A Conversation with Social Media Content Champion Kate Banasiak

An Interview with Kate Banasiak

As a member of the Outreach & Engagement Task Force, what do you see as the key platforms for AMCI’s social media engagement? If used in the right way, LinkedIn and Twitter can be really effective-– so they will be our primary channels.

How do think these platforms will help with AMCI’s thought leadership strategy? What are their primary strengths?
I’ll start with LinkedIn. We can really target the markets and the professionals we want. There are a number of ways we can reach out and establish a strong presence – the blog section for example, or leveraging client endorsements. Also there’s so much opportunity to connect with people who have the same business interests and the same challenges that we deal with every day. It’s such an accepted platform to share best practices and strategies, as well as build networks that it becomes a great option to promote the AMC model. With Twitter – it’s quick hits – little insights, quick successes. That will allow us to more easily connect and gain momentum. Twitter is the fast track - LinkedIn in requires more in-depth effort. So the two are complementary. Twitter grabs attention, uncovers trends – LinkedIn develops relationships and establishes credibility. Using both lets us get noticed in the short term and foster a growing community over the long run.

Are there specific topics or content formats that you think will work best?
LinkedIn is going to be everything from ‘how to’ blog posts to expert exchanges. It’s all about showing AMCI members as experts, whether that is on subjects like member growth or budget planning. But it has to be authentic – not a sales pitch for services. Real life examples, case studies, the latest innovations in association management. People want to learn about things that are working. We need to be seen as approachable and helpful, talking about things they identify with and coming up with pathways to success. Most importantly we need to be focused on fulfilling their needs. Success comes from having a conversation with people, not talking at them.

Getting all of our knowledge into a 140 characters is probably going to be our biggest challenge. Twitter is the ideal place for quick, smart insights, little snippets that grab attention right away. Do it consistently enough and you can build a following. It’s a great place for an announcement or asking about trends. I also see it as an easy way to stay connected with each other.

What are your top three tips to starting a great social conversation?

1. Make it about them – pull people in – pay attention to their needs

2. Keep it short – get to the meat of the subject right away

3. Make sure that if there’s a conversation to be had, that we are generating buzz around it. So we need several voices to keep the discussion, lively, interesting, and inviting.

How can AMCI members get involved?
They should thinking about what their clients' pain points were before they came to them and how the AMC model solved it. That’s how we can generate ideas to share on the AMCI social platform. Which is why we have a ‘call for content’ at the end of this newsletter. We need all of our member’s voices to raise awareness about how great the AMC model is.