thearchitectsneighbour

[thearchitectsneighbour]

Social Media Audit: Canadian Red Cross

Abstract

With 155,000 Twitter followers, 132,000 Facebook followers, 19,600 Instagram followers, and over 60,000 app downloads, the Canadian Red Cross has a substantial social media presence.  

Introduction

The Red Cross is a multi-national organization that serves to prevent and alleviate human suffering around the world in emergency situations. The Red Cross is essential in today’s world to help with humanitarian crises that are happening, whether it be war, natural disaster, or preparedness. The work they do is extremely valuable and helps the greater good of society through the mobilization of power driven by donors and volunteers.

We studied the social media presence of the Canadian Red Cross – Mainly, we focused on their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and apps. We observed all the above platforms for strengths and weaknesses which included obsolete and out-dated approaches, audience awareness, repeated information between platforms, visual dynamics, too many posts, and multimedia usage. Our goal in this report is to identify ways to improve the audience engagement of the Canadian Red Cross.

The target demographic of the Canadian Red Cross, on their social media platforms, is adult, middle-class and above Canadians. The bulk of their content is aimed at recruiting volunteers and raising funds for their charitable work, subsequently, they want to appeal to people who have either extra time (retirement age) or extra funds (age 30 to 60). Their online media involves appropriate social factors including listening, customer care, reach, and relationships.1 This outreach serves to reduce anxiety, stop misinformation, and solicit information from the public when support is needed.

More about the Canadian Red Cross can be found here: 

Social Media Strengths 

Outreach - The Red Cross includes a wide variety of photos in all their media and their photo content is evenly split between professional-quality versus amateur, with shots of both volunteers (not models) and emergency aid situations. Videos and blog posts offer interviews and information about a wide variety of situations. This balance will effectively target their audience as the multimedia encourages people to either volunteer or to donate.

Functionality - The Canadian Red Cross is partnered with Dell Digital Business Services with the aim of more efficient disaster responses through optimization of their social media presence. Facebook Live gives real-time answers to questions, and boots-on-the-ground staff members add in-the-moment content to the Instagram feed. The Be Ready app offers real-time disaster alerts for a wide variety of emergency situations such as tornadoes, earthquakes, and forest fires based on your location and you can opt in or out of different scenarios depending on risk factors. The First Aid app gives clear, simple instructions with animated demonstrations according to the emergency you click on. The list of first aid emergencies ranges from anaphylaxis to unresponsiveness.

Consistency - The branding of the charity’s social media is consistent across all platforms. The logo and colour scheme of white and red are easily recognizable and utilized effectively on all social media. They consistently use the same hashtags, #RedCrossHelps or #PhotoOfTheWeek, making it easy for their audience to follow them, and most of their social media accounts are verified, showcasing trust and establishment of the brand.

Social Media Weaknesses

Sharing the Same Content across Platforms. The Red Cross is not curating content to be specific to their respective accounts. By doing this, they are not creating an incentive for the user to follow multiple accounts (very much a faux-pas in the social media world). As quoted by Hootsuite, “Things like caption length, image formatting, and vocabulary differ by platform. Sharing the exact same post on all of them means you might accidentally end up inviting your followers to retweet you on Facebook or pin you on Instagram.”3

Boring Content. Their current content does not inspire users to follow them extensively and be engaged with the content. As mentioned previously, the current content is repetitive, which does not make people want to be engaged with the posts. Many of the posts are simply headshots of people and are not that interesting in themselves. This means that users are getting a lot of similar stories, week after week, which is leading to very low overall engagement on posts, especially on platforms such as Facebook, where some posts only receive around 13 likes despite having 132k followers. As well, their Facebook presence is overwhelming; they tend to flood this platform, leading to users not seeing posts due to algorithms that limit this behavior.

Lack of Overall Aesthetics. The static website is not very inspiring and is not interesting for the user to follow.4 In addition, currently on their social media, they frequently post images that appear to be raw and unedited, which leads to the content being un-inspiring and not captivating for the user. They are not optimizing their platform to brand themselves.

