Connecting with members using social media, Part 1: Looking back

By Ashley Boyden (ashleyboyden@sharpideas.com or @ashleyboyden)

In January 2009, I was appointed PRSA Colorado social media chair to work with Elaine Ellis and Metzger Associates (PRSA’s former online editor) to build the chapter’s social media program from the ground up. For me, it was an excellent opportunity to get hands-on experience managing a social media program and gain skills that I could later apply to my work for Cactus and our clients.

Last February, Elaine and I rolled up our sleeves to develop a plan for meeting PRSA Colorado’s goals via social media. PRSA Colorado’s goals were to 1) provide relevant chapter information to members, 2) help members become savvy about social media and its uses, and 3) increase awareness among members and non-members in the Denver Metro Area.

Together, we created a comprehensive social media platform across Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn and Twitter, as well as built our own blog to replace the old Newsline e-newsletter. We formed a social media committee to contribute ideas and generate content for the networks. Then, we reached out to PRSA board members, other committee chairs and chapter members to engage them in meaningful conversations via the social networks.

While measuring the ROI of social media programs can still be elusive, to measure success of PRSA’s social media program in its first year, we outlined measurable objectives based on analytics and engagement. By year-end, we achieved the #2 Google ranking in search results for “PRSA blog,” 10 percent of PRSA Colorado’s Web site traffic came from Twitter, and we exceeded nearly all of our analytical objectives.

We measured engagement by things like replies, re-Tweets, comments, discussion topics and user generated content. We had an astounding 20 percent of our Chapter’s membership contribute blog posts, including one from nearly every board member and committee chair.

In 2010, our chapter has a new team of social media pros to lead the charge. My advice for keeping up last year’s momentum? Build your committee with people who are enthusiastic to LEARN more about social media and empower committee members to be your content generators, especially for the Newsline blog. And, if you want to increase readership and reader engagement, don’t be afraid of controversy or being a thought leader.

Read Part 2: Looking forward.