4 Social Media Updates to Heat Up Your Association’s Summer

Social media is one of the fastest changing industries out there. And the pace of new social media trends doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

‍According to SmartInsights, 57.6% of the world's population uses social media, with the average daily usage around 2 hours and 27 minutes. With that many users, it’s apparent social media has become a staple in most consumer’s lives. And with that, there needs to be change and growth within social media itself. And growth there is. It seems like there’s always a new social media trend for associations to keep up on. Your members and target audiences are on top of all social platform changes, so you want to be able to impress them with your trend-savvy techniques. Keeping tabs on all of the new social media trends can be hard. That’s why we’re here to make your life a little bit easier.

‍Let’s go over all of the social media updates and trends that are catching on fire this summer. Some you may know a lot about, some a little about, and some you may not even know existed!

1. IGTV

It’s the video sensation that’s sweeping everyone’s Instagram apps: IGTV.

‍A topic recently covered by Associations Now, IGTV seems to be on the brains of every association expert right now. But what exactly is it? Being called the new phenomenon of “mobile television”, IGTV comes hot on the heels of YouTube popularity by creating a video sharing feature within the already very popular photo sharing app. Videos can be as short as a few minutes, or as long as an hour. There’s plenty of room for variety in video sharing from your favorite Instagram content creators. Here’s a basic rundown of how IGTV works: IGTV is a separate app, available for download, that allows for vertical video sharing. Users can upload content directly to the app or on the web, giving it a flexible feel.

Much like traditional television, IGTV has “channels” to flip through. Users can find these channels once they follow an Instagram profile they enjoy. This way, you’re only getting content from Instagram accounts you choose- and one of those accounts could be your association’s!

‍If your association is already capitalizing on the video content market, IGTV should be music to your ears. If you already create video content for your members that you host on video platforms like YouTube and Vimeo, IGTV is an amazing platform to integrate your content onto. You can recycle video content onto IGTV for your members, or you can create IGTV exclusive content to make your association’s Instagram more appealing. Video content is hot, and IGTV is the trend needed to light a spark in your association’s video marketing strategy.

2. Customizable chatbots

If there’s one thing every association has in common, it’s that a satisfied member is an engaged member. So, you don’t want to keep your members waiting when they have an important question to be answered. And customizable chatbots are the newest trend that can keep your members’ questions answered. Chatbots have been on the rise for a while now, and there’s a reason why. For businesses getting an influx of questions to their social media accounts, email, and other inboxes, there needed to be a quick solution to getting answers. With a chatbot in place, businesses were able to keep up on messages and keep their consumers happy.

‍So, what makes customizable chatbots so different and so popular? It’s all in the name. Customizable chatbots allow your association to completely handcraft a bot that works best for members. You can ensure your chatbot will function at its best, providing contextually related answers to any question your members may have. They’re a time and money saver, in fact- they can even help you increase your association’s revenue.

‍Let’s take a look at a few chatbot software hosts that can get your association started customizing its own. One platform is ChatFuel. ChatFuel allows customers to easily program and customize a chatbot on a user-friendly interface that makes the entire process a breeze. It’s a program that is high-functioning- understanding user requests and even allowing for spelling errors from customers. It’s smart, easy, and can get the job done for your association.

Another tool you can look into is Botsify. Similar to other chatbot softwares, Botsify has an easy to use interface that allows for complete customization for your association. You can even customize your greeting message. Botsify integrates seamlessly with Wordpress, great for any association already using a Wordpress account. Customizable chatbots are a new social media trend that can make things more efficient for your association.

3. Personalized Twitter news

When your association has breaking news on a pressing issue or update, informing members is always the first step. But sometimes, getting ahold of your members immediately is easier said than done.

What gives? Twitter is doing its part to make sure your followers and members get only the most important news from who they follow directly to their phone. Still in an experimental phase, Twitter is working on a feature that allows personalized news and events directly to users’ phones through push notifications. The feature works based on Twitter accounts users follow, pulling similar interests to bring important updates to users.

How does it work? Much like other news notifications that send the latest news stories directly to phones, Twitter sends out a notification that comes through as breaking news for Twitter users. The feature is available to be turned on and off by the choice of users, giving them total control over whether they want news updates to your phone. This is a great option to keep your Twitter followers from getting overwhelmed by your association. The feature is set to come out within the following weeks. This means your Twitter followers have the possibility to get industry-related news directly to their phone, hopefully engaging them more with your association. Twitter news is bound to get your audience’s attention, even during the summer months.

4. Social “call-out” culture

Ever been wronged by a company? While we hope the answer is no, we know that many of us had have experiences as a consumer that have left us wanting more. This is where the aspect of social “call-out” culture comes in- a term that leaves a lot to the imagination. This is the phenomenon of consumers taking their concerns to social media, putting companies on blast for their mistakes or poor customer service.

Call-out culture has picked up wind in the past months, and it seems like everyone is trying to get a response on social  media for their issues. This can mean chaos and bad press for many organizations, including your association. But is there a way to turn a bad call-out into a good advertisement? Where there’s a will, there is a way. If your association can meet an upset customer on social media with a public solution, it could spell out success in the end. Rise to the occasion with “call-out” social media posts from members. Make it a point to reach out, apologize for what happened, and meet the situation with an appealing solution for everyone. You can offer discounts, comp prices, and even give out free offers. Make sure your members are taken care of! Don’t let social call-out culture bring down your association this summer.

Social media changes will come and go. Stay on top of them and turn up the heat on your association’s summer social media game.