1. 10 Best Practices for Association
Social Media
Maggie McGary
@maggielmcg

2. Best Practice #1
Meet Your Members Where They Are
• Survey—but with a caveat
• Discovery & audits
• Reports

3. Best Practice #2
Not Just Younger Generation—But a
Must-Have for Younger Generation
• 67% of all Internet users use social networking
sites
• 83% of users 18-29
• 77% of users 30-49
• 52% of users 50-64
(source: Pew Research Project, The Demographics of Social Media Users 2012)

4. Best Practice #3
If Your Member Aren’t There, Don’t
Give Up—Educate
• Be a resource for members on how to use
social media in the context of their profession
• Provide training and resources
• Promote org’s social media sites everywhere

5. Best Practice #4
Don’t Be Anti-Social
• Not just a marketing channel
• 80/20 content mix
• Content curation

6. Best Practice #5
Be Data Driven
• Analytics
• Tie to business goals
• Evaluate and adjust

7. Best Practice #6
Don’t Silo Social Media
• Focus on user experience, not internal silos
• Integrate social media into larger strategies—
marketing, communication, membership

8. Best Practice #7
Encourage Members to Share Your
Content
• Sharing widgets on website, online
publications and email
• Cross promote content across print & online
channels
• Promote conference hashtags on EVERY
communication

9. Best Practice #8
Don’t Worry About Being Everywhere
• Evaluate which channels make sense for your
membership
• Be good at few instead of ineffective at many
• Be realistic about resources

10. Best Practice #9
Keep Your Eye on the Ball
• Public social media sites change constantly
• Keep an eye on emerging channels
• Times change; make sure your strategy and
tactics don’t stay static

11. Best Practice #10
Social Media Won’t Do Itself
• No resources=no results
• Would you have an intern as the public face of
your organization?
• What to look for in a social media manager
candidate

12. Bonus:
Don’t Worry So Much!
• Don’t be afraid to experiment
• Don’t worry so much about control
• Know where to turn for advice

13. Thank You!