--- title: "Social Media Roundup: Time to Get Focused" id: "13418" type: "post" slug: "social-media-roundup-time-to-get-focused" published_at: "2012-09-24T22:01:47+00:00" modified_at: "2012-09-24T22:01:47+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/09/24/social-media-roundup-time-to-get-focused/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/09/24/social-media-roundup-time-to-get-focused.md" excerpt: "Are you using your data correctly? Also: Why pop culture is a cheap social media trick." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "event engagement" - "member data" - "Membership" - "Social Media" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Social Media Roundup: Time to Get Focused Good data is an association’s best friend. Use it poorly and your campaign becomes broad, unfocused, and wasteful. Use it correctly and you might bring an unexpected member into the fold. More thoughts on the matter: ### Think Smart About Data > Members won’t tell you, but your data will [http://t.co/EdC1pYYc (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/EdC1pYYc) > (via [@XYZUniversity (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/XYZUniversity?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > ) [#nptalk (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/nptalk?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#nonprofit (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/nonprofit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — CSAEBC (@CSAEBC) [September 24, 2012 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/CSAEBC/status/250321479923818498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Our neighbors to the north, the British Columbia chapter of the Canadian Society of Association Executives, point out a great piece from XYZ University about the value of using data to get away from mass-marketed info and closer to building well-focused outreach. “My point is that associations aren’t using data to make changes in the way they operate,” [Breanna Vanstrom explains (opens in a new tab)](http://xyzuniversity.com/2012/09/members-wont-tell-you-but-your-data-will/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=members-wont-tell-you-but-your-data-will) . “Too often, associations talk to or plan events around one type of member, sometimes at the expense of other members. And again, these ‘others’ are exactly the new people they want to reach.” ### Focusing on the Wrong Thing > [Amen.] Does Social Marketing Reward the Wrong Behaviors? / Justin Kownacki [http://t.co/WmVXUkZY (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/WmVXUkZY) > > — Maddie Grant (@maddiegrant) [September 24, 2012 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/maddiegrant/status/250249527011983361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) In the same vein as our mention of [the new book Social Media Is … (opens in a new tab)](https://associationsnow.com/2012/09/lunchtime-links-this-weeks-best-in-tech/) , SocialFish’s Maddie Grant points out [Justin Kownacki’s piece on social media engagement (opens in a new tab)](http://www.justinkownacki.com/2012/09/24/does-social-marketing-reward-the-wrong-behaviors/) and how using pop-culture posts as a crutch is just that — a crutch. “So now we’re creating a social marketing ecosystem built not upon valuable customer engagement but on triggering Pavlovian reflexes in our audience (‘I love John Ritter!’),” Kownacki writes, “which tells us nothing useful about them or in any way elevates their interest in our brand or increases actual sales.” *What cool stuff have you seen out there today? Let us know in the comments!* (Flickr photo/Toolstop) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#event engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-engagement/) [#member data](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-data/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#Social Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/social-media/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: More Than Marketing: The Power of Strategic CommunicationsJuly 30, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/30/associations-now-presents-more-than-marketing-the-power-of-strategic-communications/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Why Slower Marketing Can Drive Stronger Member Engagement (Episode 27)June 25, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/25/associations-now-presents-why-slower-marketing-can-drive-stronger-member-engagement-episode-27/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2012%2F09%2F24%2Fsocial-media-roundup-time-to-get-focused%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !