How to Win with Social Media

Marcy Weaver, Contributing Writer

Originally printed in the April 2015 issue of National Chamber Review.

Social media continues to prove itself as a viable and long-term tactic for direct member reach. Furthermore, it’s affordable and easy to manage with just an internet connection and basic marketing skills.

However, because the game is always changing, chambers must stay current on new social media strategies to keep their members engaged.

Tips for Success:

1. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Decide which social media platforms are best for your chamber.  Is your community found mostly on Facebook? Twitter? Those platforms are most popular in the Chamber community, but there are several others to consider as well: Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Consider which will help drive membership growth and retention.
    
2. According to the WSJ online, Facebook recently started filtering out unpaid promotional material in user news feeds that businesses have posted as status updates. Start using paid advertising options like Facebook’s “boost this post” to ensure you reach your target audience.
    
3. Create relevant and interesting content for your users. Pull them in with information that is engaging and useful to them. Also, try not to self-promote too frequently; a good rule of thumb is one-to-six – promote your Chamber one time for every six posts you make.  
    
4. When coming up with items to post, keep in mind that not all content you post has to be original. 48% of marketers curate noteworthy content from third-party reputable sources according to Design & Promote.  Find articles online that your members can use, make sure to source them and then post them for your members.
    
5. Seek out and use member testimonials to give your posts a human connection.  If possible, use video to tell these stories.  Recognize new members and praise existing members for their honors, awards or a job well done in the community.   
    
6. A new trend shows that videos rule over photos. According to new data from social media analytics company Socialbakers, photo posts are half as likely to be seen as videos in Facebook user newsfeeds.

Lastly, remember to engage with your followers. After all this is “social” media, so be social!  Monitor your comments, likes, shares and retweets. Respond when needed, invite people to your website and thank your audience for their comments.

Marcy Weaver is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at MicroNet, Inc., providers of membership management software and website solutions for nearly 2,000 Chambers of Commerce and Associations. Her background is in membership management and she is passionate about using technology to make sales and marketing more efficient.