Social Media

Successful businesses have productive relationships, and with social media you have several new channels for creating and nurturing your relationships with clients and prospects. What you've heard about the reach and adoption speed of Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media may have been exaggerated, but not by much. They are indeed handy and powerful tools you can use to extend your branding, selling and public relations efforts, and their full potential has not yet been realized. Improved communication awaits. All you need do is take a little time to learn a few simple concepts to ensure high quality results for your chamber.

Getting Started with Social Media

• The Social Media Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Social Media - This guide from Associations Universe provides a grounding in fundamentals, tactics, and shares inspirational case studies from across the not-for-profit sector.
• How to Cook Up a Best-Selling Social Media Strategy - Ideas in Action from the SmartBlog on Social Media: The content is the key ingredient in your social media marketing recipe, described as Promotional, Informational and Entertaining (P.I.E.). (4/21/2016)
• 4 Project Management Tips to Execute Social Media Strategies - article by Hicks Crawford of Social Media Today (9/12/2015)
• Beginner's Guide to Social Media - from Moz
• Beginner's Guide to Social Media Metrics - from UberVU and HootSuite
• Chamber-Specific Social Media Checklist - by Frank J. Kenny
• The Complete Social Media Cheatsheet - from Votility
• Designing a Marketing Email that Works - from Constant Contact (2015)
• Facebook for Chambers: The Beginner's Guide by Jeff Kline on Accrinet
• Getting Started with Social Media: A Resource Guide - from Social Media Examiner, a free online magazine ranked by Technorati and AdAge as one of the world’s Top 100 business blogs
• IBM PartnerWorld: Getting Started with Social Media - from IBM, a deep and well-executed site on how and why to get started in social media
• Measuring the Influence of Your Nonprofit’s Network - article by Steve Boland of Nonprofit Quarterly addresses tools to measure effectiveness of social media (7/28/2015)
• Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram for Chambers by Jeff Kline on Accrinet
• Social Media Guide: Getting Started With Social Media Strategy - A short guide for getting results from social media quickly from Social Media Today.
• Social Media Marketing Strategy 20 Point Checklist for Chambers of Commerce - A 20 point checklist you can use to get started, improve or assess your social media marketing program by Barbara Rozgonyi of Wired PR Works.
• Social Media Policy Guide - Tips, best practices, and a step-by-step guide to writing your chamber's social media policy. From Weblink.

View a list of Ways to Use Social Media at your chamber.

Award-Winning Chamber Examples

• Williamson, Inc. (Tenn.) - 2017 ACE Grand Award
• Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce (Va.) - 2015 ACE Award of Excellence
• Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce (Iowa) - 2015 ACE Award of Excellence
• Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce's (Texas) Social Media Strategy - 2014 ACE Award of Excellence
• See OnlineMBA's ranking of Top 100 Social Media Friendly Chambers Of Commerce

View all ACE Award-Winning Social Media Samples

Samples

• Chamber BBQ TV - Amarillo Chamber of Commerce's (Texas) YouTube video promoting BBQ event
• Sample Position Description for Social Media Intern - Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce (Wis.)
• Social Media Marketing Plan - Grapevine Chamber of Commerce (Texas)

See all Social Media examples from ACCE's Samples Library

Samples and Resources for Social Media Policies

An effective social media policy provides clear guidelines on what staff should do when posting and interacting with others.

• Creating a Social Media Policy for Nonprofits - TechSoup
• Your Social Media Policy, the FTC and the DOL - Venable, Advertising Law - By Douglas B. Mishkin and Po Yi (10/27/2015), Venable, LLP
• Thumbs Down: The Facebook "Like" Case and its Implications for Nonprofit Employers - Venable LLP
• Social Media Policy - Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry (Pa.)
• Social Media Policy - Greater Killeen Chamber (Texas)
• Technology Policy - Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce (N.C.), includes social media guidelines

