Climate content is often suppressed by social algorithms because it’s not exceptionally engaging. A cause as global as climate change should be widely distributed, however, most scientific research on the impact of climate change is published in academic journals, and not in more accessible content sources. The Estuary & Ocean Science Center (EOS) wanted to find a way to create a cause marketing campaign related to climate change and the impact on marine life easier to digest and inspire action from non-academic audiences.
EOS at San Francisco State University is located in Central San Francisco Bay along a naturally deep water channel that hugs the shoreline just inside the Gold Gate Bridge. With access via a deepwater port, the Romberg Tiburon Campus is an ideal location for a science center focused on coastal and marine ecosystems. Deepwater port access is critical for marine science and education. In fact, no other higher education institution has a marine science laboratory located on the San Francisco Bay. The prime location is perfectly suited to address environmental justice confronting urban coastal regions.
The mission of EOS is to build a scientific understanding of how humans can affect and mitigate the effects of climate change. EOS is well-known for its motto of “connecting science, society and the sea.” The organization’s fundraising efforts are centered around the science of climate change and how people's choices make an impact on the marine environment. EOS tapped 48 West Agency to deliver a social cause marketing campaign to awareness about the impact of climate change on marine life.
Social media can compel people to action, the Georgetown University CSIC and Waggener Edstrom Worldwide released a study noting (55%) of people who engaged with causes via social media have been inspired to take further action. Action can include donating money, participating in an event, volunteering, and more. With such an important mission we jumped on the opportunity to raise awareness, engage with their supporters and find creative ways to generate donations to the cause.
After outlining the goals, we sought to find the right strategy and tools to create meaningful connections that would drive people to donate. We didn't want to lose sight of the bigger picture, so our strategy included planning a social media calendar centered on the type of compelling content that would inspire people to take action.
A social media calendar is one of the best ways to track and test strategies and messaging and see what sticks with the target audience. Planning out a social calendar months in advance, and scheduling posts, saved the small team the time of combing through trends and news stories every day. Calendars also help build consistency in brand voice and posting. We like to follow an 80/20 rule. 80% scheduled content, leaving 20% of capacity available to jump on a trending topic or user-generated content. The EOS social media calendar was full of differentiated content and call to action, like problem statements, memes, surveys, infographics, videos, photos, and statistics.
Here are some things we learned along the journey:
Our job as marketers is to connect people to the problem
Making the science more accessible means finding a new way to get the information into the hands of potential donors and continue to educate audiences. Like any technical topic, the answer is more digestible content - something research organizations tend to lack. If you want to be perceived as an advocate of the cause, and you want your cause to help mitigate in a positive, measurable way, you have to be accessible without talking down to your audience. Implementing easy to consume content makes it easier for more people to participate. One example, take a scientific report and write an easier-to-read blog synopsis for the non-scientific audience. Such efforts will go a long way in building a community of advocates.
Find Birds of a Feather
Supplement your own cause marketing content with curated posts from partners, donors, board members, etc. related to your niche or industry. These posts might be ones that mention you or a reshare of articles that have a unique view that your audience would enjoy.
Change language when talking about climate change
Climate change is a polarizing topic, particularly on social media platforms. EOS wanted to be known as a curator of good data and ideas, that didn’t try to scare people with dire messaging. We worked closely with EOS to unveil the value of integrated storytelling by leveraging their research. Finding the stories that bring people together will make it relevant to a wider audience by adapting phrasing to avoid sounding like the sky is falling.
Be Hyper Relevant
If you don’t have enough data to accurately gauge what your audience likes, create different types of content to see what your audience engages with most. Some content should serve the purpose to educate and some to promote. Overall, make sure social content in the calendar is intended to help your audience grow closer to the cause. A good start is ⅔ of the content informational and ⅓ or less should be promotional. A constant stream of overly promotional calls to donate can alienate followers, it is essential to focus on engagement over donations in your social media calendar. Watch the trends in your engagement to find trends and patterns in content and posting times, then curate the social calendar over time.
