Membership

Membership Hack: Instagram Engagement

The American Dental Hygienists' Association has a big presence on Instagram, where it highlights member stories every week and once a month gives a student member full-account access for a day-in-the-life look.

How to hack it? Chances are good many of your members already use Instagram. It’s quickly outflanking other social media platforms, thanks to popular features like Instagram Stories.

So it seems only natural that the American Dental Hygienists’ Association uses the platform in a variety of ways to share members’ stories. Its two most effective tactics are a weekly post called #MondayMember and a once-a-month account takeover.

For #MondayMember, ADHA starts with an online survey asking members to share a bit of background information and a personal story. It selects one to feature each week. Here’s this week’s post:

And once a month, ADHA gives a student member full-account access to post photos and videos to the @yourADHA story feed. “It’s a day-in-the-life look at student members’ lives,” says Natalie Judd, a principal at Big Voice Communications, who works on strategic communications with ADHA. “Instagram has really come on fast for us and this group.”

Why does it work? These two types of social engagement are helping to grow ADHA’s member presence on Instagram—the account has almost 4,700 followers. “We’ve had really great success, and it drives our Instagram numbers,” Judd says. “Our engagement rate with these posts are sometimes 100 times the average rate.”

What’s the bonus? Instagram can be used to engage young members early in the membership experience and to spotlight those who show potential as up-and-coming leaders, Judd says.

(Pixabay)

Tim Ebner

By Tim Ebner

Tim Ebner is a senior editor for Associations Now. He covers membership, leadership, and governance issues. Email him with story ideas or news tips. MORE

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