“Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility on Social Media: Strategies, Stakeholders, and Public Engagement on Corporate Facebook”
By Moonhee Cho, Lauren D. Furey, and Tiffany Mohr
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly 2017, Vol. (80) 52-69
Research Questions
How often do corporations communicate corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues on Facebook?
Which CSR communication strategy — informing or interacting — is used more frequently in CSR communication on corporate Facebook pages?
Who are the main stakeholders concerned with CSR communication (e.g., CEOs, senior managers, employees, nonprofit organizations, community members, suppliers)?
Methods
The researchers studied 50 corporations that were found in the 2013 list of Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies.” Forty-four of these companies had official Facebook pages and two other companies were added to the list for a total of 46 Facebook pages for analysis.
Key Findings
Less than 20% of the messages had CSR communication
People preferred to see CSR on company websites rather than on company Facebook pages
General audiences were less likely to believe CSR postings on Facebook that seemed overly self-serving
Audiences were more likely to engage with non-CSR posts on Facebook
The audiences that did want to see CSR communication on Facebook, might be willing to follow a page dedicated to that type of information
Advice for the Field
Focus CSR messaging on the company website
Use Facebook to post items that engage rather than merely inform followers
If you are going to post CSR communication, do it on a CSR-specialized Facebook account
Researcher Approved Summary Pending
Research Spotlight Author: Alycia King
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