Social Media For A Social Cause: Body Donation

Body donation is a very personal thing and death is a very sensitive subject. Therefore, it is obvious that it is difficult to build a social media campaign around the topic. However, difficult does not mean impossible, it just means that you have to be tactful about the way that you approach the matter. Nine times out of ten more information is all people need in order to be comfortable talking about a subject, so this should be the aim of your campaign.

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Raise Awareness
The very first thing that you need to do when building your social media campaign is clarify what body donation really is. Instead of bluntly telling people to donate their bodies to science, explain what the purpose of the process is. You can also discuss the many different options that people have so that they do not feel that you are forcing the idea at them.

A blog can be a wonderful way to get information to people that may be looking for it. Many times a blog will help increase your SEO value and far more importantly gives people the forum they need to ask questions they are not comfortable asking in person. Social platforms are also a great way to allow people to ask questions, and are a great platform of measuring how the average person feels about the process.

Correct Misconceptions
You can use the information you gather proactively to help correct any misconceptions that people have about body donation. Oftentimes it is a lack of understanding that leads people to shy away from this area. For instance, many people do not realize that their loved ones will still receive their ashes if they wish once the body is done being examined or otherwise utilized. This small piece of comfort is enough to allow many people to give the idea of body donation a second thought.

You do not know what is holding people back until you reach out and try to figure it out. Giving people a platform for feedback makes this possible, and then conversely you can use the same platform to reach back out to them. People like being valued in today’s internet age of instant gratification, so give them that and you will get a much more positive response.

Make the Idea Accessible
Finally, you need to work on your social media campaign, blog, and SEO marketing in order to make sure that you are accessible to the general public. Someone that is uncomfortable about the idea of body donation is not going to put a lot of work into finding out more about it. It is your job to make sure that the idea is accessible to them. Most people that are mulling the idea around in their head would be willing to donate if they were given the proper information at the time of consideration, so by making sure that you are accessible you can make sure that they are convinced to make the right decision.

Sarah Wilson is a social media consultant. She has worked with corporations and non-profit organizations on social media strategy.