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Social media in action: one association’s experience
I
knew I just had to get on the bandwagon. With many of our members belonging
to various social networks, and the association/industry research showing
that is what the young members want – it was something I figured I better
do sooner rather than later.
We formed a committee (because that is what all associations do) to look at options and how to set up a social group. We decided to start first with LinkedIn, since it focuses on professional networking with business relationships.
It took us two weeks to research it, set up a group, assign group managers, and feel comfortable using it ourselves as committee members. The next step was to notify the membership. Imagine my surprise when, just two weeks after we set it up (but had not promoted it to ANYONE) that we had over 20 requests to join the group!
Three weeks into the project following the email announcement to our members – we had over 20% of our members participating in our LinkedIn group for BMA Colorado.
We did decide, early on, that this LinkedIn group would be open to members only and plan to promote it as a member benefit. It didn’t cost us anything in terms of financial resources, only time. I’m convinced it was the right way to go – marching forward into the new world of social media.
About the author
Marilee Yorchak is the Executive Director of the Colorado Chapter of the Business Marketing Association.
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