Smashing for a Cause
Founded in November 2012 by McCall Dempsey, Southern Smash was created to fill a silent void in our society. Poor body image and negative self-talk have sadly become a cultural norm. Through its unique and empowering scale smashing event and SmashTALK panel discussions, the Southern Smash program aims to educate the public about eating disorders and empower individuals to celebrate and embrace true beauty and self-love. In conjunction with The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, Southern Smash has brought its scale smashing event to over 50 colleges and various locations across the United States.
This organization brings its mission of spotlighting eating disorders and ending diet culture to social media. I examined Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to explore the performance and tactics of Southern Smash online.
First up, Twitter
According to Eric Burger of Volunteer Hub, Twitter is a great platform for attracting an audience quickly and driving qualified prospects to your nonprofit’s marketing website. Nonprofits can use Twitter to create both volunteer opportunity awareness and convert their audience to donors. Twitter is not a switch on and succeed platform though regardless of what anyone tells you.
This tool is where I see the most lacking from Southern Smash. With roughly 1,345 followers, there has not been a post since May 8, 2019. This could be utilized to advertise events and showcase volunteer opportunities! I also noticed that there is no use of hashtags. Every social media expert knows, the hashtag — that is now 13 years old! — has become a social media phenomenon to stay updated on a current topic/trend, promote a new product or service, search a hashtag to cut through the digital clutter and find what you’re looking for, and so much more.
Next up, Facebook
Nick Rojas of Post Planner emphasizes that charities & nonprofits do great on Facebook. It’s a perfect place to get supporters & donations because FB makes it easy to present powerful messages with pictures & words.
Although updated more frequently than 2019, Southern Smash utilizes this platform sparingly. While a lot of content is reposted from other eating disorder recovery groups, they also have information for clinicians. This network could be used a lot more heavily to promote body positivity and the end of weight scale utilization. Southern Smash events are perfect for video content and colorful photos, I do not see enough of them used on this page. It seems to be a recycling of content rather than new and innovative information from the organization themselves.
Last but not least, Instagram
I have saved the best for last! Instagram is one of the most popular platforms for eating disorder recovery and body acceptance/positivity discussion right now (Southern Smash is not on TikTok). This has to do in part with the fact that Generation Z is very open and willing to discuss mental health and receive assistance. Gone are the days of wanting to hide our downfalls in the shadows!
Also, Julia Campbell of The Balance Small Business suggests that what makes Instagram different from social media networks such as Facebook or Twitter is the way people use it. Instagrammers frequently check the site, often several times a day, and engage with posts at a much higher rate than with other social networks. In short, people who use Instagram LOVE Instagram. Moreover, if you use it right, you could tap into an engaged, active network of passionate people, ready and willing to like, comment on, and click on your posts. However, to succeed with Instagram, you do need a clearly defined strategy, an eye-catching visual style, a staff commitment to consistent posting, and an in-depth knowledge of your target audience.
This is exactly what Southern Smash has. Their recognizable logo, frequent content publishing, use of Instagram Stories, and colorful photos and video make the organization stand out! There are also hashtags and links to other users within each post. Jenn Herman of Social Media Examiner strongly believes that hashtags have long been recognized as the popular way to get exposure on Instagram but there are several other tagging options available to grow your followers and build your account. Tagging other accounts, adding location tags, and using shopping tags will get your content seen by more people on the platform. And combining all of these different types of tags will get you maximum exposure. Southern Smash also interacts with fans from time to time in the comments section. I saw that its founder, McCall Dempsey, typically likes every comment on each post.
Ever since finding out about Southern Smash at an Alliance Walk, I have followed along with what they are up to next and have discovered how they are still helping recoverees and those struggling during COVID-19. This organization means so much to me that I have become a SMASH Ambassador and cannot wait to start being at events in Central Florida in person once they resume