Small Language Capacity. A lot of international and a subset of Canadian users have trouble reading English. Increasing their social media language capacity can help reach out to a greater range of audiences5 which may help to expedite emergency relief efforts. Double posting is a great tactic to use in situations such as this, as seen in the below examples with the government of Canada.

Recommendations & Conclusion

While the Canadian Red Cross has utilized many platforms to engage their target audience, there is still much room for improvement. To encourage users to follow them through multiple platforms, the Canadian Red Cross should provide photos and information that are unique to each platform. Increasing their exposure of diverse groups, and sharing more aesthetically pleasing content will help further improve their platform. 

The static website, while not ancient, could use updating to engage a younger audience. Embedding videos or animation, taking advantage of parallax scrolling, and adding volunteer bios on each page will add interest and increase audience engagement. As well, more leeway could be given to volunteers to provide amateur real-life photos which could be edited by someone on the social media team. Alternately, uploading in real time would make the audience feel that they were a part of the crisis solution even if they only donated money.

The Red Cross has a strong foundation in their social media practice, but with these recommendations, and further improving their weaknesses, they could have a social presence that is optimized to reach and help more people.

Bibliography

1) https://www.sendible.com/insights/social-media-for-nonprofits

2) https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/309671

3) https://blog.hootsuite.com/cross-promote-social-media/

4) https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234129

5) https://blog.hootsuite.com/multilingual-social-media-presence/

6) https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/297367

[thearchitectsneighbour]

Red Cross – Strengths and Weaknesses of their Social Media (Social Media Audit, Part A)

Introduction/Background

The Red Cross is a multi-national organization that supports people around the world across multiple contexts. The Red Cross is essential in today’s world to help with humanitarian crises that are happening, whether it be war, natural disaster, or preparedness. The work they do is extremely valuable and helps the greater good of society. More about their organization can be found in this video.

The Red Cross is not a traditional user of social media; however, they do have a strong presence across multiple platforms. The Red Cross, however, could further optimize social media to strengthen the impact of their work and help even more of Canada. In this report, we will outline areas that are currently performing well for them and suggestions for how they could further improve their social media presence to enhance and complement the important work that they are doing. For the context of this report, we will focus on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Strengths of Current Social Media

Overall, good social media

The Canadian Red Cross currently has a strong social media presence

Of the 3 major platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), they have actively posting accounts on all of them. A strong amount of followers Twitter (155k Followers), Facebook (132K Followers), Instagram (19.6k Followers)

The same logo/ profile picture is used across all of their platforms (the red cross with the -.ca)

Most of the accounts are verified, showcasing trust in the brand

Good messaging

They are already optimizing their platform for good, such as by posting warnings and updates on their accounts to help their followers (Facebook Live, Twitter, Instagram Live)

Share stories from their volunteers and people who have been affected by the good work of the red cross (they show how they are making an impact)

Do this by using a consistent hashtag (either #RedCrossHelps, or #PhotoOfTheWeek)

Weaknesses of Current Social Media  While the Canadian Red Cross does have a lot of strong social media practices, they are still using tactics that are not updated to today’s social media standards. Below are some of the major issues:

Sharing the Same Content Across Platforms – they are not curating content to be specific to their respective accounts

Content is not specific to each platform which does not create an incentive for the user to follow multiple accounts (very much a faux-pas in the social media world)

Content is not interesting on each platform and does not tell the true story of the brand, and does not allow the user to fully understand their work (repetition)

As quoted by Hootsuite “Things like caption length, image formatting, and vocabulary differ by platform. Sharing the exact same post on all of them means you might accidentally end up inviting your followers to retweet you on Facebook, or Pin your post on Instagram”

Boring Content - their current content does not inspire people to want to follow them extensively

Current content is repetitive and boring, which does not make people want to be engaged with the posts

Lots of posts that are simply just headshots of people and are not that interesting (users are getting a lot of similar stories, week after week)

This is leading to very low overall engagement on posts, especially on platforms such as Facebook, where some posts only receive around 13 likes despite having 132k followers

Not enough content that is specific to their work in Canada --> the user doesn’t fully understand what they do in Canada

Too many posts – posting too many times in one day

On some days, they can have up to 5 posts per day on Facebook --> this leads to users not seeing the posts, due to algorithms on the platforms that prevent users from being bombarded by posts from a given page

The posts typically have links that link to their website, which is effective sometimes but should not be used in every post

Lack of Overall Aesthetics – not interesting for the user to follow

Currently, they are very much just posting images that appear to be raw and unedited

Imagery is all very much the same and is not interesting or captivating

Not many other visual elements, need more graphics

Instagram – not being used to its best capacity

Unverified account, which does not instill trust in people to follow the account

As according to entrepreneur.com, this is an important aspect to ensure people understand your account is the proper one to follow

Significantly lower followers as compared to their other platforms.

Boring images that are also shared on other platforms – does not fit in with what other accounts are posting on Instagram

Current Instagram:

Recommendation:

Diversify the content that is being shared, and curate content that is more specific to certain accounts

Interesting and edited imagery on Instagram that captures more intensity and showcases more of the brand and what they do

Share more of the ‘news’ type events on Facebook and updates about the work they are doing

Focus Twitter on being more of the ‘instant news’ platform with updates on natural disasters, and a place for users to interact and ask questions

Sources:

Hootsuite - https://blog.hootsuite.com/cross-promote-social-media/

Entrepreneur - https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/309671

[thearchitectsneighbour]

Learn About SEO!

Hello homebodies! Check out my newest post, that talks all about SEO. I even did it on a twitter essay format!

(1/9) Hey, @ArchFromAfar homebodies 🏡! Want the secret to making your website get more views? Well, its lying right in front of you! Search Engine Optimization (#SEO), is the key to helping you find your customer! So, how can SEO magically help you? Let's go 👉 pic.twitter.com/lwFliIbJ9C

(2/9) Well, to start, it's the EASIEST way for you to find customers who are looking for what you have. How nice is that? SEO helps you rank on searches, so it’s easier for your customers who are looking for you, to find you. A modern-day love story ❤

(3/9) Ok, now let's start with the basics - @Google is the Ferrari🏎 of the internet and the king/queen of everything to do with SEO. More people use Google than any other search engine, so it is important to optimize your website to match their strict SEO guidelines.

(4/9) So the thing is, if your website isn't ranking on the first page of Google search results relevant to you, your customers aren't going to find you #tragic. 94% of users don't go past the first page, and 63% don't even look past the first three results. Uh oh 😮

(5/9) BUT FEAR NOT 🙅🏼! There are easy ways to get your website to rank. First - your website needs to contain keywords that are relevant to your website. For example, with my blog, I am going to want to have lots of content on my website with architecture #buzzwords.

(6/9) However, keywords are not the be all and end all of SEO. It is also so important for your website to be linked elsewhere on the internet 💻🤓. This is called backlinking. Google wants to see that your website is #credible and #legit. This helps remove useless fluff.

(7/9) So - how do I get backlinks you may be asking? Well, you need to get your website featured on other websites, blogs, social media outlets or anywhere that a link could be on the internet. Keep in mind bigger and more established backlinks are more valuable to Google 📲!

(8/9) Whoof - that was a lot of info. To sum it up I have made a simple equation --> keyword optimization + credible backlinks on other sites = high ranking = more customers! SEO can make a HUGE impact on your business, so go out and optimize your site! 👏👏

(9/9) Oh, and before I forget, don’t forget to update your content frequently, to keep your SEO ranking #fresh. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions on how you can improve your SEO ranking. Good luck out there, SEO’ers!! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/UQMYjyjUwL

(SIDENOTE) All credit for the information from these tweets goes to Paul from @bluehost. Thanks so much for the help! 

LINK TO THREAD: 

https://twitter.com/ArchFromAfar/status/1106643814414991362

Thanks for reading! 

[thearchitectsneighbour]

Houzz: An easy way to plan your next home improvement project

LOOK AND FEEL ★★★★

The overall app is very simple and well laid out with interesting imagery and fun, but not too busy, designs.

RELIABILITY ★★★★★ Very reliable and the user is easily able to find contractors, purchase items and just browse designs. App did not crash and easily flows well.

FUNCTIONALITY ★★★★ Really helps with having everything you need in one place and makes it easy to easily take action and keep yourself organized during renovations.

