Associations and Social Media
While association publications are increasing their use of social media to reach out their members, there are still a few kinks to work out.
Like consumer and b-to-b magazines, the scope in which association publications are experimenting with social media varies depending on the size and budget the association is working with. But overall, the trend towards this new way of marketing is moving upward.
According to last year’s “Web 2.0: How Associations Are Tapping Social Media” report from the Angerosa Research Foundation, 57 percent of the more than 300 associations surveyed have tried at least one social networking application and more than one-third of associations have set up their own social media site.
“It seems to me that more associations are looking at social media as a marketing tool, which is a great way to go,” according to Rebecca Rolfes, EVP, Association Strategy, Imagination Publishing, which creates print and digital content for associations. “You can do a lot of things using social media that an association traditionally does face-to-face.”
What makes the situation different for associations, however, is that there are a few things that they must do to stay afloat that social media won’t be able to help with, according to Rolfes, including credentials, standards, propriety research and advocacy.
“You can lobby for a cause online, for example, but someone still has to go and make the point to Congress,” Rolfes says regarding advocacy. “And I can see an association creating standards online, but there still needs to be a body that organizes and addresses those standards. Plus, how is the association going to make money off of [social media]? This is the tough part.”
Social media, however, can be used to navigate the change that’s occurring in the association’s membership models. The majority of those who join associations, Rolfes says, are middle-aged men and women who are already 8-10 years into their careers and, therefore, see the value in joining an association. Younger career professionals, however, are forming their own groups on social networks to fulfill their needs without the membership costs making it essential for associations to have some presence on social networks.
“If there are potential members on Facebook that have already formed or joined these groups, your association needs to be there too,” Rolfes told AD. “That way you can entice them into seeing that you may have more to offer. More and more, we’re seeing that memberships are looking more like affiliations. In other words, people are joining for limited periods of time or only when a specific issue catches their interest. And that’s where social media can play a big part.”
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