Social Media experience at VIP World Services

Introduction

Hi, my name is Aiswarya and I manage the social media pages at VIP World.

Since hearing about Travel Hands as a concept that helps the visually impaired people reach similar destinations with a volunteer, I was very intrigued by the idea and drawn to the company. I have always enjoyed trying and exploring roles that offer employees the independence to make an impact. Coincidentally, VIP World has given me the opportunity to an invaluable and insightful experience, alongside the freedom to try new things on social media platforms.

At VIP World, I started my social media journey on LinkedIn and gradually moved to Facebook. Initially, social media marketing was unfamiliar to me, more so in relation to people with visual impairment. I was oblivious to the alteration that would be needed in content deliverance for a VIP targeted market in terms of accessibility, video content, inclusivity and day-to-day interactions. The changes are not drastic as Facebook and other social media have their own ways to make it accessible, yet it requires weeks of thoughtful strategizing and planning with the team to meet certain guidelines and to be purposeful. For example, some of the ways we facilitate inclusivity for our VIPs include; descriptions of photos or adding alternative texts, adding subtitles to our videos and creating value driven content such as ‘list of podcasts for VIPs’ or ‘how dating works with blindness’. Everyday I am learning more about visual impairment and understanding more about the workings of social media. All the interactions and feedback we receive is a dose of adrenaline or like a kick from a morning coffee (in a good way).

Our prime interactions are on Facebook groups and on Zoom calls.

Facebook group allows us to engage with a niche community, making it an easier reach for us to ask related questions and to promote what we are doing on a weekly basis. Due to this accessible platform, I have been fortunate enough to interact with countless VIPs who had interests in topics involving makeup, languages, travel, etc.

Additionally, Zoom calls have been a good counterattack to social distancing measures as we are unable to promote Travel Hands under current circumstances.

Therefore, we rely heavily on our communication via social media to keep everyone engaged and to form a supportive community. Overall, I believe the task each of us does is very rewarding and has a great contribution in many ways, even beyond our own understanding at times, but we happily cater to make life easier and more exciting for those in need.