Bring In a Trusted Partner for Social Media Around the Big Moments in 2024

When the chips are down you need someone you can trust. So much of building the Catnip family has centered around that important truth. Our clients—good causes, big and small—tell me that they trust us for the big moments. And with 2024 throwing up some major ones, we're leaning in on the importance of trust.?

Why? Well. There's a huge opportunity cost at stake here. You wouldn't take on a high-stakes mission in any other field without testing your team, would you? Let's say, for example, you're delivering a key project that your funders are measuring. You'll make sure the staff devoted to the work are your best performers. You'll clear their decks so they can deliver at the highest level. You'll do so because it delivers the social change that's at the heart of your mission. By doing so, you'll build the future for your organization. That's at the heart of why you get out of bed in the morning. Bravo!?

But when it comes to social media? Not so much. I'm not judging, only saying it like I see it. Partly it's because funders don't often measure social media as mission critical. Some do. I love those funders because they see that it's possible to deliver social change in our medium. Still, it's a rare funder that asks about a project's social engagement stats first. Other metrics of success take precedence. Now, if you take a look at your organization, who's doing the social media? Are they dedicated to it? Or are they doing it on top of several other internal roles??

Don't Spin Too Many Plates

I ask, because if your social media manager is spinning too many plates, they're not primed for success. When it comes to the presidential debates, for example, big things happen. Does your social media manager have the capacity to clear their decks on those evenings? Will they be able to stay up late and live-tweet the candidates' responses? Will they be able to engage with the debates' key moments in line with your themes? Will they be posting polls on LinkedIn? Or will asking them to do so burn them out? Will they spend half the debates looking at other jobs in search of a more understanding manager?

Let's face it, if this is the first time you're asking these questions, I can already guess at the answers. The good news is, these are moments we built Catnip for. We're a trusted partner that can jump in, two-feet first, and support your team. We bolt on, support your social media manager, and everybody's happy. If they're already dragged in too many directions, social media often goes to the back burner. They might be handling your user experience, your website, your Search Engine Optimization. They need us to tell them, "you can trust us. It's handled. Now go and get some rest."?

Rapid Response Is About Opportunity and Managing Risk

Rapid response moments like this can be a huge opportunity to grow your audience. There's another side to it, too. If you're a rapid response organization and failing to track your audience, look out. It might be that vulnerable people are trying to speak to you, but you're missing them. You're risking failing to serve your key constituents.?

This year, the major social platforms are announcing big changes. Facebook says it's going to start to label AI-generated images. Meta says it wants to make it even harder to see political content on Threads. Twitter, now X, has already disabled features for reporting electoral misinformation. There is? a lot of confusion where in the past, social media channels were a bit simpler. Your audiences are looking to see through all this and connect. You also want to see through it and connect with your audience.?

Bring In A Partner You Can Trust

No matter what you do, if it's something connected with the election, you need to get your social team in shape. In many ways, I see 2024 as more vital than 2020. Many of our clients come to us when they're trying to figure out whether to hire someone for social media. With big moments like this they're asking themselves if they might consider outsourcing. They often draft Catnip to do a one-off project or fill a capacity gap. They love working with us, and then we stay on.?

If what I'm saying strikes a chord with you, let's get a cuppa and have a chat. You can get in touch with me here.?

—Fay Schofield is the founder of Catnip Comms, a social justice social media agency with offices in the UK and, coming soon, New York City.