The wide reach of social media empowers organizations to cultivate new prospects and engage current members. However, to access a broadened audience and prompt their engagement associations must employ socially savvy strategies on the right platforms.
To develop a successful association member engagement approach, you’ll need to master the art of posting, sharing, and commenting. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of social media engagement tips!
Before we jump into these recommended techniques, let’s explore how your members are currently using social media.
Social media engagement trends
Of the 5 billion social media users in the world, most users engage on Facebook. This platform is the world’s most widely used social media platform, followed by YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Here’s how they use those platforms:
- Viewing content: TikTok users spend over half their time on the app watching videos that are 1 minute or longer, indicating that long-form video is making a comeback.
- Making donations: Social media is a popular platform for soliciting donations since 32% of donors are inspired to give via these platforms.
- Screening advertisements: 34% of social media users say that self-promotion is a turn-off, and 56% say brands should be more relatable on social media. This means your organization should be careful to share its brand and mission in a non-promotional way.
In other words, your association’s social media usage should include reasonable asks and authentic, educational content in the right formats.
How to engage members on social media
What are some practical ways your association can tap into these trends and start engaging members on social channels? Here are a few strategies for acting on these insights.
Post polls and surveys
Social media’s main advantage is its interactivity. NPOInfo notes that social media differs from other marketing channels because it opens the door for two-way communication. Not only can followers like, comment on, and share your content, but your organization can do the same with theirs.
A primary way to engage with members is by asking them directly for their responses. Share polls and surveys to encourage members to interact with your content. Some questions you might ask include:
- How long have you been a member?
- How many events do you usually attend per quarter?
- How satisfied are you with your membership experience?
- What additional benefits or services would you like to see offered to members?
- Would you be interested in participating in member-led discussions on social media?
Along with asking questions that help you learn more about your members, you should also use their responses to identify the types of content that engage them best. For example, a Facebook poll might receive more engagement than a survey posted on your association’s Instagram story.
Engagement levels can vary depending on factors outside of your content, such as the demographics of a platform’s audience or the ease of participation in your surveys. Remember to consider these external factors when analyzing member engagement for a holistic view of your social media performance.
Share visually appealing content
High-quality content is more likely to capture members’ attention and heighten their engagement. Visually appealing graphics, compelling videos, and other eye-catching visuals will stand out in your followers’ feeds.
Use graphic design best practices to engage members when posting about:
- Events and campaigns: Use your brand colors and fonts to create compelling content about upcoming events and campaigns. To streamline this process, Protech recommends using association management software (AMS) to launch digital fundraising campaigns and promote them on social media.
- Industry news: Share quick facts and statistics about your organization’s vertical. For example, an association in the healthcare industry might share an update about a recent advancement in medical technology. These posts could include efficiency metrics, patient outcomes, and clinical trial results that highlight eye-catching statistics.
- Educational content: Create quick tips, best practices, tutorials, and other educational content related to your organization’s mission.
To foster cohesiveness on your social media pages and bolster your organization’s online presence, create post templates for various channels. This way, you’ll have predesigned posts that convey professionalism.
Create private member groups
Members will be more inclined to engage with your content when they feel invested in your organization. For example, meaningful recognition, such as sending a thank you letter or gift, is a vital component of relationship-building because it shows members that they’re a valued part of your organization.
In the same way, attaching a sense of exclusivity to your social media communications can help members feel uniquely valued by your association. Certain platforms provide the tools needed to do this, such as private Facebook groups.
Strengthen your community of members by creating private groups where they can receive exclusive information, such as:
- Insider updates: Share special updates and sneak peeks that are only accessible in your private group. For example, you might announce a new program or member benefits before they’re communicated publicly.
- Member discounts: Offer discounts and promotions from sponsors with only the private group. This might include discounts on products, services, or event registrations.
- Expert resources: Research reports, whitepapers, and other expert resources can help members advance their knowledge of industry-specific topics.
Overall, your association should follow communication best practices when sending content in private member groups. For example, if your group consists of members who have reached a certain membership tier based on their heightened financial commitment to your organization, send messages that resonate with that specific audience.
An intuitive AMS can streamline your association’s membership management, making it easier to gather and store valuable member data for personalized communication. Invest in a Salesforce-native platform to integrate your existing CRM tools and access even more communication features.
As you develop your social media strategy, remember that this method of engagement is ongoing. You’ll need to post regularly and continually evaluate relevant metrics to determine how successful your efforts are. This way, you can adjust your approach as necessary to share the most engaging content possible.
Author: Erin Lemons
Erin Lemons joins Togetherwork Association Solutions with over 15 years serving as a marketing director, event producer, and project manager creating robust marketing campaigns and initiatives that focus on the growing and ever-changing technology needs of the association industry. She leads the marketing teams and strategy at Fonteva and Protech.