See more Social Media Policies from ACCE's Samples Library

White Papers

• 25 Noteworthy Nonprofit Text Messaging Campaigns of 2014 - A white paper from The NonProfit Times that highlights some of the amazing things nonprofits are doing with SMS in their local communities, from influencing major legislation to organizing events to helping people find their polling place.
• Essential Guide to Social Media for Nonprofits - A 28-page paper from Salsa Labs that provides practical tips about choosing the right tactics to achieve both your social media goals and your organization's mission. (2014)
• Five Leaps of Faith for Chambers - A white paper by Frank J. Kenny that provides guidance on how to remain relevant in the digital age. (2014)
• White Paper on Social Media - 15 pages of concise definitions, explanations and lots of links to other sources, from ACCE. (2011)

Articles & Blog Posts

• Social Media Helps Members #SeizeDesMoines, by Kyle Oppenhuizen, Chamber Executive magazine (Fall 2016)
• Timing is Everything! How, What and When to Post on Social Media - InLoop
• Blogs that Work...and Spread - Associations News Feed (May 17, 2016)
• Email Marketing Trends: Are You Doing Enough With Your Data? - By Ernie Smith, Associations Now (February 16, 2016)
• What Makes a Marketing Email Go Viral? - By Katie Bascuas, Associations Now (August 27, 2015) focuses on a new study that highlights the elements of viral marketing emails.
• Running Your First Social Media Campaign? Use This Checklist - by Sumari MacLeod, Hootsuite (July 22, 2015)
• Top 5 Tips on Facebook Marketing - by John Haydon, Wild Apricot blog (July 2015) - Learn about the most useful Facebook Insights reports and how to use them.
• The Power of Email: Improving Membership Retention - Article by Meghan Turner, Associations Now (June 2, 2015)
• Politics, Chamber Work and Social Media, by Mike Schlossberg, Chamber Executive magazine (Winter 2015)
• 10 Ways LinkedIn is Valuable to Chambers and Businesses, blog post by Adrienne Olson, FrankJKenny.com
• Instant Social Media Engagement: Frustrated With Social Media Posts Not Being Seen?, by Michelle West, Chamber Speak (October 31, 2014)
• 10 Essential Social Media Tools - by Olsy Sorokina, on Hootsuite.com (September 2014)
• Is Your Chamber Social Media Friendly?, blog post by Tania Kohut, ACCE (May 31, 2013)
• There's Nothing Like a Good Tweet, by Natalie Haskins English, Chamber Executive magazine (Spring 2010)
• Social Media Leaps - Let's Get Started, Together!, by Steve Millard, Chamber Executive magazine (Winter 2009/2010)
• Legal Matters: New Social Networking Options Present Opportunities, Risks for Chambers, by George E. Constantine, III, Esq., Chamber Executive magazine (Fall 2009)
• Social Media For Chamber Advocacy - The Twitterview, by Ian Scott, Chamber Executive magazine (Summer 2009)
• Get Social: Social Media as "Power Tools", by Steve Millard, Chamber Executive magazine (Summer 2009)
• Ideas for Chamber Social Media Posts - blog post by Christina Green, FrankJKenny.com
• Increase Online Engagement with One Simple Tactic - blog post by Frank J. Kenny
• Social Media Marketing For Your Chamber of Commerce - blog post by Frank J. Kenny

Research & QuickPolls

• Communications and Marketing Metrics - See metrics results from 160 participants (April 2014)

Convention & Seminar Resources

• 2016 Convention: Communications and Marketing Track Pack (5 sessions) from the 2016 ACCE Annual Convention, available for purchase through the ACCE Store.
• Social Media for Events - Presentation by Tiffany Tauscheck, CDME, Chief Communications Officer, Greater Des Moines Partnership (Iowa). From the 2016 ACCE Annual Convention.
• Social Media Must-Have Mobile Apps
• MarCom Metrics - Presentation handout from Nick Mattar, Director of Marketing, Detroit Regional Chamber (Mich.), from the 2016 ACCE Annual Convention.
• Using Social Media to Gain New Members - PowerPoint presentation by Mike Schlossberg, Pennsylvania State Representative and former VP at Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce (Pa.), 2014.
• Marketing & Messaging Track Pack (4 Sessions) from the 2013 ACCE Annual Convention, available for purchase through the ACCE Store.
• Communication Technology Trends for Chambers - by Caitlin Kaluza, Schipul-The Web Marketing Company (PowerPoint/Handout from session at 2013 ACCE Convention)
• Growing Memberships and Non-Dues Revenue - by Jeff Kline, Founder, CEO & President, Accrinet Corporation and covers Internet Marketing and Social Media. (PowerPoint/Handout from session at 2013 ACCE Convention)

