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Using social media to gain new members

Using social media to gain new members. Mike Schlossberg Pennsylvania State Representative Former Vice President, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. Social Media is the original Chamber. Chambers of Commerce facilitated networking before any other opportunity existed.

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Using social media to gain new members

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  1. Using social media to gain new members Mike Schlossberg Pennsylvania State Representative Former Vice President, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce @MikeSchlossberg – #ACCE2014

  2. Social Media is the original Chamber... Chambers of Commerce facilitated networking before any other opportunity existed. That was the original selling point for Chambers of Commerce: it brought people together. That’s what social media does now. It brings people together and helps make connections when none existed. @MikeSchlossberg

  3. Social Media is the original Chamber... The fundamental truth on social media for a Chamber of Commerce, or any business, is this: @MikeSchlossberg

  4. If you can’t make money off social media, it’s not doing you any good. @MikeSchlossberg

  5. So, who is on social media? • Facebook • 1.28 billion members, 1.23 billion who use monthly, 757 who use daily. • However, younger users (<24 year olds) is dropping. • Twitter • About 1 billion accounts, 255 million monthly users. • Majority of use comes from a mobile device. @MikeSchlossberg

  6. So, who is on social media? • LinkedIn • 300 million users, 100 million of which are in the United States. • 120 million daily users. • Instagram • 200 million monthly active users. • 60 million photos uploaded daily. • Vine • 40 million total users, and rising. • Five vines are tweeted every second. @MikeSchlossberg

  7. Staffing Models – Two Models Social Media Manager: One person is in charge of all social media, including all aspects of content creation, all pages, member sales, retention, etc. Hub & Coordinator: One person coordinates but each staffer manages their own pages, does their own sales/communications, etc. Best fit? Likely in the middle of these. Above all else: HAVE A PLAN. @MikeSchlossberg

  8. Tracking in your CRM • Regardless of your model, track social media interactions and contact information in your CRM. • Set up custom fields for this and display social media in your member directory. • Great argument here for the “social media manager” model. • Manager can track all interactions. @MikeSchlossberg

  9. Prospect Hunting Social media presents a wealth of information about potential new members. From a sales perspective, how are you using this information? @MikeSchlossberg

  10. @MikeSchlossberg

  11. Build a dossier • Compile the key information on a business or prospect before you meet them. Examples of such info include: • Recent events, as told by recent posts. • Information on key decision makers (educational background, interests, etc). • Business size, other groups they belong to, etc. • All of this will enable you to hold a more productive meeting. • The information will help you better determine how you can serve that potential member’s needs. @MikeSchlossberg

  12. Remember: The reverse is true too! • As a potential new member is considering joining the Chamber, what do you think they are doing? Looking you up on the internet – and social media! • Always make sure you put your best foot forward: • Keep your social media platforms updated with fresh, interesting and relevant content. • Above all else, keep the content member-centric. @MikeSchlossberg

  13. Member-centric content Member of the Day: Start every day by posting about today’s “Member of the Day” – allow each member an opportunity to plug a sale, promotion or announcement. Retweet/sharing: Retweet or share interesting content from your Members, or allow your members to Email you/text you pics or Vines that you can upload directly to your profile. Guest blog entry: Allow a member to make a blog entry on a subject of their expertise on your blog. @MikeSchlossberg

  14. Member-centric content Welcome new members: As you get new members, welcome them on Twitter, or take a picture of their shop/staff and upload it. Job Openings: Post when your members are hiring. Members in the news: Post news stories that feature Chamber members – even if the story has nothing to do with your Chamber. @MikeSchlossberg

  15. Member-centric content • Post value-added content: You can’t just post about yourself. Post interesting articles that relate to subjects that businesses will find useful. • Business news. • Policy news. • Local news. • Social media information (instructional, how-to, etc). • Multi-media content: Make sure to post images, videos, links & questions. • Helps you break through Facebook’s algorithm. @MikeSchlossberg

  16. Sales-related content • It should be sparse; one out of every ten pieces of content, if that. • However, it’s foolish to avoid. • Testimonials: • Facebook/Google+/Blogging: Picture of member with text. • Twitter: Mention the business/person, a brief quote and link to a longer quote. • YouTube/Vine: Brief video with the member testifying about the benefits of Chamber membership. @MikeSchlossberg

  17. Sales-related content • Member benefits: This is great for existing & future members. • Stress the specific benefit: how much money the member can save/new business it can gain, etc. • Make sure to have a specific call to action: “Click here to learn more” @MikeSchlossberg

