The Big Issue is a magazine sold by homeless and vulnerably housed people across the UK. Since 1991, The Big Issue has helped tens of thousands of vulnerable people transform their lives from being dependent on charity, to reintegrating into their local communities as micro-entrepreneurs. However, when the first lockdown hit, none of The Big Issue’s 2000+ vendors were able to sell a single magazine. This not only erased their livelihoods, it erased their visibility and connection to the community. In the words of Rob, a London vendor:

“When you are out selling The Big Issue, you’re always in contact with people, so this lockdown and not being able to see anyone is very isolating. I have lost my sense of purpose and I don’t really know where I stand now.”

Even when lockdowns end, the return of pre-pandemic custom is far from guaranteed. Deloitte models the numbers of office workers returning to city centres will be less than 70%; it’s expected that 5% of office workers will never be required to return to the office.

The Big Issue’s business model was facing existential doom. We needed to help Big Issue vendors transform their business, to transform their lives.

Off the street and out of sight, Big Issue vendors were not only out of mind, they were out of hope. With no opportunity for making physical sales, connections with the community, or indeed a living, we set out to digitally recreate their business model, network and livelihood. Together with LinkedIn, we developed “Raising Profiles.”

Tablets were provided by Dixons. Through a combination of group and individual sessions, we helped the vendors set up their profiles according to their specific needs. We used LinkedIn’s location data to find the people who had previously worked in the catchment of each vendor’s regular pitch. With their profiles created and digital networks in place, vendors were able to reach their old community and ask, “remember me?” Then, equipped with an e-comm trigger, they could easily make a digital sale.

As the vendors gained more confidence, they began to grow their networks, engaging in conversations while also touting?what was in the latest copy of The Big Issue?to help make sales.?This drastically shifted the perceptions of?the?vendors, proving that they were legitimate businesspeople who had every right to be on LinkedIn.???

“It has taught me how to communicate in an online community – I have connections all around the world. This week I’m going to start a teaching module to learn even more. – Emma, London vendor

Emma is a clear example of the effectiveness of the programme. Emma has successfully built a LinkedIn profile and has accessed online sessions throughout the programme and has gone on to use these skills to access mainstream employment.

“I’ve connected with over 59 people from my old corporate placement. After a whole year without me, they still remember me.” – Paul, London vendor

Paul has successfully utilised LinkedIn as an engagement tool to reconnect with old customers. Paul understands the impact increased activity on the platform can have and has stayed active on the platform. In doing so, he has reached new customers outside of local area and increased his subscription sales significantly.

All of the vendors taking part have successfully built a profile and are building both local and international connections. They upskilled digitally in the process, changing perceptions about what Big Issue vendors could accomplish.

There has been a significant subscription uplift for nearly all vendors after the campaign launch with LinkedIn driving 96% of total traffic for our subscriptions. Total traffic for vendor subscriptions increased by up to 325% during this period, and magazines sold increased by 400%.

Raising Profiles also secured excellent coverage. In addition to appearing in most major UK news outlets, celebrities like Dame Kelly Holmes, Sadiq Khan and Gary Lineker shared the launch on their social media profiles. Giving us a combined reach of 81.5M and 112M impressions.

Above all, we were able to help The Big Issue vendors reconnect with their customers, evolve their business model for a digitized world and thereby increase the number of magazine subscriptions purchased online, develop vendors’ digital skills, and importantly, increased positive perceptions of vendors and The Big Issue brand.

In the words of The Big Issue’s Executive Director: “The program has fundamentally shifted how we do business. But the bigger result is the permanent perception shift in how people see our vendors. They’re professionals with every right to be on LinkedIn.”