#NailFreeTree: How to create a brand for social work?

Credibility is key for creating a brand. Here are a few lessons from #NailFreeTree on how to create a brand for social work.

Angholichi Goli is a non-government organisation behind the Nail Free Tree campaign. They bring together volunteers and remove nails from trees on weekends. Advocating for nature, this NGO has been able to create a niche for itself, inspiring others across the country as well as get coverage in mainstream media. Here we look at how they use social media to promote their campaign and build a credible brand.

"We use social media to reach out to people about our work," says Tushar Warang, Mumbai District Co-ordinator for Nail Free Tree campaign, adding that though it is a good medium to inform people, they don't seem to act on it. "What matters most is what we do on the ground." However, if someone has previously seen a post or a news piece or heard about them on the radio, it helps them connect with the people they approach.

Leverage on media coverage

Given the unique proposition of the campaign, it has been extensively covered by traditional media. These articles work as assets for the campaigners as they are an effective medium to put across their message and intention, asking people to join the cause. The volunteers are super active in sharing such posts and making their presence felt to other Twitter handles that often post about the city.

Coming together as a team

More than the official profiles of the NGO, it is the members and coordinators who share information and updates about activities undertaken under the campaign. Language too plays an important role in this communication. "We mostly write in English on Twitter and in Marathi on Facebook as it gets us the best response," says Warang.

Share tangible results

Warang tells us how before and after images work as collaterals for them. "People really like to see how efforts bring about change," he says. This also works for them when they tweet to authorities and it leads to a certain change. "Once, we tweeted to the authorities about a tree on which wires were wound and followed up on it with the municipality," he tells us about a case where they were able to bring about tangible change.

Emotional connect is key

"We get a very good response when we share pictures of children, senior citizens and people with disabilities engaging in our activities," says Warang, explaining how the emotional appeal works well for them. This is mostly because people like to consume content that has a certain gratification and feel-good value.

Create peripheral content

Though #NailFreeTree is one of their biggest campaigns, they keep people engaged by talking about peripheral topics like planting samplings, waste management, saving water, shunning plastic and environment in general. It helps them keep their followers hooked and the brand recall value grows stronger for the core message stays true.

Did we miss any important aspect? Please tell us in the comments or write to us at content@socialsamosa.com.