Leveraging social media is a great way to open a dialog and grow your organization’s relationship with its members.
See Part 1 of Social Media Relationship Building with Frank Kenny.
Here are 8 more tactics for your organization to implement to generate relationship-building conversations on social media:
- Post during off-business hours. Lots of people are using two devices when watching TV so take advantage of it. There is less competition in the evening to be in news feeds. You could strike up some very nice conversations that wouldn’t have happened during busy business hours.
- Republish/repurpose your best stuff. If you post something that just works, chances are you can post it again at a later date, and it will work then too. You can also try this moving from platform to platform. If a post does gangbusters on Instagram, post it on Facebook later.
- Post on or start a Facebook group. Facebook groups are hot. The community aspect has caught Facebook’s attention, and they are now sending notifications to group members on the latest discussions. Join in those conversations.
Get 30 Quick and Easy Ideas for Association Social Media Posts
in Social Media Survival for Associations.
- Take a stand on an issue. This takes a little boldness, but if you have a strong belief and are willing to defend it, you will get engagement. You might lose a member or two, but chances are you will attract many more.
- Boost your best stuff. Did you have a post take off? Boost it to get it in front of more people. If a post works for a small segment of your audience, chances are it will work for a larger segment.
- Don’t just “like” the comments made on your posts, comment back. Sure, you can just go down the list of commenters, like, like, like, like, done, and mark that off your to-do list. But a much savvier way of building a relationship is to engage with commenters by commenting back. Extend the discussion. Build a dialog. Find things in common. This has a bonus element. The algorithms will see your post is generating meaningful engagement and there’s a good chance your post will be rewarded with more reach.
- Highlight beloved members and volunteers. Be diligent about finding people to spotlight and celebrate. It could be a board member’s birthday. Or maybe a committee member just won an award for excellence. Or possibly a member has reached the 40-year mark in the industry. Celebrate it with your audience.
- Participate in fun holidays. The calendar is filled with whimsical celebrations of foods, pets, and other special things that people love. Days like National Ice Cream Day present great opportunities to have some fun. On this day, go get ice cream, spotlight your members who sell ice cream, take a photo of your yummy cone, or ask your audience what their favorite flavor is. Boom! Guaranteed engagement.
Connecting with your members is critical. Meet them where they are… online.
Get the guide, Why Member Engagement No Longer Means Face-to-Face
for more tips on connecting with members.
Frank J. Kenny is an internationally recognized author, professional speaker, and consultant. He is on the faculty of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management (IOM). He has taught social media, digital marketing, and technology strategies to business audiences from around the world.