Unlocking membership engagement through social media

What do membership organisations look like today? Different generations with varying preferences coexist, so finding the right communications strategy can be complex. This is where social media can help, as a versatile tool that can bridge generational gaps and foster meaningful connections. The versatility of social media really comes into its own with membership organisations, who often come up against the conflicting needs of their members.???

So how can a membership organisation adapt their social media strategy to engage with their members in impactful ways? Ultimately it is down to personalisation and understanding your audience. Personalisation goes beyond the technical elements of your website and into your content strategy and the way you use social media.?

Challenges in member engagement?

Before we delve into the potential of social media, let's explore some of the common challenges faced by membership organisations:?

1. Diverse demographics: Today membership organisations often encompass members spanning different age groups and backgrounds. Engaging such a diverse audience can be a challenge, as there is no longer a ‘one size fits all’ approach to communications. Whilst most strategies break communication tactics down by platform, the addition of audience demographics only adds an extra layer of complexity.?
2. Communication gap: Nowadays, traditional communication methods may not resonate with younger generations, while older members may prefer more traditional channels like newsletters or printed materials. Finding the right balance in your marketing to optimise engagement is an ongoing battle, particularly as new generations continue to enter the workforce.?
3. Retention vs growth: Most businesses we work with face the debate between member retention vs growth. A successful strategy doesn't require completely neglecting one aspect in favour of the other; instead, it's important to address both to ensure success. It can be a challenge to maintain member engagement with personalised content whilst also encouraging new membership. Neglecting either can result in the potential loss of valuable members. All the while, this must be balanced with tactful strategies to attract new members to a business, as older members inevitably retire or leave the picture.?
4. Relevance: Staying relevant in a fast-paced digital world is essential for member organisations to attract and retain younger generations. Within social media specifically, the digital opportunities for engagement are always changing and evolving as new functionalities and platforms appear, and it can be a struggle to keep up with the next big trend.?

Finding your social media solution?

Social media platforms are versatile tools that offer membership organisations unique opportunities to overcome these challenges and connect with their members effectively. Understanding your audience is the first step in creating an impactful social media strategy that engages your members.?

With this information, you can look at tailoring your resources and choice of social channels to different generations. This goes hand in hand with tailoring your content, style and even tone of voice in a way that speaks to each generation within your membership base. These decisions are unique to each organisation, but examples include:?

• Baby Boomers may react best to inspiring stories of long-term members, achievements, and the history of the organisation. Their preference for platforms such as Facebook can be utilised to create a sense of nostalgia and community.?
• If you are a B2B organisation, then Generation X may be best targeted through platforms such as LinkedIn whilst they are at the height of their career. By providing career-oriented content, networking, and professional development resources, you can help cultivate loyalty with this demographic.?
• Millennials have been around for the birth of most major social channels, and it’s hard not to reach this demographic as they often have a presence on most mainstream social platforms. Depending on your organisation, one option is to target them with visually appealing platforms like Instagram with vibrant content, event highlights, and behind-the-scenes glimpses.?Instagram is also utilising more personalisation tactics that membership organisations could benefit from, such as trialling personalised lists that allow companies and influencers to send exclusive content to specific groups.?
• Generation Z on the other hand predominantly limit most of their social use to 3 big platforms: Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. Here, bitesize engaging content that is on trend resonates best and can be used effectively for a good mix of brand awareness and service promotion. As Gen Z enters the workforce, more and more businesses are taking to TikTok to reach this unique demographic. Despite a large upfront investment in resources needed for this unique social channel, it reaps impactful results when implemented effectively.?

Social media encourages two-way communication and provides opportunities for personalisation and targeting. Utilising Reddit to create discussion forums, conducting polls on LinkedIn, and hosting live Q&A sessions on any channel can create interactive experiences to bridge the communication gap and foster a sense of community.?

We are seeing continuous improvements to advanced targeting options, allowing organisations to tailor content and ads based on demographics, interests, and behaviours. This can be paired with membership renewal campaigns that offer incentives, early-bird discounts, or exclusive access to premium content, at the right time.

As a data-led agency, it would be remiss of us to leave out the importance of social media analytics data to understand member preferences, engagement levels, and the effectiveness of your content. Effective social reporting – be it paid or organic, provides data-driven insights to enable organisations to refine their strategies continually based on what kind of content resonates with the audiences.?

With a diverse membership landscape, effective engagement is essential for the sustainability of membership organisations. As a new generation enters the workforce, ensure your social strategy remains dynamic and meets their needs. Social media can be a bridge, connecting generations and providing a platform for tailored, engaging, and interactive communication.??

If you have a social strategy that was written 3-5 years ago, we challenge all readers to take a look at it today and scrutinise if it's optimised to engage with their membership base of today.?

If you’re interested in hearing more about Reading Room’s social media services and how we can align your content and social strategy to your target audience, please see our website here. Starting with discovery by auditing social media accounts we can help build a social media strategy that reaches business objectives, and even help deliver it on the other end!?