4 Ways Social Media Marketing can Benefit Associations

The 2015 Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Social Media Examiner surveyed over 3,700 marketers on their social media activities. Delving into the “who, what, where, when and why” of social media marketing, this report offers a ton of data to better understand the industry.

We’ll go through a few of these insights and explain how associations can benefit from using social media marketing.

Why Social Media Marketing?

Within the report, 92% of marketers stated social media was important to their business. That’s a HUGE percentage of marketers using this channel.

So why are so many businesses jumping on board?

Cost Effective Solution

Stat: More than half of those who spend at least 6 hours per week on social media efforts saw a benefit of reduced marketing expenses.

Using social media to market your association online is incredibly cost effective. Outside of paid advertising, the only costs are the money paid to your employees and the amount of time you invest into it. This will effectively lower your overall marketing costs and as you’ll see with the following stats, also result in a positive ROI.

Improve your SEO

Stat: 81%+ of participants found that increased traffic occurred with as little as 6 hours per week invested in social media marketing.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website in a search engine’s organic list of results. Generally, a better ranking earns your site an earlier spot within search results. SEO is affected by all sorts of factors, including social media.

Being active on social platforms already gives you a leg up on rankings. By posting informative and relevant content and getting that content shared, you’ll earn more credibility and in turn a higher ranking. With a higher ranking, you’ll earn more traffic to your website and more traffic means more potential members.

Boost Brand Credibility

Stat: Nearly all marketers (91%+) who’ve been employing social media marketing for one year or longer report it generates exposure for their businesses.

Being a small company means you rely on all the exposure you can get. Because social media marketing is practically free, it’s a perfect channel for associations to tap into. Plus, it’s a great way to reinforce your brand. Give posts personality and share your content consistently across multiple social media channels. This will ensure current and potential members recognize and understand what your association has to offer.

Better Engagement with your Members

Stat: Most marketers are using social media to develop loyal fans (69%) and gain marketplace intelligence (68%).

So many businesses are involved with social media marketing because it allows them to connect directly with consumers. This holds true for you and your members. Thank your biggest fans and ask why they love being a member with your association. This will show potential members the benefits of joining your association. Conversely, you can also correct any complaints about your association.

By measuring the interactions (likes, comments, shares, etc.) your content receives, you’re able to understand what drives member engagement. And once you understand how to drive member engagement, you’ll be able to create tailored content to stimulate genuine member connections.

Conclusion

Social media is a great marketing platform for associations to connect with members. It’s not only cost-effective but also increases brand awareness, improves search rankings, and allows you to engage directly with your members.

For more social media marketing tips, check out our post Twitter for #Eventprofs.