Using social media to increase public visibility and raise awareness

Action Alerts
RNAO - Ontario
Social Movement Action Framework

RNAO uses social media campaigns to increase public visibility and raise awareness of issues. One example: RNAO’s call on the Ontario government to mandate recommendations set out in its Nursing Home Basic Care Guarantee. The campaign incorporated the hashtags #LTC #BasicCareGuarantee and #4Hours4Seniors to raise awareness of the staffing crisis in long-term care (LTC) and to encourage the public, health professionals, the government, LTC residents and their families to mobilize change.

As the campaign evolved, so did the visuals and the messaging. The three examples below show the stages of the campaign as it gained attention and momentum – from “good” through “better” to “best.”

Good example

 Protect nursing home residents Action Alert

RNAO developed an Action Alert (AA) to mobilize collective action to advocate for nursing home residents. The link to the AA, the graphic, the messaging and the hashtag #4Hours4Seniors were all shared on social media to urge others to sign and share the AA. People were also encouraged to use the hashtag to contribute to the dialogue about the LTC crisis.

The social media campaign aimed to support the goal set out in the AA – encourage as many people as possible to add their signatures to urge action from key political leaders.

This is a good example of a social media campaign, incorporating a graphic, supportive messaging, a call-to-action (the link to the AA) and a specific hashtag.  

Better example

 Senior long-term care residents holding signs on a zoom call asking for 4 hours of care

In this example, RNAO staff members are holding signs identifying why #4Hours4Seniors matters to them. The hashtag is used consistently and individual reasons for supporting the cause are illustrated.

This is a better example of a social media campaign – it brings a personal touch to the campaign and allows supporters to share why they want to join the conversation. It also brought life to the hashtag and to the purpose of the campaign. 

Best example

 Long-term care resident in her room holding a sign asking for more care

Image

Long-term care resident in his room holding a sign asking for more care

In this example, RNAO collaborated with F.J. Davey Home in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada to encourage residents to share their “why” for wanting #4Hours4Seniors. Building on the same idea as the “better” example given above, this example truly brought a face to the reason for the campaign in the first place. RNAO shared the photos and quotes from residents on its social media feeds (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) alongside the hashtag #4Hours4Seniors.

For example, M. Doan, a senior living at the F.J. Davey Home, shared: “I am a very independent person, but my wife on the other hand isn’t and she means the world to me. With four hours of care, it doesn’t need to be rushed. And who wouldn’t want to see her beautiful smile for four hours!" (https://twitter.com/RNAO/status/1336781022780928000).

The photos are powerful as they show a real-life married couple living in a LTC home – two of the many residents RNAO advocated for through its AA and its ongoing call for a Nursing Home Basic Care Guarantee. The posters held by the couple express their personal values of dignity and comfort.