Continuously Improve
Think of your social media calendar as a series of experiments with constant refinement. This will give you a better understanding of your audiences and help you build a social media calendar that consistently delivers results. Cause-related social media is all about engaging the people who are interested in your cause, providing them with value, and inspiring them to take action. Cause marketing is not just a philanthropic endeavor — it can build a base through authentic engagement and lead to building an active community.
]]>The Phoenix Business Journal honored some of the Valley’s outstanding professionals Dec. 1 at the 11th annual Most Admired Leaders event, and 48 West Agency's CEO, Leigh Dow was among the honorees.
The 28 honorees in the 2020 class come from a variety of industries and backgrounds, but they all are recognized for the strong leadership they have shown in their respective careers and while giving back to the community. This year's winners were chosen out of more than 150 applicants by a panel of former Most Admired Leader award recipients. Arizona Bank & Trust sponsored the virtual event.
See Leigh's full interview with the Phoenix Business Journal.
]]>
PHOENIX, Ariz., Oct. 8, 2020 – 48 West Agency CEO, Leigh Dow, was recently named to the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council. NSBA is the nation’s oldest small-business advocacy organization and operates on a staunchly nonpartisan basis. Dow, a recognized leader in the small-business community, joins the NSBA Leadership Council alongside other small-business advocates from across the country as they work to promote the interests of small business to policymakers in Washington, D.C.
The NSBA Leadership Council is a select group of small-business activists who have a desire to improve America’s small-business community by advocating on behalf of NSBA’s small-business members with Congress, the administration, and the media. “As a small-business owner, I see daily how small businesses are navigating an unprecedented year. My previous work in government affairs taught me how important it is for the small-business community to stay connected to their legislators. It is important to be involved and active when it comes to laws and regulation,” stated Dow. “Joining NSBA’s Leadership Council will give me a platform to take the collective small-business message to those that need to hear it most: Congress.”
With 25 years of both Fortune 500 and small business experience, Dow has founded two successful marketing and public relations agencies that tenaciously provide clients with creative PR, marketing and communications strategies. She is an experienced information architect with a reputation for designing marketing and publicity strategies that deliver significant results. She has received numerous accolades for her leadership, entrepreneurship and community involvement and is a 2018, 2019 and 2020 Business Journal Mentor, a Phoenix Business Journal Leadership Trust member, and a Phoenix Business Journal 2018 Outstanding Women in Business honoree. Most recently, she was name as one of the Phoenix Business Journal's 2020 Most Admired Leaders.
Dow joined the NSBA Leadership Council as part of her efforts to step up involvement in tackling the many critical issues facing small business, including tax reform, regulatory restraint, health care costs and how the Affordable Care Act will impact small business. The NSBA Leadership Council is focused on providing valuable networking between small-business advocates from across the country while ensuring small business a seat at the table as Congress and regulators take up key small-business proposals.
“I am proud to have Leigh as part of our Leadership Council,” stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. “She came to us highly recommended and I look forward our coordinated efforts for years to come.”
For more on the NSBA Leadership Council, please visit www.nsba.biz
ABOUT 48 WEST AGENCY
48 West Agency (48W) is an award-winning, full-service agency providing creative solutions to your toughest marketing and public relations challenges. At 48 West, you will find senior executives with Fortune 100 experience leading strategy development that delivers revenue generation. Our teams understand the multi-layered world of global marketing, reputation management, marketing partnerships, and distribution channels. To see what 48W can do for you visit www.48westagency.com.
]]>Sway Media has signed on to sponsor the IC Summits Virtual Texas Marketing Summit October 14. 2020. The event is designed to create purposeful, substantial, and relevant dialogue and connections within the marketing community.
With panels and presentations led by industry thought-leaders, this annual event provides the opportunity to address key marketing questions, as well as serve as a catalyst for new insight and ideas. During the online events, the Summit will connect attendees with service providers who are ready to aid in tackling marketing needs.
