#Mamming
And What It Can Teach You About Using Social Media To Make Your Cause Go Viral
There’s no doubt about it, there’ve been some pretty bewildering photo and video fads that have gone viral over the past few years.
Owling and Planking were a couple of the weirdest ones, and we’re all trying to forget that whole Miley Cyrus Twerking thing (no hyperlink here — you don’t need to watch that again).
But however bewildered you are about these “memes”, you can’t deny they have a strange power to unite millions to a common cause (even if that cause is just to take daft photos of ourselves doing owl poses).
The latest phenomenon uses this energy for a great cause. It’s called #Mamming, and it’s all in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The #Mamming phenomenon is a perfect example of how to use Social Media to skyrocket your charity or ethical business.
What is #Mamming?
It’s basically taking a photo of your own (clothed) boobs, resting on… well, anything. There have been photos of boobs on cats, boobs on photocopiers, even boobs on somebody planking. Even men can do it! Once you have your photo, Instagram it with the hashtag #Mamming.
The idea is to shatter the awkwardness surrounding mammograms, and encourage women to go for breast screening.
How did it happen?
It all began with a funny/awkward Youtube video. Behind it were two clever New Yorkers, Michele Jaret and Michelle Lamont (one of whom is a breast cancer survivor herself).
Since the video went up on 14 October, it’s got well over 300,000 views. Now the boob pictures are all over the web.
The website This is Mamming explains the project as “a chance for all of us to show solidarity with the millions of women getting mammograms this Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”
Why does #Mamming work and what can I take away from it for my own cause?
It’s lighthearted. It embraces the awkwardness of mammograms, and doesn’t go all doom and gloom on us. There’s a balance, of course, but a tear-jerking-whack-out-the-Kleenex video would send most women running in the opposite direction. This video has an optimistic, we’re-in-this-together-so-let’s-get-our-tits-outfeel to it.
It uses video to get people’s attention which, as you might have read in one of our previous blogs, means people 11x more likely to share it, and will spend an average of two minutes longer on your site. Also, I never heard of an Essay on the Importance of Early Diagnosis going viral. But please do send me details if there is.
Actually don’t. Definitely don’t.
#Mamming uses social media to make it personal to everybody. It taps into the global trend of photo fads and uses that to prompt people to action. Not only have they used Youtube, but they’re spreading the message on Twitter and taking over Instagram and Facebook, too. People feel connected and positive, and they’re having fun helping a great cause.
How can I apply this to boost my own charity or ethical business?
You don’t have to make a rally call for boob photos to harness the power of social media, but here are 3 simple things you really should be doing:
1: Use Facebook, Twitter, Quora etc. to know your audience
Browsing these sites is like being able to listen to millions of your potential supporters thinking aloud. You can see what questions they’re asking, what trends they’re into, what causes they support… Creepy? Maybe. But it’s a chance you won’t want to miss.
2: Tweet regularly to talk directly to supporters
Twitter gives you the perfect platform to connect with your supporters and keep them up to date with what’s going on with your cause.
The more transparent you are, the more people will know they can trust you, and the more they will want to get involved.
3: Keep it casual!
Take a leaf out of the Mamming handbook and keep the tone lighthearted and optimistic, and let people know they can make a difference. They’ll be so inspired, they won’t be able to keep it to themselves.
Good luck!