EASE OF USE ★★★★ Very easy to use and is well laid out with icons that make the app essentially seamless.

COMPARISON TO COMPETITORS ★★★★ There are a lot of other home design apps, or other platforms that can save the same purpose (i.e. Pinterest), however, this app has a lot more functionality incorporated into it.

REVIEW

Overall, the Houzz app is a great app for dreamers and homeowners alike in helping them in designing their next space. Houzz allows for the user to do as little as browse photos, to hiring a contractor, making the app accessible and beneficial. Houzz is well integrated with intuitive features that help bring visions to come to life. While the app lacks the design inspiration and social aspect that Pinterest has, it allows people to take a more practical approach to house planning.

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5/5

[thearchitectsneighbour]

Death by XOXO Chocolate – Ethical, Sustainable and Yummy

Welcome to the wonderful world of chocolate, we are glad you are here! Over here at Death by XOXO, we do things a little bit differently and we believe we have created some of the best chocolate you will ever taste – seriously!

So what makes us so different? Well most importantly, our chocolate tastes amazing, like out of this world amazing. To add to the already amazing chocolate bar we created, we decided to step it up a notch. We added a few ‘extra benefits’ to by disrupting the traditional way of making chocolate.

Firstly, we have skipped out on all of the big, dirty factories, and have created a hand-crafted product that is as unique as the person eating it. Isn’t that cool!

To add to that, our chocolate is certified fair trade and sustainably sourced from the Peruvian Valley. All of this fresh and ethical cocoa is harvested by local farmers in the region – you don’t have to feel guilty about eating our chocolate!

To make you feel extra good inside, our bars are free of any of that yucky stuff – you won’t find any GMOs, gluten, corn or soy in our chocolate. We pride ourselves on using the finest of ingredients that never contain any artificial ingredients.

What could be the icing on the cake to our chocolate Well, our bars are also modestly priced, guaranteed to make you and your wallet happy.

So now that we have tantalized both your taste buds and your heart, we hope you will help in joining us in making the world a better place by purchasing our ethical, sustainable and yummy chocolate!

Ready to get in on the hype? Purchase our chocolate bars here.  

Want to learn more about chocolate? Check out this awesome article!

[thearchitectsneighbour]

Welcome!

Hey there, fellow architecture lover! Thanks for taking the time to head on over to my blog (I know it will be worth it). My name is Aidan and I too am an avid lover of architecture and anything to do with design. I am currently in my 4th year at Queen’s University finishing up my degree in Commerce, with a specialization in marketing. While I have enjoyed my time in this degree, it has reinforced how my passion has always been within architecture – but I am definitely no expert in the area (but these guys sure are). However, with that being said, I do spend 99% of my free time watching HGTV and visualizing drafts for my future home, so maybe I am an expert? I guess only time will tell.

Nonetheless, with this blog, I hope to create an outlet for architecture lovers who have a passion for everything to do with architecture and its significance around the world. I hope to explore exciting topics and architectural styles, as well as looking into works from the most well-known architects around the world, and the smaller players just starting to make their mark around the world. Isn’t that just amazing!

So where does this all come from? Good question! My passion for architecture stems from having the privilege to travel with my parents from a young age. Since I was 10 years old, I have experienced some of the most inspiring pieces of architecture across the globe. From the Blue Mosque in Istanbul to the beautiful works of Zaha Hadid that grace countless destinations around the world, I have been inspired by all of these beautiful works of art. I continued my passion for this in my upper years of high school, where I had the privilege to participate in architectural drafting courses, in which I designed countless houses, some of which were adapted into actual houses.

So, why write a blog about this? Well, architecture is influenced by the landscape and culture of the time they are constructed in which leads to some amazing stories and inspirations behind them. In today’s modern world, social media is a huge part of our culture and has shaped the way we are living our lives, every day. I am interested in exploring how social media has shaped the architecture we see around the world and seeing how it has influenced the way we perceive them.

Stick around as we travel around the world, experiencing different architecture and their storied pasts, as well as seeing how globalization is going to influence architecture today and into the future!

Welcome to Architecture from Afar! 

[thearchitectsneighbour]

“Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves” - Julia Morgan