Forum - June/July 2009

more than 50 million by the end of this year. Rollyson says LinkedIn is therefore a natural place for business executives to organically connect, form discussion groups and develop relationships.

“The keys to making LinkedIn or any social media valuable are to first discover people, then start building a relationship, then develop a level of trust,” Rollyson says. “If successful, business comes along eventually.”

4. Links Beat Ink

Social media isn’t just about marketing. It’s about public relations, too. In fact, there are media experts who suggest online exposure is now more important than “getting ink” in a print publication.

The main advantage of online publicity — even from blogs — is that it creates inbound links to your online materials, including your association’s Web site, that in turn allow your online relationships to grow exponentially.

In spite of the opportunities it presents, one of the fears association professionals have about social media is that it will make them more vulnerable to critics, who’ll be able to fault them via blogs, online discussion groups and more. Overall, however, it’s worth the risk, so long as you’re prepared to engage in dialogue, answer criticism and make reasonable changes to products and policies when needed.

Whether you’re online or not, you can be sure supporters and critics alike are already talking about your association. It’s up to you whether or not to join the conversation.

5. Content Is King

One reason members value associations is for the information resources they provide. Thanks to social media, associations have a new way to distribute those resources, Schiave says.

“Associations are rich in content but need these new ways to deliver shared learning via the Internet, market programs and conferences, and manage their public image,” he says. “Our new social media site allows our members to share information at an astounding rate. AME members, regional boards and committees can set up groups on interests, topics or projects. They can post documents for downloading and editing and utilize features such as a resource library. It’s also fully

integrated with our main Web site.

“We are also doing much more video work these days. Our streaming videos of testimonials from conference attendees as well as excerpts from select speakers are being posted on our conference Web sites as well as on YouTube. They provide additional information, encourage event registration and can be used for membership recruitment programs.”

At your next association conference, try producing video interviews of planning committee members speaking about the meeting’s programs, entertainment and other features. Post these on YouTube and stream them on your Web site. You can also use RSS feeds, which members, reporters and other interested parties can subscribe to in order to be “fed” information automatically.

However they decide to deploy social media, associations shouldn’t be afraid to experiment. As long as something’s cost-efficient, it’s worth trying. Associations should therefore seriously and immediately consider all their social media options — by appointing a director of new media, perhaps, or by publishing a blog.

No matter what you do, if you stay up to date on the latest social media trends, you will be well positioned for many new opportunities — whether you’re an association professional or the president of the United States.

Dick Barton is president of Barton and Barton Ltd., an integrated marketing agency located in Park Ridge, Ill. He may be reached at (847) 698-5069 or dbarton@bartonchicago.com.