Fiona Denham: Social-First Safety: Making People Aware - and Making Them Care

2025

Apr 14

At SocialDay's Social Media Marketing Festival 2025, hosted at Phantom Peak London, we are thrilled to welcome Fiona Denham, Social Media Manager at the RNLI. With her experience in communications and social media, Fiona has played a key role in developing the RNLI’s social-first strategy, including launching their TikTok channel.

About Fiona

Fiona Denham is the Social Media Manager at the RNLI, where she has spent the past three years shaping the charity’s social media presence. Before joining the RNLI, Fiona worked in communications for a small local homeless charity, and the transition to a national charity like the RNLI has been an exciting journey. Fiona has led multiple campaigns for the RNLI, including pioneering their TikTok launch, and has now moved into leading their paid social efforts.

What to Expect from the Session: "Social-First Safety: Making People Aware – and Making Them Care"

In this session, Fiona will explore how social media can be used to raise awareness of water safety, a vital issue for the RNLI. She’ll discuss the challenges the organisation faces in combating misinformation and how different social media platforms can be leveraged for maximum impact. Delegates will also learn which types of content resonate most on specific platforms and how the RNLI’s social media strategy has evolved over time.

Key Areas of Focus

Utilising Social Media for Safety Messaging: Fiona will share how the RNLI uses social media to reach audiences with critical water safety information.
Combating Misinformation: The session will focus on how to handle misinformation and create trust with audiences.
Tailoring Content to Different Platforms: Learn how to create content that works for specific channels, with a focus on what drives engagement on social media.
The Challenges Faced: Fiona will discuss the various hurdles the RNLI faces in the social media landscape, including changing platform policies.

Key Takeaways

Attendees will walk away with insights on:

Innovative ways to deliver important safety messages on social media.
How to tackle misinformation and build credibility with your audience.
Strategies for creating platform-specific content that maximises impact.

What’s Exciting in Social Media Right Now

For Fiona, the major shifts in Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) over the past year have been concerning. With changes in community moderation and less censorship of harmful content, the social media landscape is evolving in ways that could have a significant impact on brand communication. While not necessarily positive, these changes are a crucial part of the discussion around social media’s future.

What Challenges Lie Ahead in the Online Marketing Landscape?

Fiona sees the biggest challenge in the coming years as navigating the evolving landscape of social media platforms. As community moderation and fact-checking policies change, it will become harder to maintain trust with audiences and control the narrative. These shifts, especially on platforms like Facebook and X, present challenges for brands and organisations trying to ensure their content remains credible and effective.

A Social Media Success Story

Fiona’s most successful social media story is hitting the Gen Z audience on TikTok. As the RNLI’s future supporters, engaging with this audience on the platform has been a game-changer. Reaching Gen Z through relevant, relatable content is a vital step in building long-term relationships with future supporters of the charity.

Favourite Social Media Campaign of the Last Year

Fiona’s favourite campaign from the last year? The viral death of the Duolingo owl. It was a brilliant example of how humour and pop culture references can work in social media, even for an educational brand like Duolingo.

What Fiona Would Like to See More of in Social Media

Looking ahead, Fiona hopes to see less “rage-baiting” on social media. She believes that the future of social media should be focused on positive, constructive conversations and real engagement, rather than feeding into negativity and division.

Connect with Fiona

Want to follow Fiona’s work with the RNLI? You can connect with her here:

LinkedIn: Fiona Denham

Join Fiona at SocialDay's Social Media Marketing Festival 2025, where top minds in social media marketing will share their insights and expertise.