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) (via @XYZUniversity  (opens in a new tab)) #nptalk  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) #nonprofit  (opens in a new tab)

— CSAEBC (@CSAEBC) September 24, 2012  (opens in a new tab)

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). “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)

— Maddie Grant (@maddiegrant) September 24, 2012  (opens in a new tab)

In the same vein as our mention of the new book Social Media Is … (opens in a new tab), SocialFish’s Maddie Grant points out Justin Kownacki’s piece on social media engagement  (opens in a new tab) 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)