Harnessing social media as a source for good

Love it or hate it, social media plays an important role in our community and can reveal a lot about a future employer.

It’s fair to assume that most of us have a love-hate relationship with social media. 

These platforms keep us abreast of global affairs, inform us of the latest trends, and connect us with our friends and family (sometimes too often). But social media is also responsible for the experiences of doom-scrolling and poor mental health, including anxiety, depression and eating disorders.

Increased access to mobile devices and the internet has boosted the growth of social media usage into unparalleled figures – and its popularity continues to rise despite its negative consequences. 

According to recent data published by Statista, over four billion people used social media worldwide last year alone, a number that is expected to increase to almost six billion in 2027. These platforms have become so commonplace, that we spend on average 147 minutes every day on social media and messaging apps.

Social media offers a powerful opportunity for job seekers to portray themselves to their future employer. But it also works in the reverse, as a critical tool to help job seekers determine whether they should engage with a potential future employer.

If an organisation is playing the social media game correctly, it has chosen the right platform or platforms that best align with its audience and messaging. TikTok, for example, is proving to be an incredibly engaging tool to target young donors, while LinkedIn is regularly used in the corporate sector. 

Organisations should have also done their research and have a strong understanding of the type of content, including social stories, infographics and videos, as well as the time of day and level of frequency to post in order to captivate a following. Doing so helps to create an online community and demonstrates that an organisation understands the importance of harnessing digital sources to effect change.

One great example of an organisation leveraging social media to effectively spread its message and attract a broad audience was seen in the partnership between not-for-profit humanitarian organisation Red Cross Australia and Twitter.

In response to the recent flooding across the east and south coast of Australia, the partnership launched a campaign urging community members to prepare for a natural disaster emergency, stay informed and seek support. The campaign was supported by Twitter for Good, a program that offers pro bono advertising credits to not-for-profit organisations selected by the social media platform.

Twitter Australia’s Tim Dunlop said almost five million people viewed the campaign in the first 24 hours it was live and provided key tips to use social media to your advantage:

• Follow trusted sources. This will increase your presence and help you understand what key organisations are talking about and looking for. 
• Use relevant hashtags. Hashtags can make your Tweets be seen by others in the sector, including future employers, and can also be used to help understand what is trending online. 
• Tag other accounts. Tagging relevant accounts will increase the likelihood of someone retweeting your post and adds value to the community.