Sometimes we run into some great blog posts with good tips about the frequency, design or purpose of email marketing – but just like many things online, we also run into some horrible, misguided information.

Recently we came across a blog post criticizing the efforts to make email, print and online communications consistent. The author claimed that consistent branding leads to readers ignoring the message because everything looks the same.

This is obviously someone who doesn’t understand how to develop a strong and effective brand.

“For example, a certain association holds a lot of webinars and classes, and they send out a lot of marketing messages about them — each of which follows the exact same template, with the exact same look, written in the exact same style. I get them and before I even read them, I know exactly what each email is about. And I delete every single one.”

He doesn’t realize it, but his example is a great sample of how consistent branding works. Yes, he may delete the emails now, but at some point he read them. Every single one of them, and we know this because he confesses to knowing the association’s brand. He knows the look, feel and tone of their emails. And, more importantly he knows they offer educational courses.

What he calls a failure in email marketing, is in fact, a great success.

Fairly soon your lives will be enriched with another edition of our newsletter, White Space. This month’s topic is on integrating social media marketing and direct mail – safely and effectively! But, we thought it might be best to have a quick and dirty lesson on social media marketing.

Let’s start with seeing what Wikipedia has to say:

“Social media marketing is an engagement with online communities to generate exposure, opportunity and sales. The number-one advantage is generating exposure for the business, followed by increasing traffic and building new business partnerships. Common social media marketing tools include Twitter, Blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.”

Social media marketing is…

• A conversation. Brands/companies/organizations talk to consumers, consumers talk about, – most importantly consumers talk to each other.
• Word of mouth advertising.
• A chance to hear what people are saying about you, because whether or not you join the conversation – they are still going to talk about you.

Social media marketing is not…

• A trend. It’s a shift in how we communicate.
• Simply joining Facebook. You have to participate.
• Going to ruin your reputation (if you are wise about it).
• Controlling online conversations. It is about listening and engaging.

There were countless great discoveries and advancements in 2008, but one that peaks our interest is about changes seen in usage of social media. Social media sites experienced exponential growth in 2008. In addition to seeing a continual growth in usage, many social media sites are also having a shift in their user demographics.

Let’s take a quick look at some stats from 2008 for the increasingly-popular Facebook. We’re choosing to examine Facebook because it is one of the largest social networking sites with over 200 million users around the world; therefore, we feel confident that whatever assumptions we make from Facebook’s stats, will be true other social media sites.

• By mid-2008 the fastest growing age demographic was 35-54 year olds
• The 24-35 age population doubles every 6 months
• Over 66% of all Facebook users are over the age of 21

What can we take away from these numbers?

First, social media is obviously not just something for teenagers. Second, more young professionals and Gen-Xers found their way in the jungle of social media. They figured out the tools, downloaded apps, learned new lingo and joined the online conversation…or in many cases, started new conversations online. These are people who are full of energy and want to get involved in worthy organizations, say, like your association or nonprofit!

Identify networks of users and online conversations that make sense for your organization. Ask yourself what is it about these social media/networking sites that are attracting millions and millions of people? Take it a step further and brainstorm how you can join the party in effective and strategic ways to help engage younger members.

We’ve come up with a few tips to help you engage younger members of your association through the wonderful world of social media.

Social Networking

If you hang out with a group of young adults between the ages of 21- 34, you’ll notice an interesting trend. They are more likely to say, “I’ll Facebook you”, instead of asking for a phone number or email address. Social networking sites, like Facebook, give users the ability to communicate with others, share pictures, videos, blog posts, articles of interest and more. Users can also create events and invite others. A major benefit is that it allows users to keep lots of information in one place, combined with a simple way to communicate with others. Create a Facebook page for your association, and use it to inform younger members about upcoming events, share your newsletters and any other organization news, add videos and pictures and show a little bit of personality and passion – two of the most attractive qualities young professionals enjoy in any group they associate with.

Through trial and error, young professionals are setting the etiquette for balancing their personal life and professional life using social media tools. LinkedIn is considered the professional version of Facebook. It allows users to interact with each other and share information, but it has the reputation of being more serious about networking and being a place for people to build community around their career.

Multimedia

There are several sites that allow you to share multimedia with others. Nearly everyone has at least heard of YouTube and Flickr, which allow you to post and share videos and pictures. Creating an account for your organization with each of these sites is free, and allows you the opportunity to allow younger members to watch videos from previous events – which may help them RSVP to your annual conference; or, allow them to see all the great photos from the last event they attended.

