Spreading Awareness Through Social Media

How do you use social media?

We all know social media is a great way to keep in contact with friends and family around the world, and that it’s a great way to promote oneself, a brand, or a business. But there are a number of other uses, such as spreading awareness for a special cause.

For example, every October, memes spread across Facebook for breast cancer awareness.

Have you ever seen those posts by women that have seemingly a random number after their name without context?

That was part of an ongoing meme that consisted of women privately messaging other women to change their status to something like their name and shoe size. And that left many people confused.

Especially men.

This confusion was part of why this went viral. It was like having a worldwide inside joke. It made people curious; they wanted in on the secret. Each time a woman asked about it, she got the explanation in a private message that said it was for breast cancer awareness and to pass it on.

This was an excellent way to get the attention of a lot of people and spread the word. However, the problem with this kind of viral content is it doesn’t usually include anything that can help the cause. With this specific one, for example, the private explanation just said something about it being for breast cancer awareness; it didn’t include any of the information about the disease or links to resources.

In adding these elements, there is more encouragement to take action. More so if there is a personal story that goes with the information because it allows for a more emotional connection to the cause.

This mindset can be used for different purposes. Think about the publishing world now. An author is trying to spread awareness of their book, but knowing about the book doesn’t do much good for selling it if there isn’t a purchase link, right?

Most people spend their days absorbing information about all kinds of different things, whether it’s at work, talking with friends, or scrolling through social media. In order for the information to stick, they need to be able to either connect with the post emotionally or be able to click on it right in that moment. Life moves so fast anymore, and people easily forget things that aren’t right there in front of them.

With social media’s ability to put information out into the world instantly, it is an incredibly tool for spreading awareness. Just remember to…

• Intrigue followers and catch attention

• Make them want to know more

• Have more information readily available

• Add a link or two (if applicable)