What is CSR?
CSR, aka corporate social responsibility, is “a self-regulating business model that helps a company be socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the public,” (Hansen, 2023). It entails a company being aware of the impact it has on all areas of society, whether it be environmental, social, or economic. The main goal of CSR is to strengthen a firm’s brand image by actively operating in ways that help, not harm, our world.
As Earth Day was just yesterday, we can look at how companies utilized social media to showcase their CSR in the environmental impacts category. The other main sections of CSR are ethical responsibility, philanthropic endeavors, and financial responsibilities.
Earth Day Examples
Encourage Action:
This strategy engages with the brand’s followers, and encourages them to get involved in their own way
Show Real Company Operations:
By giving an inside look to how the company is actively partaking in CSR, a brand is seen to be more credible and trustworthy
Use Imagery to Tell a Story:
By creating content that relates to the average consumer, companies humanize themselves and show they do understand and care
key takeaways
“Individual companies that promote their CSR initiatives on social media garner more loyalty from their followers”
IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs, 2017
Though CSR-rooted social media posts may not be as common as a brand’s typical advertising, they are still necessary. By taking a genuine interest in their impact on issues such as the environment, companies are able to engage more with their customers, as both parties live in the same world being affected. Though I would not recommend the overproduction of this type of content for risk of being disingenuous, it is increasingly important in today’s day and age for these large businesses to partake in the conversation. If not for the purpose of ensuring integrity, but also to uphold public opinion, every social media team should always create a strategy for this sector of the business.
Resources:
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corp-social-responsibility.asp
https://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/initiatives/pdfs/CCCA_whitepaper_4-18.pdf
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrW1mwFvh_t/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/02/17/how-should-companies-communicate-csr-on-social-media/?sh=16aea362c2d0
One reply on “How to Use Social Media to Communicate CSR”
Hi Julianne. Yes, CSR seems to be trending lately! However, I do not think that it is a fad and is here to stay. Inclusivity is very important and I am glad that companies are taking the initiatives to have this conversation.