Sway Media's Managing Director, Leigh Dow, will moderate the panel "New Technology and Digital Evolution" discussing how brands have adapted their digital marketing strategies to the COVID era, and how digital marketing will be changed overall. The panelists will cover:
Learn more at www.icsummits.com/virtual-texas.
]]>The ranking follows our recent recognition for innovation in PR for eradicating the retainer and contracts. At Sway, we credit this rapid ascent to the measurable impacts we produce for clients. We’re on a mission to grow your brand share of voice by winning media coverage. Instead of locking you into long term retainer contracts, you only pay for what you need with our simple, affordable and transparent packages.
"Recognition like this, especially in our first year of business, demonstrates the dedication of the team and our commitment to achieving quality results for our clients," said Leigh Dow, founder and Managing Director of Sway Media. "I couldn't be more proud that our clients consistently praise our results, customer service and responsiveness, it's the tenants of our agency and our dedication to driving continuous successful growth."
Founded in 2019 by the award-winning marketing team at 48 West Agency, Sway Media wants everyone to have the ability to promote their brand through accessible, responsive, professional PR and social media marketing on a consistent basis.
This agency focused on seeing our clients celebrated in media and growing their business. We believe in giving back to our community, and continue to pursue charitable efforts, and are dedicated to helping others grow with our products, support, and industry knowledge.
]]>The “BAM Boogie Nights” at Sayers Club hosted by Sean van der Wilt on Saturday, December 7th was the perfect showcase forthe emerging talent SAZ, and van der Wilt featuring KEZ. The intimate living room performance experience at Sayers is built on interiors that include mixed materials including reclaimed wood and steel. It presents itself as an environment of comfort, inclusion and experimentation, where guests can be found relaxing on leather-tufted sofas, beneath the warm glow of Edison lighting. On the outside Sayers is nondescript, but the inside takes the hidden bar concept to the next level with an intimate secret space that is perfect for debuting new talent.
Located in the heart of Hollywood, the avant-garde club is best known for displaying a diverse program of new entertainers in a live performance setting. The club management has created a welcoming environment that promotes inclusivity in a very intimate and contemporary performance space. Managed by avid music fans, the room is always filled with immensely creative types ready and willing to experiment with different music genres and let loose. The Boogie Nights Christmas Disco party was no exception.
The night’s performances kicked off with the multifaceted performer, singer and songwriter van der Wilt. Returning to what he called his favorite aspect of entertainment, singing, van der Wilt delivered with a high energy performance. A highlight of the performance was the recently dropped video of his newly released single, “Silence” featuring KEZ. Silence is made even more beautiful through the sign language KEZ employs as part of the performance, demonstrating that more inclusion within the arts is both important and relevant now more than ever. Recently van der Wilt revealed on 20/20 that he is losing his hearing in one ear, so the lyrics of this song are especially dear to him. Both entertainers know it’s important to have interpreters at live music performances because music is about connecting with people. Interpreters break down barriers and allow for equal access to the overall experience. van der Wilt and his dance crew delivered his infectious and inspired set with a very cheeky sense of humor.
van der Wilt’s performance was followed up by a new Los Angeles based singer/songwriter, SAZ, who is entering the music scene with magnetism and electric energy. Inspired by the foreign, ancient cultures, in addition to avant-garde fashion and existential expression, SAZ weaves old-world magic with galactic whimsey throughout his music to invoke a greater sense of connection to the universe. His music intends to awaken the spirit and heal the heart. His three-song set took us on a tour through a world of universal love, acceptance and compassion. SAZ took the stage to perform two songs from his latest studio work and gave us a spirited rendition of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”. The two original songs he performed delivered a deeply personal message.
van der Wilt continues to create innovative live performances for the management team at Sayers. The mysterious Sayers Club is only open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. To get in and experience this unique concept club, you will need to get your name on the list.
The Sayers Club
Where: 1645 Wilcox Ave., L.A.
When: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, beginning at 10 p.m.
Price: No cover, but the list is tough.
Info: (323) 871-8233