Each quarter I have the opportunity to lead a meeting of AH’s Membership Coordinators and Directors. Our recent session focused on how to make social media relevant to the generation gap within our respective associations. The attendees represented a broad range of associations from The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) to the American Neurological Association (ANA). Each group, as is true with most associations, has membership that can be considered Millennials, GenX’ers, and Baby Boomers.
The group asked: “How can AH associations best utilize social media as a low cost, high engagement tool to connect with members?”
This topic has been researched by groups like the Pew Research Center and Fractl. It has also been covered in publications such as Entrepreneur Magazine, Social Media Today, and Harvard Business Review, to name a few. In preparation for the meeting, members of the group reviewed several of these articles and examined social media practice in their own association. The fun and engaging discussion resulted in a number of great ideas. I thought I would share a few ideas you can take back to your own association:
1. Customer service matters
You probably already know about the importance of customer service. But did you know that Twitter and Facebook private messages or even public posts are a great way to support your members? These social media platforms offer a great opportunity to turn around an unhappy customer or to support a member who needs more information. You can show how quickly your team responds when a customer has a question.
2. Twitter for prospecting
Does your association have a new membership category, a meeting or some new product? Twitter is a great resource when it comes to prospecting. You may be surprised to hear that according to a Pew Research Study, 26% of teens and 18% of adults are active on Twitter.
Take a few minutes to search by keywords applicable to your product or association, such as “Air Duct Cleaner” or “Academic Neurology” and you may find people who would be perfect for that offering. Just follow them and when those people follow you back you have engaged prospects! Remember, they may not know about your association’s great new product, membership or event. So, be sure to send them a direct message with information on the easiest way to access these fantastic benefits.
3. Tracking activity
Is your board interested in which marketing efforts are working best? You may want to try bitly links. This tool allows you to shorten and track opens and clicks on your links. This is a great solution if you are sending out tons of email and other marketing material but not getting the results you are seeking. The first step is knowing if your constituents are even aware of your offering.
4. Engage with visual content
According to research conducted by Fractl, visual content leads the way across the generations. There are great free tools out there now to kick your visuals into high gear. Try Canva.com for perfectly sized impactful images that can drive up engagement. Remember it may be that image or visual representation of a testimonial that gets your readers to click through your post or email.
5. Marry video with live events for lasting impact
There are several video platforms that offer the connection of an in-person event while extending your brand to those who may not be able to attend. Some offer short form such as Vine, a video-sharing app designed so users can film separate instances so they can be linked together for a total of six seconds. Some are longer form like Periscope, which enables you to broadcast live via your mobile device anytime and anywhere. Video is a great way to get people to tune into your event. This can be a great way to connect more senior members with those earlier in their career.
For more great ideas on how to engage your members via social media or through traditional marketing reach out to our AH Red Chair Communications team.
