Missing a strategic marketing trick? The use of online social networks by UK charities

Abstract

This paper explores the use of online social networks in the charity sector. Twelve major UK charities from a range of sectors and three digital marketing agencies were selected to provide rich interview data on the current adoption of online social networks by UK charities. The empirical findings illustrate the diverse drivers in adopting online social networks including regaining control of a brand, external pressures and gaining new audiences. Levels of usage differed significantly and the resistors consistently cited were the lack of skills and resources. The strategic marketing implications for the development of online social networks are also outlined for the UK charity market. The value provided by this paper stems from exploring the organisational perspective rather than the consumer experience of contributing to social networks, within a context which is often overlooked, the charity sector.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rethinking measurements of social media use by charities

“…A qualitative investigation using interviews has also been carried out to discover the adoption of social media by charities in the UK, with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube the most widely implemented [18]. However little focus was placed on the targeted outcomes of using each social media service, so again it is difficult to attribute exactly why charities use social media [18].…”

“…Studies have suggested that there is a lack of understanding in charitable management around engaging through social media which -in addition to acting as a resistor to them being more widely adopted -could mean that they are not actually being used in the way the charity intends [18]. The second aim of this paper is to determine how charities currently perceive social media to be performing, and what measurements they use to establish this.…”

“…Various goals such as reaching the public [7], developing relationships [23], increasing civic engagement and collective action [15] and providing opportunities for fundraising [18] are often assumed to be desired on social media. With such varied aims, it is difficult to assess the social activities of a charity without knowing how, and the reasons behind why, that charity in particular actually uses social media.…”

The digital marketing skills gap: Developing a Digital Marketer Model for the communication industries

“…Quinton and Fennemore (2013) examine the use of online social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, by charities and found that barriers to use included lack of resources and, again, lack of social media marketing skills. Similarly Mulhern notes that while the onslaught of digital technologies poses huge challenges for communication industries, marketers lack both the mindset and the technical expertise to tackle this challenge (2009, p.86).…”

Identifying and assessing the factors affecting skill gap in digital marketing in communication industry companies

“…The use of online social networks such as Facebook and Twitter by charitable organizations, they found that the barriers to using digital marketing in these organizations include lack of resources and lack of social media marketing skills (FENNIMORE;QUINTON, 2013).…”