Harnessing Social Media to Elevate Your Association's Presence
In today's digital landscape, social media isn't just a catchy buzzword – it's a powerful tool for associations to connect with members, amplify their voices, and attract new members. However, simply having a LinkedIn page or Twitter account isn't enough. To truly harness the power of social media and elevate your association's presence, you need a strategic approach focused on measurable goals, engaging content, and active member participation.
Setting Measurable Goals:
Before diving into the world of hashtags and retweets, define your goals. What do you want to achieve through social media? Do you want to increase member engagement, attract new members, promote events, or advocate for your association's mission? Once you have clear goals, you can measure your progress and track the effectiveness of your social media efforts. Here are examples of tangible social media goals:
a. Increase the number of followers on each platform by a certain percentage over the next six months.
b. Boost member engagement by encouraging discussions and interactions.
c. Drive traffic to the association's website through social media links.
Posting Statistics that Matter:
Beyond follower counts and likes, delve deeper into analytics. Analyze platform-specific metrics like reach, engagement rate, and website traffic to understand what content resonates with your members. Identify which platforms deliver the highest ROI and tailor your content accordingly. Remember, quality over quantity – a smaller, engaged audience is more valuable than a large, disengaged one.
Our team uses a program called social pilot to manage social media. This platform can send leaders reports weekly or quarterly about follower demographics, reach/impressions and trends, the most popular days to post and audience engagement. One of the best ways we have found to grow our social media followers is to have members invite followers to our page. When we have these types of followers, they are more likely to engage on our page.
Members as Your Secret Weapon:
Your members are your biggest asset on social media. Encourage them to share their experiences, participate in discussions, and advocate for your association. Create opportunities for user-generated content through contests, polls, and member spotlights. Empower your members to become brand ambassadors, amplifying your message and reaching new audiences beyond your own network. Make sure Board members are sharing posts.
Best Practices for Social Media Management:
Consistency is key: Develop a content calendar and post regularly to stay top-of-mind.
Quality over quantity: Share valuable, informative, and engaging content that aligns with your goals.
Variety is the spice of life: Experiment with different content formats – text, images, videos, live streams – to keep your audience interested.
Be responsive: Engage with comments and questions promptly, fostering a sense of community and building relationships.
Stay on top of trends: Utilize relevant hashtags and participate in trending conversations to increase your visibility.
Monitor and analyze: Track your progress and adapt your strategy based on data insights.
In conclusion, with a strategic approach and dedicated effort, your association can leverage the average person's 145 daily social media minutes (Forbes) to become a leader in the industry, fostering a vibrant community and achieving lasting success as defined by your social media plan. Creating valuable content that resonates with members' needs is paramount to this endeavor.