When a person is diagnosed with cancer, the last thing they want is to visit a website packed with hard-sell calls to action. Instead, a site should serve as an online resource and a place of support for all those affected by the disease. This is something that Bertie Bosredon, Assistant Director of Services (Information and Multimedia) at Breast Cancer Care, understands.
Bertie was at cubaka HQ to present to London’s finest word-of-mouth specialists at this morning’s WOMMA UK Espresso briefing. Citing his blogging, Skyping mother-in-law as an example, Bertie explained how web users were savvier, more empowered and more demanding than ever before. As such, Breast Cancer Care’s social media strategy is underpinned by the simple, democratic question: how do users want to consume information online (and how should it be provided)?
You only have to glance at breastcancercare.org.uk to see how Breast Cancer Care has answered this question. The discussion forum is hugely popular, with 60,000 visitors and 1,500 active users per month. When Katie Price made a comment about scarring in a promotional interview for Asda’s 2009 Tickled Pink campaign, it caused such an uproar among the Breast Cancer Care community that a representative from Asda took to the forum just days later and agreed to pull Price from the press shots. A great illustration of the power of the groundswell.
In a refreshingly open move, the charity has put Twitter in the hands of every employee. Members of staff are encouraged to set up their own handles, with the week’s best tweeter playing host to ‘Twevor’, a small toy bird, on their desk. This approach may seem light-hearted, but it’s proven to be a real incentive that has raised the online awareness of the Breast Cancer Care brand while strengthening the social media credentials of its employees.
Bertie’s insightful and entertaining presentation can be found below. You can follow Bertie on Twitter @cafedumonde.
Breast Cancer Care and social media
