Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

12-2021

Abstract

As the Project Hope London (PHL) Social Media Team, the purpose of our project was to utilize social media to support PHL in their goal of helping to improve the overall health of individuals experiencing homelessness. We aimed to broaden the organization’s audience through Instagram as this popular platform has the potential to reach younger demographics, such as the Western student body, and local businesses. Our team took control of their Instagram page to revitalize their social media presence. We redesigned the bio, curated posts with modern aesthetics, and ran a social media campaign to further boost engagement with the organization. These steps led to an increase in Instagram analytics metrics, including follower count, followers aged 18-24, accounts reached, website taps, and post interactions. In addition, our social media campaign for a toiletries drive on Western’s campus helped to collect $858 worth of toiletries that would have otherwise required additional purchases to be distributed during PHL’s weekly outreach. The campaign also led to collaborations with several campus partners, thereby raising awareness among various student groups and on campus. The combination of revamping our community partner’s social media presence and running a social media campaign has resulted in increased awareness and support of their mission in addressing the health needs of individuals without housing. We recommend continuing to reach out to local organizations on Instagram, and following similarly themed and engaging posts in future promotions to ensure that social media is used to its fullest potential to gain support.

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