Videos, Webinars & ACCE U Resources

• Attract New Members with Content Marketing - Webinar with Frank J. Kenny, Hosted by ChamberMaster and MemberZone (2015)
• Best Practices in Social Media - ACCE Roundtable Discussion (May 19, 2015)
• Modern Chamber Marketing: How to Successfully Build a Digital Community - Webinar featuring Frank Kenny (2014)
• Now What? What You and Your Chamber Need to Know About Social Media - ACCE University Webinar (free) and presentation slides (2015)
• Social Media Marketing for Political Advocacy - ACCE University Webinar (free) (2012)
• Social Media Strategies, Tactics, and Tasks - Webinar with Frank J. Kenny (2014)

e-Books

• Event Marketing 2.0: How to Boost Attendance Through Social Media - Free e-Book from Crowd Compass by Cvent will help you gain an understanding of the social media landscape, identify where your target audience interacts online, assist you in developing a social media strategy relevant to your event, and give you practical advice on how to get started in social media for event marketing.
• Social Media Power Plays for Events - Free e-Book from Crowd Compass by Cvent focuses on enhancing attendee experience, increasing engagement and building event loyalty.

Social Media Resources from WebLink

• An Association’s Guide to Facebook: 20 Power Tips to Engage & Grow Your Facebook Fans - This guide provides 20 tips on how to supercharge your Facebook page, create a great visitor experience, increase page interaction and engagement, and grow your overall reach.
• Daily Social Media Task-List - This free, interactive task-list offers a managable list of daily to-dos to ensure you are engaging and communicating with members, prospects and industry influencers.
• Social Media Editorial Calendar - A free resource designed to help you strategize, plan and meet deadlines for social media posting - from WebLink. (Note to Firefox users: This document (in xlsx format) will not instantly download. You will need to install Mozilla's Docs Online Viewer Add-On, or use an alternate browser like Internet Explorer or Chrome.)
• Social Media SLAM: How to Increase Your Engagement - This guide from WebLink International walks you through the four elements that you should to consider to successfully execute your social media strategy. You'll find the best practices, tools and guidance you need to better understand your audience, grow your followers, increase engagement and more.

More Web Resources & Tools

• 2016 Chamber Social Media Report: Time to Monetize Your Social Media! - from Frank J. Kenny
• Best (and Worst) Times to Post on Social Media - Infographic from Fast Company
• Cyberspace: Top Legal Traps for Associations - Presentation from Venable LLP
• New Guidance for Nonprofits Regarding Social Media Policies and Punishment - from Venable LLP
• Nonprofits Beware: Your Employees' Blogs, Facebook Posts, and Twitter Tweets May Be Protected by the National Labor Relations Act - from Venable LLP
• Social Media Governance - A database of 176 social media policies from businesses, government entities and non-profits
• Social Media Toolkit - from Hootsuite
• Guide to Scaling Social Media: How to Unify Your Social Media Strategy Across the Organization
• Organize Your Social Business: How to Integrate Social Media Enterprise-Wide
• The Path to Scaling Social Media Starts with Executive Buy-In
• The "Secret Sauce" to Creating an Engaging Online Community - from Perficient (2014).

Related Chamberpedia Pages

• Chamber Blogs
• Personnel Policies (including social media policies)
• Technology Management
• Ways to Use Social Media
• Websites

Chamberpedia Home | Communications and Marketing | Social Media

Last Updated: 8/8/2017