Hats Off for the Hospice Storms Social Media

So, who doesn’t believe in the power of social media beyond lunchtime chatter between the nurses? If you don’t then ask yourself this; why did I just give a person living on the other side of the planet, who I am aware of with but don’t know well enough to call a friend, a sizeable donation for a cause that doesn’t affect me directly?

George Cooper has a tragic story to tell. Recently losing his wife to cancer, George wanted to repay a debt of gratitude to the hospice that cared for his wife during their final weeks together.  Before the advent of social media it is unlikely that support would have been raised from far outside the hospice locality or close group of friends and colleagues.  Today though we are all connected so much closer and in the past few days George’s campaign has smashed through an impressive fundraising target of almost £14,000 and, unbelievably, will soon reach £20,000. By any standards this is a really impressive feat. But how is it that it has been achieved?

The answer is that George and his group, The Hat Band, have got all the elements you need for viral marketing campaign to spread. And spread most wonderfully it has.

How The Hat Band Hit the Spot

1. They have a very compelling message – you can’t fail to be moved by his story.
2. The use of two online social media sites to reach people they would not otherwise have had a chance to promote the message to – Facebook (or facepuke as George himself calls it!)  and YouTube.
3. Remarkable content – the free video clips of old shows are great and George is regularly interacting with his fan base keeping the momentum moving forward. Plus there’s pictures from the recent gigs plus a very sweet and hooky little logo to change your profile picture to.
4. A call to action – the thing that converts clicks into cash – buy a ticket, click the video link, donate to the fund…it’s all there.

Put together it isn’t hard to see why The Hat Band’s campaign is a runaway success. 

I don’t know George especially well. I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting his wife Sally. I don’t live near, nor am I ever likely to, Herefordshire, the focus of the campaign. So why did I donate? 

Well firstly because George reached out across the social media-sphere and found me (and hundreds of others in a remarkably short space of time). Second, his story is a heartbreaker and my heart goes out to both band members who have had such painful experiences. Thirdly, his band is actually very funny (or at least I think so). But I’ve never seen them, I watched the clips of old performances posted on YouTube. 
Finally, having been through some experiences that can only be described as shit house, one of the things that gets you through is the knowledge that you are absolutely not alone. It matters to look after each other.

So George, I’ve changed my Facebook photo, joined the Facebook fan club and made my donation.  I tip my big red digital hat in the direction of you and your band. Congratulations on smashing your goals and good luck with your new quest to promote the work of all the hospices across the land.

And for everyone else, if you were in any doubt about just how useful social media can be just ask The Hat Band. Or better still buy a ticket for their gigs.