Upping Your Association's Facebook Game
With social media always evolving, it is important to keep up with where your audience is and how to effectively reach them. Although new social platforms have come out over the past few years, Facebook has remained stable. Attracting and engaging your audience can be difficult at times, so here are a few tips on how to do just that!
Make your page valuable. As an association, use the Facebook page to inform the audience. This can be about your specific association, industry related articles, and more. Sharing blog posts, webinars, and upcoming event information are all ways in which you can inform the readers and keep them coming back for more.
Do not underestimate the value of visuals. Both photos and videos draw in the most impressions on posts. They are interesting to the member and provide both entertainment as well as information. If you are hosting an upcoming event, try having a board member explain the perks of attending that event. This can be done through Facebook live or uploading your own edited version. This allows members to see the page as a resource for information.
Create calls to action. It is important for members of an association to feel valued. By giving members an action to complete, you are making them an active member with a purpose. This can be done by posting polls and surveys related to the association or the industry, sharing links, as well as sending members to your own website.
If you are still looking for more tips on engaging your audience on Facebook, head to Wild Apricots blog, Facebook: The 5 Best Ways to Promote Your Organization. Keeping up with these trends is important in drawing in new members and retaining the ones you have.
Dealing with Spooky Scammers
Over the past couple of months, our team at Impact, has noticed several scam emails filing in from various unknown sources. After doing further research, we noticed this was a trend among many associations and association management companies. These fraudulent emails often came with the request of a money transfer. Keeping money in the correct hands is incredibly important and because of this, we have created a list of tips to help associations keep an eye out for suspicious emails and scams.
Look at the email address of the sender. If the email is unfamiliar or appears odd, this should be your first red flag.
Pay close attention to messages during times where money is already being transferred. If your association is dealing with an upcoming event, membership renewals, or other busy times, make sure that nothing fishy passes under the radar. This is a prime time for scammers to target associations.
Alert other association members and leaders. Scammers can often use a leader’s name or email to send the request. Talking with the person in charge can clarify whether the email is from them and can spread the word of the issue. This can help to further prevent the problem in future cases.
Keep an eye out for scam emails and follow our tips or it just might come back to haunt you!
Tips and Tricks on Membership Recruitment and Retention
Evaluating and Increasing Fundraiser Participation
Getting people to participate in fundraiser events can often feel like pulling teeth. Understanding what motivates people to participate, why those who choose not to attend opt out, and what could push people to participate in future events are key components in increasing future participation. Here are a few ways to encourage involvement.
1. Widening your reach. One primary cause for people not attending fundraising events is simply because they did not know about the event. It is important to look at your current marketing strategy for events and see where the plan could be better. Some solutions to this would be to be more active on social media, in the community, or building partnerships with other companies or associations.
2. Spreading your mission. Making the cause of the fundraiser known is vital. The cause of the event can be a strong driver in participation. Emphasizing the cause in marketing messages will make people feel that their time and money are worth it. This can be done by showing who or what they money raised will be going to after the fundraiser.
3. Creating a unique experience. Another important motivator for participation is creating an enjoyable and unique experience. Being innovative engages your audience and makes them more likely to participate. If you are stumped on ideas, we suggest 200+ Fundraising Ideas Proven to Raise More Donations For Your Cause.
4. Bring a friend. Encouraging people to bring a friend to the event, not only increases participation, but also makes people more likely to go. Having someone to go with and socialize with makes the experience more fun and comfortable. Setting up a Facebook page for the event is a great way for participants to see if anyone else they know is going.
Improving marketing messages and creating a unique experience for participants can lead to a successful fundraising event. These small adjustments can lead to a bring return for your association.