Is social media a solid component of your club’s online promotional strategy?
It should be.
Social media has become the go-to source for many – especially in the last year. Not only is social media an easy way to promote your club, but it’s also an easy way to engage with your audience, which builds follower loyalty.
Here are eight tips to help you leverage your social media presence more successfully:
1. Know your audience
What kind of content are you posting? For example, if you are trying to attract young business professionals to your club but none of your social media posts speak to how to optimize a virtual meeting platform when speaking with the boss, or tips on how to provide feedback to a work team, then you are going to have a tough time connecting with your intended audience. Decide who you are speaking to, then offer posts that will appeal to that person.
2. Know your platforms
Different groups use different platforms. For example, if your club meets in an older neighbourhood with many retirees in your immediate vicinity, and you would like take advantage of your proximity to them, but your club only uses LinkedIn, your intended audience might not be active on LinkedIn anymore. If you are posting on that platform in the hopes of reaching them, you are wasting your time.
3. Know your tone
When you show your club’s personality through your posts, your followers will more likely engage with you. But stay professional. Toastmasters International is the world’s leading organization devoted to communication and leadership skills development. The average age of a member is 46.2 years; 78.1% have a bachelor’s degree or higher; and 56.6% are multilingual (source: https://www.toastmasters.org/leadership-central/statistics-and-data-hub).
Over half of Fortune 500 companies (2020 statistics) have an in-house Toastmasters club to help build their employees’ communication, leadership, and public speaking skills (source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news/toastmasters-international).
Don’t compromise on the Toastmasters’ brand of Communication and Leadership Development. It will hurt your club in the end.
4. Know your voice
While posting with personality brings engagement, ensure your posts have the same voice across all platforms. If you are super fun on Instagram and somber on LinkedIn, you will confuse your audience.
5. Know your audiences’ radar
The more active you are, the more engaged your audience will be. Post daily to stay on their radar. Some platforms allow you to schedule your posts in advance. If you’re not posting regularly, sooner or later, your audience will forget about you. Don’t let that happen to your club. Post regularly.
6. Know your analytics
Understanding when your audience is most active will help ensure your posts get noticed. It may be trial and error at first, but once you see patterns emerge, use them to your advantage.
7. Know your content
We know to use social media to educate, to entertain, and to inform followers what’s new, such as an upcoming event, or an update on your club’s website. But be sure to share other posts from other people as well. For example, if your Division has its own social media platform, share content from that site that you think your followers will find helpful. Share content from the District 86 or Toastmasters International public platforms. Share content from thought leaders in the Toastmasters organization, or if you are a corporate club, from your internal leaders. Sharing relevant information to your followers shows them that you’re not just using social media as a promotional tool for your club.
8. Know your response value
Social media is public. Don’t’ be fooled, even posts in private members’ groups aren’t so private. You and your team need to monitor and always respond to comments or questions posted by your followers in a timely manner. Keep in mind that social media is both a promotional tool and a public relations tool. If you start to see negative comments, stay classy and keep to your brand message. Remember, everyone is watching.
If it isn’t already, social media should be an integral part of your club’s online promotional strategy. Social media has become the go-to source for many. Not only is social media an easy way to promote your club, but it’s also an easy way to build up your club’s relationship with your club’s target audience, resulting in a loyal community of followers.
In conclusion, use these eight tips to help you leverage your social media presence more successfully:
- Know your audience.
- Know your platforms
- Know your tone
- Know your voice
- Know your audience’s radar
- Know your analytics
- Know your content, and
- Know your response value.
Happy posting!
Created by Nancy Movrin DTM Public Relations Manager 2021 – 2022