Comment: Social media and CSR
This Ramadan, Iconsulthotels joined a number of other startup companies and passionate bloggers for the #fillingtheblues charity initiative.
Every night during Ramadan, our motley crew, loosely gathered around Tahir Shah of Moto Roti fame, served iftar to approximately 100 labourers. It was a rewarding experience to be part of and it got me thinking about the role social and digital media can play in your hotel’s or restaurant’s corporate CSR activities.
#fillingtheblues came together purely through Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Now in its third year, people heard about it online and simply joined forces with those that were already participating, which shows the force social media postings can have when it comes to charitable initiatives.
It’s no coincidence, in my opinion, that the “S” in “CSR” stands for “social” — gone are the days of companies issuing press releases about their community and charity work. Today’s guests and customers will spread the word for you through social media — if they like what you do, and if you are open and transparent.
The key to successfully spreading the word about your CSR work on social media is to share, not sell. Thanks to social media’s transparency, companies using CSR as an “excuse” to sell, rather than genuinely do good, are often quickly found out and the resulting backlash can be devastating.
Honesty and engagement go a long way and it’s a good idea to start with your employees first, who should be your keenest audience. Find out who is online and where and ask them to share your CSR initiatives, and also listen to what others say about them.
You should aim to inspire, whether you’re doing a charity run or rehabilitating wild animals. Authenticity is key, as is getting all stakeholders involved in the process.
Combine your CSR publicity with storytelling and let your audience know why you have chosen the activities you’re engaging in. If you haven’t yet delved into CSR work, make sure that you have put together a strategy first. You could even use social media to crowd source ideas.
This is a great way to build social connections with people who feel as passionately as you do about certain causes. Such networks come in handy in times of crises, too, because your supporters can and will speak up for you.
If you are engaged in successful CSR initiatives, don’t feel shy to talk about them online. Wherever possible, cover CSR events live and give them suitable hashtags. Starwood’s #sheratonday is a great example of hashtag usage to bring the various international activities surrounding this internal CSR initiative under one umbrella.
Also important is to make your website’s CSR section interactive — there are still too many hotel websites that make it difficult for users to share excerpts and individual sections. Remember, you want people to talk about your work on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and all the other social platforms out there — so make it easy for them to do so!
Truly successful and popular CSR activities might even deserve their own space on social media. Jumeirah created http://www.facebook.com/turtle.rehabilitation for its involvement in the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project and it’s great fun to follow the progress of the released turtles via Facebook. Posts on the page also attract a lot of “likes” and “shares”.
Lastly, you can also use social media to link up with other companies around the world who are engaged in similar activities — it’s good to connect with them, and there is strength in numbers. Whatever you do: Keep it social!
About the Author:
Martin Kubler is owner, director and chief cook and bottle washer of Iconsulthotels FZE, an ultra-boutique hospitality consultancy in Dubai. Email: info@iconsulthotels.com or visit facebook.com/iconsulthotels