From time to time, I want to highlight a company or organization that I believe does social media in an exceptional way. For this first edition, I want to spotlight the Atlanta Mission. The Mission is a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to “Ending Homelessness”. It was started in 1938 as a soup kitchen and now provides shelter and programming for more than 950 homeless men, women and children on a daily basis.
Website www.atlantamission.org
The website is laid out in a very organized way. The scrolling banner at the top features stories of Mission clients and opportunities for individuals to volunteer and donate. A big green “donate” button makes it easy for visitors to find.
Near the top of the text, you can easily find a Facebook like button to opt into messages and posts.
Toward the bottom of the home page, you’ll see a web app featuring Youtube videos, blog posts and Facebook posts in addition to the @ATLMission Twitter feed.
Twitter www.twitter.com/atlmission
WE WANT YOU at our Atlanta Mission Race to End Homelessness! http://t.co/Nfot2drHQZ #atlmission5k pic.twitter.com/PJjDFAru1X
— Atlanta Mission (@ATLmission) November 23, 2013
The thing I love about the Mission’s Twitter page is that it’s completely themed around the Atlanta Mission. The avatar is clearly the organization’s logo. The cover photo features some children who live at the women and children’s shelter and includes the Mission’s Instagram handle. Even the background wall paper is an image with a call to action, asking viewers to send donations via text message. Everything points back to the Mission’s brand.
It also does a great job of mixing up post types. There are some links, but not every posts tries to whisk viewers to some other page. There are text posts, picture posts, retweets and replies. Twitter feels like a community.
Facebook www.facebook.com/atlantamission
Facebook is clearly the aggregate of all things Atlanta Mission. It has plenty of photos with descriptions of what is going on around the Mission. Blog posts are linked here for people to view. A number of community partners, individuals and companies, are featured with direct instructions on how to get involved.
The Facebook page even features content specific for this audience, which I saw explicitly through a recent posts saying, “Friends, use the promo code “THANKS4FOLLOWING” to receive 50% off your 2014 Race to End Homelessness registration today!”
Instagram www.instagram.com/atlmission
What’s interesting about Instagram is the apparent change in strategy over this platform. The manager seems to have a grasp on what the platform is really about. The Mission always posts stunning, high quality photography and videos. It does a great job of overlaying text on some photos with information about the things they’ve done or what’s going on. Unlike the rest of the platforms, the Mission never asks for donations or volunteers, instead trying to spread awareness and keep the Atlanta Mission top of mind.