Why Bloggers and Influencers Should Celebrate the Launch Of #SheDoesGood

Over the past decade, I’ve watched the power of bloggers and influencers grow and witnessed the evolution of an industry. Brands now recognize the power of bloggers and influencers to generate enthusiasm, increase brand awareness, and drive sales. Influencers, who once struggled to receive compensation for their work, can command lucrative sponsorship deals and a share of advertising dollars that grows larger each year. With that growth and recognition come new responsibilities (e.g. FTC requirements for transparency and disclosure in advertising) as well as exciting opportunities.

One of these exciting opportunities is #SheDoesGood, a new program where social influencers and bloggers belonging to the 21,000 member SheKnows Media community become ambassadors for the Ad Council’s social causes.

I was thrilled to see the launch of the #SheDoesGood initiative at BlogHer 2016 for several reasons. Primarily, I believe this initiative will do tremendous good by leveraging the collective power of bloggers and social influencers to support worthy causes. Secondarily, I view it as a sign that influencer marketing is “growing up.” While I will explain why I believe bloggers and influencers should support #SheDoesGood, I want to address what I mean by “growing up” and why I think that’s a very good thing for the blogger and influencer industry.

If you want to understand the importance of #SheDoesGood, it helps to understand the history of the Ad Council, a non-profit organization and the largest producer of national public service communications programs in the United States. The Ad Council has a rich history of marshaling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public.

Ad Council campaigns such as Smokey Bear’s “Only YOU can prevent forest fires” and the “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” are iconic, but they also are effective. For example, Smokey Bear’s Forest Fire Prevention campaign has helped reduce the number of acres lost annually from 22 million (in 1944) to 8.4 million (in 2000). These PSA (public service announcements) run in time and space donated by the media. We all grew up seeing Ad Council PSAs on TV, billboards, bus ads, magazines, hearing them on the radio and even within our classrooms.

With the growth of social media, companies such as Facebook, YouTube, Google, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and more stepped up to support Ad Council efforts. Social media powered the viral success of the Ad Council’s “Love Has No Labels” campaign. Upworthy debuted the initial “Love Has No Labels” video on its Facebook page on March 2, and the video amassed over 36 million views in just four days.

So what does this all mean for bloggers and social influencers? I am celebrating the launch of #SheDoesGood because it puts influencers and bloggers on par with traditional media and new media giants by recognizing them as Ad Council partners. It gives influencers national recognition for playing a major role in moving the needle on important social causes.

#SheDoesGood provides an opportunity for influencers to do some good and do well at the same time. As part of #SheDoesGood, each influencer will activate at least once per quarter through blog posts, social media amplification, and other ways around relevant times of the year. However, #SheDoesGood also gives influencers an opportunity to reach new audiences through social amplification from the Ad Council and its partner channels (for example, the Shelter Pet Project’s deeply engaged social communities) and to receive recognition as a #SheDoesGood ambassador on Ad Council platforms.

I’ve celebrated the successes of my friends in the blogosphere as they’ve launched best-selling books and signed six-figure sponsorship deals. I’ve also been a voice encouraging bloggers and social influencers to use their power to help others. Since 2010, I’ve recognized bloggers who use social media for social good via the Bloganthropy Awards.

Solving the world’s problems is a pretty daunting task for one woman, but less so when we work together. As a group, we can accomplish so much with even a small donation of time and space on our platforms. While few influencers have the same reach as a site such as Upworthy, our collective reach and influence is great. One simple way to use your social media influence for good is by amplifying PSA messages or contributing content to support a campaign that inspires you such as: Love Has No Labels, Learning and Attention Issues, Save the Food, The Shelter Pet Project, Adoption from Foster Care or Caregiving.

If you are interested in supporting #SheDoesGood, please email social@adcouncil.org to get involved.

#SheDoesGood Campaign Information:

• Love Has No Labels: While the vast majority of Americans consider themselves unprejudiced, many of us unintentionally make snap judgments about people based on what we see — whether it’s race, age, gender, religion, sexuality, or disability. This implicit bias has profound implications for how we view and interact with others who are different from us. The award-winning viral Love Has No Labels campaign — recognized as the dancing skeletons behind the x-ray screen — encourages everyone to celebrate diversity and re-think their bias. Learn more here.
• Learning and Attention Issues: 1 in 5 children struggle with a learning and/or attention issue. That’s 15 million kids ages three to 20, and many of their issues go undiagnosed. The campaign aims to increase the number of parents who are actively helping and seeking help for their kids by directing them toorg, a free online resource that empowers parents through personalized support, daily access to experts and other tools. Learn more here.
• Save the Food: Food production eats up 10% of the total U.S. energy budget, uses 50% of U.S. land, and swallows 80% of freshwater consumed in the U.S. Yet 40% of the food produced never gets eaten. Consumers collectively waste more food than grocery stores, restaurants, or farms. This campaign gives home cooks tips on how to better shop for, store, and serve food to save the food and the earth. Learn more here.
• The Shelter Pet Project: The Shelter Pet Project is the first national campaign to bring together the nation’s leading animal welfare organizations, Maddie’s Fund® and the Humane Society of the United States, and shelters and rescue groups across the country with one unified goal — to increase pet adoption. While 6–8 million dogs and cats will enter shelters and rescue groups each year, only about half will be adopted. This means there are still millions of pets who need our help to find a home each year. There is a common misconception that pets did something wrong to wind up in shelters and rescue groups; however, the reality is that the vast majority of these pets end up in shelters and rescue groups through no fault of their own. Learn more here.
• Adoption From Foster Care: There are 415,000 children in the U.S. foster care system. 108,000 are awaiting adoption. This campaign delivers the message that “You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent” by using a humorous angle to communicate the seemingly challenging task of adopting a child from foster care. More than 25,000 children have been adopted as a result of the campaign. Learn more here.
• Caregiving: 40 million caregivers in the U.S. provide unpaid care to older relatives and friends. Almost 3 in 10 people who are caring for someone say their life has changed, often negatively. More than 1 in 5 says her weight, exercise habits, and/or social life have suffered. The campaign encourages caregivers to care not only for their loved ones, but also for themselves by directing them to AARP’s Caregiving Resource Center where caregivers can find thousands of helpful articles, tips, and tools from experts and fellow caregivers who have been in their place. Learn more here.

This post originally appeared on AdLibbing.

Sep 1 By: Debbie Bookstaber