Social Media Roundup: Complacency is not an Option

Just because something seems like a sacred cow doesn’t mean it’ll always be so sacred.

Some thoughts on complacency in your marketing strategy in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Shifting Ground

Why Associations Need to Revisit Communication Strategy in 2014 http://t.co/UHp254JdHz  (opens in a new tab) via @maggielmcg  (opens in a new tab) #csae  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab)

— CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Network (@ogcsae) March 7, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

If you’ve heard the phrase “but our members are older and aren’t using social media” recently, join the club. Community management pro Maggie McGary has heard it plenty of times in her association career, but she’d like to let you know something: One of the biggest growth segments in social media right now is people 55 and older. But that’s neither here nor there, McGary says. “My point isn’t that you need to start ramping up your org’s Facebook use if your current membership skews older,” she writes. “It’s that communications is now a moving target and there is no room for complacency or status quo.” Her suggestion? Now’s as good a time as any to revisit your social strategy  (opens in a new tab). (ht @ogcsae  (opens in a new tab))

Adding a Few Mics

New App Turns Smartphones Into Microphoneshttp://t.co/yenOpwxSGM  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) #smassn  (opens in a new tab) #eventprofs  (opens in a new tab)

— SmallStaff BigImpact (@MicroStaffBlog) March 7, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

A while back, musician Dan Deacon came to a brilliant realization: Everyone in the audience has a smartphone with a really bright screen, so why not take advantage of that when building light shows? The result of that thinking, the very pretty Wham City Lights  (opens in a new tab), is lighting up concert stages around the world in bigger venues than even Deacon has played. It makes sense that someone had a similar realization about microphones and smartphones—and created an app. Crowd Mics  (opens in a new tab) hopes to turn smartphones everywhere into microphones for your events, solving one of the biggest problems during Q&A sessions: How the heck do we hand the microphone around? The app, which connects to the venue’s sound system, also allows slightly more-shy users to send in text-based questions, and speakers can even poll attendees during their speeches. Learn more about the app on BizBash  (opens in a new tab). (ht @MicroStaffBlog  (opens in a new tab))

(iStock/Thinkstock)