Twitter Association Rock Stars: AARP
When you think of AARP, what comes to mind? Retired? Sorry, wrong. Most of their members are not retired, and they’re not a Boomer organization stuck in the past. AARP has one of the most savvy social media teams around.
Many associations treat Twitter like a broadcasting platform, so it’s refreshing to see organizations like AARP and CASLPA, featured in We’re on Twitter, Now What, sharing high-value tweets with personality.
A Twitter friend, Kelly Gull, led me to AARP: “By no means a small assn but follow @aarp for excellent tweeting and community involvement practices.” She’s right. Their tweets have an authentic and entertaining voice and their individual replies to followers are personal and thoughtful. They get it!
Tammy Gordon, Director or Social Communications & Strategy at AARP, is the ringleader of their “rag tag team of social media junkies.” Her team includes the blog’s managing editor and five people who manage social strategy for different portfolios that address AARP’s goals. Even though this channel management could be a nightmare, it’s actually well-coordinated since they work in the same room and use the same scheduling tool.
AARP has more than 200 social accounts including the main brand, 53 field offices and numerous staffers and volunteers. Staffers who use social media on behalf of AARP must complete Social Media 101 training from AARP’s Communications College.
The nationwide social team, including many who “just do social on the side of their ‘real’ job but are passionate or learning,” uses Yammer to communicate internally, crowdsource social solutions, share sample tweets and announce training opportunities.
A Stoplight is used in training to help staff understand what information they can and can’t share:
They also provide guidelines for personal social media use that are non-intrusive and helpful:
They even tweet on weekends. Tammy says, “There’s less competition for news feeds and often more people on social platforms on the weekend. So, we try to schedule a few posts and tweets that folks may have missed during the week.” They don’t assign after-hours or weekend Twitter duty but Tammy points out that, “Social done right isn’t a 9-5 job, though thanks to the tools available, it can be done during 9-5 and ‘appear’ to be 24/7.”
Many associations treat Twitter like a broadcasting platform, so it’s refreshing to see organizations like AARP and CASLPA, featured in We’re on Twitter, Now What, sharing high-value tweets with personality.
A Twitter friend, Kelly Gull, led me to AARP: “By no means a small assn but follow @aarp for excellent tweeting and community involvement practices.” She’s right. Their tweets have an authentic and entertaining voice and their individual replies to followers are personal and thoughtful. They get it!
Tammy Gordon, Director or Social Communications & Strategy at AARP, is the ringleader of their “rag tag team of social media junkies.” Her team includes the blog’s managing editor and five people who manage social strategy for different portfolios that address AARP’s goals. Even though this channel management could be a nightmare, it’s actually well-coordinated since they work in the same room and use the same scheduling tool.
AARP has more than 200 social accounts including the main brand, 53 field offices and numerous staffers and volunteers. Staffers who use social media on behalf of AARP must complete Social Media 101 training from AARP’s Communications College.
The nationwide social team, including many who “just do social on the side of their ‘real’ job but are passionate or learning,” uses Yammer to communicate internally, crowdsource social solutions, share sample tweets and announce training opportunities.
A Stoplight is used in training to help staff understand what information they can and can’t share:
- Green: Freely share without review.
- Yellow: Before sharing, first consult your media relations, legal or social media lead.
- Red: Don’t share or post without legal approval.
They also provide guidelines for personal social media use that are non-intrusive and helpful:
- Be smart and use good judgment by adhering to workplace guidelines and ethics policy.
- Respect copyrights and confidentiality.
- Be transparent.
- Be a responsible advocate.
- Be accurate.
- Be generous by sharing, connecting and providing links to interesting things going on.
- Share stories and best practices.
They even tweet on weekends. Tammy says, “There’s less competition for news feeds and often more people on social platforms on the weekend. So, we try to schedule a few posts and tweets that folks may have missed during the week.” They don’t assign after-hours or weekend Twitter duty but Tammy points out that, “Social done right isn’t a 9-5 job, though thanks to the tools available, it can be done during 9-5 and ‘appear’ to be 24/7.”
How do they decide what to tweet? Tammy says, “Pretty much any statistic, quote or communications channel is ripe for repurposing in your voice on social. Give people clear parameters about what they can do on social… then let em’ go!”
Tammy shared with me three Twitter tips for association staff:
- Establish social media guidelines based on personal responsibility for what you post.
- You have social rock stars among you. Voice and community etiquette are essential. Find your rock stars and enlist them to tweet for your organization. If you are starting from ground zero: follow Mashable; join your local Social Media Club; and don’t be afraid to ask your Twitter followers questions.
- Commit to the conversation. If you’re just going to tweet at people, don’t bother. You need to respond to your members, volunteers and advocates; cultivate relationships with thought leaders; and reach out to reporters and traditional media outlets on Twitter too.
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Deirdre Reid
Deirdre is a freelance writer, blogger and copywriter. The association community remains her professional home after spending ten years at national and state associations overseeing membership, vendor programs, marketing, publications, chapter relations and more. Away from her laptop, you can find her hiking, doing yoga, cooking new recipes, volunteering at the history museum, or relaxing in a comfy chair with a good book and glass of wine or craft beer.
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