social identity.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

23

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

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

24

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.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

25

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

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

26

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

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

27

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/

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

28

Best Practices
Selection of Social Media Platforms
Facebook
Highlights a brands CSR efforts to large audiences. Good way to engage consumers Excellent channel for using pictures to tell a story

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

29

Best Practices
Define success and measure outcomes.
Measurement programs should include quantitative and qualitative metrics.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

30

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

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

31

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.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

32

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

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

33

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 brands CSR story explicitly & consistently. Measure outcomes for success.
CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only 34

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 Educational Use Only 35

Whats Next? (The Trends)

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

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

36

Whats 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.

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

37

Whats Next (The Future)

Social media is increasingly supplementing / replacing more traditional means of communications (press releases, pitch letters, etc.) and I think thats going to continue regardless of whether the story is product-related or CSR-focused. Social presents so many great opportunities that we havent had in traditional communications to share our stories and engage on a deeper level with consumers and thats exciting.*
*Source: Kate King, Digital Marketing Manager, Timberland, Personal Communication (2013)

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

38

CSR Strategy & Social Media

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

CSR Strategy & Social Media Educational Use Only

39