Blog

Whether it is a new product, a restaurant, an event or your organization – young professionals are going to Google it before giving it a try. In addition to wanting more facts about their new item of interest they also what to get a “feel” for it before they make a decision. We recently read a statistic that said nearly 40% of consumers place more trust, and have a more positive view of brands that have a blog. There are several guides with tips on how to start a blog, if you don’t already have one. Besides posting news information about your organization, make it social as well by sharing pictures, videos and information your younger members may find interesting. Not all blog posts have to be serious and directly related to your organization’s mission – they can be fun, with the sole purpose of trying to engage readers.

At first glance it might seem like some of these suggestions don’t directly relate to your organization’s mission, and might even seem like a waste of time. But, this is how your younger members are using social media to interact with everyone (and every organization/business) that is important to them. Understanding how your younger members consume, manipulate, produce and communicate information through social media will bring you much closer to understanding them, and how to get them more involved in your organization.

For more tips on using social media, check out these blog posts:
Social Media Goes Corporate
Fitting Social Media into Your Schedule
Managing Your Professional Relationships
Using Twitter at Your Annual Conference
Twitter to the Rescue

The most common objection we get when encouraging people to learn more about social media is, “Who has the time for that!?” But for those of us who experience the benefits of social media and networking we wonder, who doesn’t have the time! This is especially true since a recent round of Nielsen research showed that online member communities such as Twitter and Facebook have moved ahead of personal e-mail to become the fourth most popular way people spend time on the Internet (after search, portals and software applications).

Could the time you put into social media and networking give you more ROI than how you currently spend your time? To help you figure that out, here’s a list of tips to help you get the most out of social media and networking even if all you can spare is 15 minutes a day.

Listen to what people are saying about your association.

• Get familiar with the search options on LinkedIn, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Flickr, YouTube, Wikipedia and niche blogs to see what others are saying about your association. If you can’t find conversations about your association, look for ones about similar or competing organizations. What are members saying? What do they like? Dislike? What keeps them active? What needs do they have that your association could meet?

Identify which social media/networking sites have the greatest potential.

• After some research you will identify which sites or networks are worth your time. You will see that some are already being used by your members, and may already have conversations in which you should be participating.

Give new sites a 30-day trial.

• If you’ve created a Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook account, or started commenting on a new niche blog, give it 30 days before you make a decision whether or not the time you are investing is giving a good return.

Add or reach out to at least one connection.

• Make contact with at least one current or new connection on whichever social media/networking site you decide to use.

Keep notes.

• Along the way take notes of what sites you participate in, connections you make and what results you experience.

Set a time limit and stick to it.

• Before you dive into learning more about how social media/networking can benefit your association, decide how much time you can devote each day or week to this endeavor. Stick to that time limit for at least 30 days.

Social media and networking is growing rapidly. Leaders of associations must at least attempt to find out if their organization can benefit and increase value to their members by using these tools. Lack of time can no longer be an excuse.

Businesses, associations, organizations and the professionals who run them are buzzing about social media. Some have it figured out, others are full of questions. But what is clear is that the way we network is changing, and our professional relationships expanding from our address books and into social networking sites.

The most popular professional network is LinkedIn. With over 37 million members and a membership that is rapidly growing, it is the world’s largest professional network. Members can control their professional brand by showcasing talents, skills or services. They can also network and reconnect with past colleagues, business partners and classmates, while tapping into the knowledge, experience and connections of their network. The question and answer capabilities allow users to get fast, accurate information from within their network and experts worldwide. It also allows members the opportunity to build professional credibility by showcasing knowledge and expertise by answering questions.

LinkedIn’s capabilities can take associations to a whole new level of powerful, intentional networking, which can bring numerous benefits to any organization.

Increase Member Retention

Connecting thru social networking with key players of an association such as board members and senior management gives members the sense that the association is easily accessible and transparent. These are key qualities to increasing member retention and increasing member involvement.

Increase Web Presence & Traffic

LinkedIn profiles allow you to list blogs or websites with a short description about your association. This is primary information shown to all your LinkedIn connections, which can increase traffic to your association’s website since a good portion of your connections might be with people who are not familiar with your association.

Make a Good First Impression with a LinkedIn Recommendation

Any association board member or association employee will give instant visibility of your association to all their professional connections. Additionally, any relationship you start with their contacts will start with a good first impression of your non-profit – because their friend is involved.

Connect with a Younger Crowd

Many associations are looking for meaningful ways to connect with younger professionals who may be interested in membership. Young professionals are generally the early adapters of any social networking site, this includes LinkedIn. They are ahead of the curve on taking full advantage of the capabilities and open to making new connections simply through LinkedIn.

Research Potential Sponsors or Partners

LinkedIn can be utilized to gather information on any potential partner. By using the search feature along with looking for mutual connections, your association can find out vital information about potential partners or find that key introduction.

These are just a few of the benefits your association might be missing by not utilizing this growing social network. Take a few minutes this week and visit the Learning Center on LinkedIn’s website to get you started on moving your connections out of your lifeless address book and into a dynamic network that can work for you.