UNonline

Few truly international organizations have the global reach and recognition of the United Nations, and even fewer have such a strong online presence. Granted, you'd expect the UN to have a big presence online because they have the resources to do so, but the extent of their presence is impressive, nonetheless.

First, the website. Though it is visually unremarkable, it was apparently designed to be flexible across multiple cultures, as there are different versions of the site in at least six different languages, each with essentially the same look/layout. Based on the content on the UN's homepage, it appears as though most visitors to the site go there looking for the latest UN news. The page features a stream of the latest press release and headlines, as well as links to other press sources.

Where the UN really excels online, though, is social media. Yes, the UN is on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Google+, Pinterest, and Tumblr, but they aren't just there, they're everywhere there. It has 8 separate Facebook profiles and 15 different Twitter accounts. *Please note that these are the English language social media profiles. There are varying numbers of profiles for other languages, and certain languages only have a presence on Facebook and Twitter. But even with a limited presence in foreign languages, it still adds to the total online presence with dozens of total social media profiles and millions of combined followers/fans.

From my personal experience with the companies I've represented, we've always encouraged organizations to keep one profile for an entire brand. This is for a number reasons - consistent messaging, you can't poach or stratify your own followers with only one profile, it's easier to manage - but in this case, it makes sense. The UN is a massive organization that is involved in a number of global initiatives. Not everyone that is passionate about arms treaties will feel the same about world hunger, for example.

With only one YouTube channel, which is very active, this appears to be the unifying presence between the rest. Its content crosses all of the others, while also championing Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as global ambassador of good will. 

Regardless of the size of an organization or the depth of its pockets to fund marketing initiatives such as a social media team, it still takes the time and effort to do it well. Many large organizations quite frankly suck at it, while some small ones are killing it. The UN's approach may not be perfect, but it is impressive, not to mention engaging.