Where is the best place to start for your next YMCA membership campaign? Twitter and Facebook. Use your social media platforms to your advantage. Not only should you push your campaign on your Facebook and Twitter pages (tweeting and posting about the offer, new classes available, child care programs etc.) but you should try setting aside a small budget to use towards ads on both Facebook and Twitter.
It can be difficult to get your followers to engage with your content on social media. Just because you are producing great content and your chest swells with pride when you read it, doesn't mean you've successfully caught your followers eyes and enticed them. When it comes to content, you want your followers to want to comment, "like", share or tell their friends without you telling them too. This can be done with not only exciting content but a different approach as well.
What is ySocial? ySocial is Thrive's Newest YMCA Solution. We understand that YMCAs are busy in their day to day routines, their main concern is their members and providing them with the best possible experience. Here at Thrive, we wanted to provide YMCAs with a variety of content choices to post on their Facebook pages.
Vine has really taken off in the social media world. With only 6 seconds of video to work with, brands are coming up with creative ways to use that time to get their messages out. Some are making them funny, some are informative and some are just meant for contests.
Has social media become the new media news source? Think about it. We see and look through thousands upon hundreds of thousands of statuses and tweets a day (depending on how
Traditional marketing just doesn't cut it anymore. Today's media is filled with Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, YouTube and the list goes on. Social media has become a playing field for witty comments, strategic ways to pull in customers without really "reeling them in" with salesy statuses, and promos etc.
We've seen so many well known companies fall short when it comes to handling a crisis. In order to maintain a calm sense of control in a crisis - there has to be a plan set in place. Every company, big or small, needs to have a plan if something goes wrong publicly. A Crisis Management Plan will become your manual to handling any issue - large or small. Here is a starting point: Survive the Unthinkable Through Crisis Planning.
Everyone is at risk of being hacked. There is no fool-proof way to prevent your accounts from being accessed by individuals who should not have your information. The best way to protect your account is to create a strategy and always be aware of the information that is sent out from those accounts. When it comes to social media - word spreads fast. If you are hacked, it is almost guaranteed that everyone will know about it, see the information that is posted and possibly respond to it before you can even halt the posting. This is an unfortunate occurrence but don't fret - you can fix this. As long as you move quickly and have a crisis management plan in place.
What is a crisis management plan? Every large organization or business should have one. [Check out our blog on crisis management plans and how to start one.]
First, establish a password that is not easily "guessed". Rather than using a common word or name, use a phrase. Maybe add in a number of punctuation to make it more unique. You could have several different types of hackers; what many would call 'professional hackers', disgruntled ex-employees or activist groups who may disagree with what you stand for and take action. Make sure you are prepared for any form of hacking.
When it comes to social media and contests - they BLOW UP. What do I mean by this? Log on to Facebook and search around for a little while. You are bound to find a few contests on some of your favorite brands' pages. The best way to get the news out about a contest online is to use social media. Facebook and Twitter are the main platforms to find contests on. With Twitter you can use a hashtag to track the submissions and Facebook you can use a specific page.
