Thursday Buzz: How ASAE’s Social Media Manager Keeps Things Moving

Social media managers clearly have a tough job—and that includes the person at the helm of ASAE’s accounts.

Lauren Precker, the social media manager who handles many of ASAE’s accounts for both conferences and the main organization, broke down her strategy for SocialFish‘s Maddie Grant. She’s on top of things, but that doesn’t mean the job is always easy.

“The challenging part comes in when I am working with individuals who have already decided that social media is not valuable to them, or [to] members,” Precker says. “Now that social media isn’t this [newfangled] thing only the kids are using, [it’s] moments like these that are by far the hardest part of the job.”

Check out the full article  (opens in a new tab), where Precker describes what an average day is like for her, what workflow she uses, when ASAE members are most active online, and what tools make the job a bit easier.

(And just in case you’re wondering, Precker doesn’t manage Associations Now‘s social accounts, so her comments are fascinating for us, too!)

Less Than Meets the Eye

So often we avoid change or don’t move on an innovation because it feels too risky. http://t.co/BAEerTRXRa  (opens in a new tab) #AssnChat  (opens in a new tab) #ASAE  (opens in a new tab) #CSAE  (opens in a new tab)

— Amanda Lea Kaiser (@AmandaLeaKaiser) October 8, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

If you’ve ever eaten a big plate of food and afterwards were surprised that you managed to finish the whole thing, you’ll understand this: Sometimes a challenge looks a lot bigger than it is.

The same thing is true with innovation: Sometimes a change feels massive to you, but to the rest of the world, it seems relatively small. On her blog, Smooth the Path  (opens in a new tab), Amanda Kaiser notes how prominent podcaster Jonathan Fields decided to drop the video portion of his product, going to audio-only. Kaiser explains that his audience really latched onto his podcast, finding the video element less appealing. But it felt like a big change to him.

“For most of the crazy changes you make at your organization, in your career, and in your life, your change or your innovation will seem far more risky to you than it does to others,” she writes. “Others are not as close to the change as you are. Others may want this change. Others may not even perceive a change.”

So embrace change—it may be a lot smaller than it seems. (ht @SmoothThePath  (opens in a new tab))

Stuff Worth Reading

Thanks to the recent release of iOS 8, most modern mobile operating systems now have predictive keyboards. LifeHacker suggests ways  (opens in a new tab) to make yours work better for you.

Trying to generate good word-of-mouth? Spark Consulting’s Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE, explains the elements  (opens in a new tab) that drive that ever-elusive marketing tool.

The trickle-down effect of nonprofits: Blogger Colleen Dilenschneider says nonprofits play a lead role in industry innovation  (opens in a new tab).

(iSURFACE/ThinkStock)