  18. Sales-related content • Screencast: www.screenr.com • Using just what is on your computer and a microphone, you can create a screencast – a Powerpoint, for example – on the benefits of membership. • You can also use this tool to show people how to use various member benefits, etc. • You can then record the screencast and put it on YouTube – and then to all of your social media. • Yes, this is free! @MikeSchlossberg

  19. Social Media Sales Funnel Formalize: Like, follow, connect, etc. Track: Add relevant information to your CRM. Engage: Comment on information they post, like their status, etc. Turn: At appropriate time, turn the conversation to a subtle sales pitch. Don’t be overt. Pitch: Have a real world conversation about the benefits of Chamber membership. Sometimes, this can occur exclusively online – other times, any of these steps will stop and become integrated into the real world. Do this for as many businesses as you have the capacity for! @MikeSchlossberg

  20. Social Media Ambassadors • Have ambassadors? Train them for social media use – or, even better, have an exclusive set of social media ambassadors! • Assign your ambassadors a group of members, give them their social media contact information, and have them connect and comment. • This can be for existing or future members. • Training is necessary: Offer your ambassadors free training in how to use social media, including technical and “cultural” aspects. • This is an added benefit to being an Ambassador and will surely be useful to them in the real world. @MikeSchlossberg

  21. In the future: Facebook & Twitter Buy buttons Facebook and Twitter are both testing “Buy Now” buttons. In the future – sell memberships, sponsorships, event tickets & more. @MikeSchlossberg

  22. Member Recruitment - Facebook • Like EVERY business: Even those that are future members. • Gives you insight into what these businesses do and what they are looking for. • Creates opportunity for interaction. • Events: Advertise your free/low cost events. • Use the invite function from your personal profile. • Fill out all relevant information and add pictures from previous events, if possible. @MikeSchlossberg

  23. Member Recruitment - Facebook • Facebook advertisements • Can offer on a Pay Per Click basis. • Can target based on demographics (age, gender, sexual orientation and keywords like “business owner” and “entrepreneur”) • NO extra cost associated with creating different ads based on targets (women/minorities, LGBT, young professionals). • Cost per click may differ. • Can create extremely targeted, hyper-relevant ad campaigns. @MikeSchlossberg

  24. Member Recruitment - Twitter Retweet relevant local content: Your goal is to appear useful and valuable; not just to make a sale. Follow and engage: Find every business owner possible and follow them. Engage as appropriate. Not just to make a sale – have a conversation. Think Dale Carnegie! @MikeSchlossberg

  25. Member Recruitment - Twitter • Appropriate hashtag use: Multiple studies show that tweets that use hashtags get more retweets and click-throughs. Use (appropriate) local hashtags. • Lists: Can create Twitter lists based on any subject that you want. • Lists can be public or private; as such, you can create a private, “future member” list. • Use these functions to organize prospects/members, and view these lists periodically. @MikeSchlossberg

  26. Member Recruitment - LinkedIn • Connect with anyone who wants, but actively seek connections with prospects. • Do not automatically move into a sale pitch! • Use the information in the contact’s profile to see if you can’t build a relationship later down the line. • Before actively using LinkedIn for sales, determine activity levels. • Many people have a profile because they’ve been told they have to have an activity level…and then never use it again. @MikeSchlossberg

  27. Member Recruitment - LinkedIn • Create a Chamber group and invite all Chamber members to join. • Keep an eye out for excessive self-promotional material and set guidelines – some people will spam your group all day! • Use “looked at your profile” to build connections. • Join local groups and make positive contributions. • Helps can your name – and the name of your Chamber – out there. @MikeSchlossberg

  28. ROI – Tracking Time and Money • ROI is notoriously difficult to measure in social media and sales. • Tracking sales made by social media alone isn’t enough. • Like any other marketing: People have seen your social media updates and been influenced to join your Chamber without even realizing it. @MikeSchlossberg

  29. Metrics to track Size of groups is important, but… …interactions is much more important. Track likes, mentions and conversations. Track conversations, in particularly, in your CRM. Staff perspective: Track time spent managing social media. @MikeSchlossberg

  30. Questions? @MikeSchlossberg

  31. Contact Mike Schlossberg michaelschlossberg@gmail.com @mikeschlossberg Facebook.com/mikeschlossberg Visit http://politicalfails.wordpress.com for more information, or if you want to talk further. BLATANT SELF-PROMO: Keep an eye out for my book, Tweets and Consequences: 60 Social Media Disasters in Politics and How You Can Avoid a Career-Ending Mistake, coming out in late August/early September. And please reach out if I can be helpful to you or your Chamber when it comes to social media! @MikeSchlossberg

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