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March 2013

Social Media for Association Executives - Connections Preview

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With social media, if you’re not generating new memberships or improving relationships with existing members, it’s just a hobby. And it you’re like me, the last thing you need is a new hobby.

If you're looking for improved results with your social media efforts, these tips can help generate the outcome you're looking for. For more tips, check out the full article in the next issue of connections, arriving in mailboxes later this month!

1. Fish where the fish are.
Where are your members and potential members spending time online? Are they active on Twitter? If not, why should you be? You don’t have to be on all social media sites. REPEAT: You don’t have to be on all social media sites.

Decide where your audience is spending time, and plant your flag on those sites. If you’re typically targeting businesses, LinkedIn is probably the place you’ll want to spend the most time. With over a billion users on Facebook, chances are good that some of your members are active on that site.

Action: Ask 10 members of your association to rank in order the sites that they spend the most time on. Use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+ as their choices. Follow up by asking how many times in the past month they’ve used each of those sites. You’ll notice a pattern and stay focused on the sites they ranked highest.

2. Be proud of your Digital Footprint.
When people go to the Web and do research on your association, are they impressed by what they see? Do you gain or lose credibility when someone visits your LinkedIn profile? Today, most first impressions happen online and, with a little bit of effort, you can control much of what they see. Here are three quick ways to put your best digital foot forward:

a.    Have an attractive, user-friendly website. I don’t care what the other social media pundits say, your website is still your most important piece of online real estate. It needs to look professional and give your visitors the info they’re looking for in a clear and concise way. If there’s too much clutter, too little content, or just frustrating to use, it can sabotage your efforts in gaining new members. During my presentation on April 17th for GSAE, I will share the five website mistakes that most association sites are making and how to avoid them.
b.    Increase your fans, followers and friends. If it’s a social media site like a Facebook fan page or LinkedIn profile, nothing says small, unpopular or old fashioned than low numbers. So work on getting lots of fans to your Facebook page, connections to your LinkedIn profile or followers to your Twitter account. Always build your numbers—they matter.
c.    Improve Your LinkedIn Profile. As far as individual social media profiles go, LinkedIn is the place where people tend to go to check you out. Most of your information is public and your profile typically ranks well on the search engines when people search for your name. It’s important to have a professional looking profile that sells you and your association.