Ever hesitate to "Like" that tragic story or update on Facebook?
Now, those misstated sentiments can be be better explained with an embeddable "I Care" button on Facebook.
"The 'I Care' button seeks to serve as an appropriate complement to the 'Like' button and can be easily leveraged by individuals and organizations alike to exhibit and inspire social activism," Matt Eastwood, chief creative officer of DDB New York -- the advertising agency that created the button -- said in a press release. "Now people will be able to do more with a button than just 'Like' something. They’ll be able to say ‘I care’ about important topics ranging from child labor laws, to natural disasters, to world poverty, to name a few.”
The first "I Care" button went live last week on MTV Voices, an international social platform for young people. DDB has also created the website icare-movement.com to show what "I Care" topics are trending, according to the release.
The average Facebook "Like" on a nonprofit's page can be translated to a value of $214.81 over 12 months, according to the 2012 Nonprofit Social Networking Report.
This can amount to major traction for a cause, considering Facebook communities for nonprofits grew by an average of 30 percent, and Twitter communities grew by 81 percent, according to the 2012 report.
Of course, simply existing on social media platforms doesn't necessarily mean organizations are taking full advantage of a connection to their audiences: According to a study by Bridgespan.org, many nonprofits are not effectively using their social media accounts.
"In the rush to 'go social,' many nonprofits are failing to think through their strategy," the authors note in the study.
The report goes on to advise how to make better use of social media for nonprofits.
And getting an audience to say "I care" about an issue seems like a good first step.
To learn more about the "I Care" button, click here.
To find out more about how nonprofits are using social media, check out the slideshow below!
