Meet Emily Babb: Anne Durrum Robinson Creative Initiative Award Winner

by Andrea Michnik

On April 30, the Austin chapter of the Association for Women in Communications will honor Emily Babb with the Anne Durrum Robinson Creative Initiative Award at the Annual Banner Brunch.

This award is traditionally given to an AWC chapter member who has shown creativity and dedication while serving the organization.

As the first social media chair of AWC Austin, Babb worked to develop a much-needed social media presence for the organization throughout 2010-2011. Thanks to her efforts, you can now keep up with AWC Austin chapter updates through our Twitter stream, @AWCAustin, watch AWC videos on YouTube, participate in the active Facebook group, and network with other members on the AWC LinkedIn group, in addition to learning valuable communication tips and AWC news through this blog. Babb has taken something from an idea to success in less than a year.

Recently, Babb took the time to share more about her experience in the communication field and her role with AWC.

AWC: When or how did you realize that social media was an important part of communication? What was the defining moment for you?

Several months after I joined Twitter, Hurricane Ike hit the Gulf Coast. Austin had an influx of evacuees, and the Capital Area Food Bank provided emergency food assistance to many of them. Although my use of Twitter didn’t serve as a primary communication tool, I watched and learned from other CAFB staff who provided quick, immediate updates via Twitter to media, the city of Austin and other nonprofits. Twitter has proven to be a really useful and important tool for crisis communication, especially because of its immediacy and ability to reach a growing audience.

AWC: How important is blogging for communication today?

Blogging adds another layer of personalization and detail to a variety of topics. For AWC Austin, it provides us with the opportunity to showcase who our members are and all of the cool things they’re doing. For the first time, we’re able to get to know our Banner Brunch award winners before the brunch, which I think is really cool. Traditional blogging can take time and focus, which is why I think Twitter and other microblogging platforms have really taken off in the last three or four years.

AWC: How has social media helped spread the word about AWC Austin?

In addition to our new blog, AWC Austin connects with members, potential members and other organizations through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Through these social media channels, we’re maintaining AWC Austin’s bragging rights as the largest AWC chapter by promoting our events, like luncheons, Careers Over Cocktails, Get Smart and Banner Brunch; building relationships with a broader range of professionals and ultimately recruiting more members; connecting with students; and continuing to foster the growth of our current members.

To me, it says a lot that a handful of our incoming board members are brand new to the organization. The willingness to dive in like that means they’ve heard great things about the organization from other members and they’ve connected with AWC on a personal level. I’d like to think our social media communication is a part of that.

AWC: As someone who uses new media tools for communication on a regular basis, what are some tips for local business and organizations looking to use new media in their communication?

I’m a fan of lists, so here are my top 5 tips.

Start slow and put your focus into one or two channels at first.
Make it personal. There should be a human voice behind the content and responding to people’s replies and messages is the best way to show it.
Make it interesting. Content that includes true stories, unknown facts and useful information gets me.
Keep it updated. Nothing says, “they don’t care” more than an out of date website or page.
I think these guys are doing it right. Check them out! Capital Area Food Bank, Sweet Leaf Tea, Sugar Mama’s and Greenlights.

Babb works in the development department at the Capital Area Food Bank where she manages the donor database and provides reporting and trend analysis to the team. She’s very involved in the community and volunteers her time on the board of directors for both AWC and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. She is also the co-founder of Perennial Dance Company, a modern performance-based company in Austin.

To connect with Emily Babb look for her on Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Yelp and Tumblr.