Before I came on-board at Radian6, I spearheaded a unique holiday campaign for eMail Our Military (eMOM) that used social media to support U.S. troops. eMOM’s “Holiday Love Project” had been using traditional methods like email marketing and radio advertising since its inception in 2001, but our organization didn’t exceed its campaign goals until we brought social media into the mix in 2008.

The Goals

The goals were lofty but we decided to go big or go home. We wanted to increase brand awareness, get registrations up and raise $2500.00 in sponsored care packages. As a small organization, eMOM had never aimed that high before, but we had a thriving online community so we gave it a shot!

Communication and Collaboration

How did social media make a difference? Social media gave eMOM the ability to have real-time communication with their community. As individuals and businesses showed their support, we were able to thank these sponsors immediately through our blog, Facebook page and Twitter account. We were able to discuss our daily progress, collaborate on ideas, bond with our community and share stories around our holiday campaign. It was an experience like no other we had before!

Crowd Sourcing

Social media also gave our organization the opportunity to receive instant feedback and a chance to implement change at will. For example, when our troop supporters wanted to know if their mail had made it to the office, or what our outgoing care packages to service members  would look like, we grabbed our digital cameras, snapped pictures and posted them to the eMOM Flickr account. In addition, we shared the photos and the stories that went along with them across our organization’s social media outposts. This gave our community a way to keep up with what we were doing as it was unfolding and what was going on behind the scenes in our office. Social media gave the eMOM community a way to share their thoughts and opinions on the campaign, directly and immediately with us and it made them feel like they were truly a part of our project. You can use crowd sourcing to tap into your community as well.

Community Sharing Power

eMOM made it easy for their community to come together and support their campaign. We created buttons and banners that could be shared on websites, blogs and across other social networks. We used widgets that could track the progress of our holiday campaign and we encouraged our community to grab the code and share it. For those who couldn’t contribute financially, we provided alternatives to give everyone a chance to participate in some way. Through social networks like Facebook and Twitter, we were able to connect with like-minded individuals and reach a broader audience. Social media helped us rally our troop supporters and create a buzz that had an amazing ripple effect.

Cost Effective

Like many grassroots, charitable organizations, eMOM was operating on a shoe-string budget. We also relied on a handful of unpaid, but very dedicated volunteers. Because of this, social media was a great option. It allowed us to launch our holiday campaign for a fraction of what it once cost, and harness the power of the social web. By adding social to our campaign, eMail Our Military was able to efficiently and cost-effectively exceed its project goals.

Learn more about making successful social campaigns in our latest eBook, “Four Steps to Integrating Social Media Into Successful Campaigns.”

Have you been a part of an organization that’s successfully implemented social media into its campaigns? Are you including social media as a part of your projects? Tweet us at @radian6 or leave a comment below.

Tags: campaign, Community, eMail Our Military, eMOM, engagement, Holiday Love Project, intermediate, Social Good