It’s easy to get drowned out in the waves of social media – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more – but it’s also easy to have your voice heard. It’s easy to feel like your presence in the world is larger, now that you have your own YouTube soapbox.
“People have to really think about how they present themselves to a much bigger world via social networking,” said Laurie Cirivello, the executive director of the Grand Rapids Community Media Center.

The trend of branding extends beyond the personal, however, and organizations and corporate groups take full advantage of new media for promotion and to generate interest. Not only does the “bigger world” that Cirivello speaks of open new avenues for communication, it changes the very way that promotion occurs.

“[The public] require more authenticity, want more interaction and have come to expect more personal communication. This has meant that to connect with stakeholders, donors, and advocates, organizations must change the way they approach communications,” said Cirivello.

One of the ways organizations are changing the way the approach the public is through the medium of online social networking. Cirivello was recently in Winnipeg giving a presentation on using multimedia on the web for non-profit organizations, an event sponsored by the Winnipeg Foundation. At the presentation Cirivello mentioned the Tails for Whales campaign (www.tailsforwhales.org) that lets visitors contribute their own photographs to the campaign.

These kinds of online media take advantage of how people already interact with the internet, and use it to promote a certain cause (or in more corporate examples, exploit it for advertising).

Some organizations create social forums for themselves, as a way of maintaining a visible presence online. Chris Samms is a studio assistant at the Winnipeg office of New York-based branding/design agency Clark + Huot.  Samms manages the brand consultation firm’s blog, a branch of the organization that has notably little content to do with the firm’s ostensible services.

“The blog is there to promote the culture of the firm. It’s a channel to attract more interesting clients,” said Samms.

Cirivello weighs in that this kind of media generate a stronger response in online communities.

“Success will not so much depend of the financial or physical size of the organization, but more on the impact of their message,” said Cirivello.

The impact of the message can extend from emotional impact, or the more complicated impact of finding ways for people to interact with the online content in similar ways they interact with other people and other information online.

Non-profit organizations and social justice groups are particularly well suited to using online media because they can build communities around a particular issue.

“ Success will not so much depend of the financial or physical size of the organization, but more on the impact of their message

Laurie Cirivello, executive director, Grand Rapids Community Media Center

“A single, compelling message can spread like wildfire when supporters have the tools, messages and encouragement to become evangelists for the cause. Rather than just crafting and distributing messages, nonprofits are beginning to create opportunities for conversation with their communities and supporters,” said Cirivello.

The kind of content that conveys this message is often on a level-playing field with the content produced by non-corporate individuals. Anyone with a Facebook page and a small digital camera can produce online media.

“Most people can create compelling multimedia and online content. But that doesn’t signal the sidelining of the “expert”, instead it signals a change in the role,” said Cirivello.

Having the tools at your disposal doesn’t necessarily make you an expert.

“It’s like saying I bought a bunch of scalpels so now I can be your doctor,” said Samms.

Samms says that part of his work involves doing some basic social media tasks that most people can do – Clark + Huot has made YouTube channels for clients – but it just means that he is more skilled with the media, and has more time set aside to do it.“It’s something that a company that isn’t geared to the new age can have another company do for them,” said Samms.

Samms is a recent graduate of the Red River College graphic design program and credits the program with giving him the skills to be adept at new design multimedia.

“Most graphic designers that have a job now already had a knack for it. Going to school just sharpens it,” said Samms.

“Even if people “can” do some things, there will always be opportunities and need for those who can do it faster and better, know more, and can push the envelope,” said Cirivello.

Samms also explained that having the right tools is important to do the job well and promote the organizations professional image. For example, having an iPhone makes the job easier, said Samms.

“It’s important to take photo and video, to record stuff that is both culture and design related, to populate the blog with content,” said Samms.

Samms’ girlfriend Kate Kidder interrupted the interview with another point of view, no less wise:

“It shows that the firm is on the cutting edge, and has the tools to be that way. It’s ‘cause they’re all babes [at Clark + Huot] and need to have the babliest [sic] technology,” said Kidder.

Published in Volume 64, Number 11 of The Uniter (November 12, 2009)