How to Use Social Media Effectively During The Fall Months
BY: Michael Nguyen
DECA membership campaigns have been getting into high gear and chapters are beginning to fill up with members! Competitive, non-competitive, and alumni members are joining chapters and finding their niches in the DECA environment. And for many of us, this time means a last minute push to increase membership before the registration deadline. However, it's important that we remember the importance of social media for our DECA chapters. As a sophomore, I've had the privilege of being the VP of social media for Klein Oak DECA and I've seen how beneficial social media can be for a DECA chapter. Below are ways to utilize social media during the fall months.
1) Increase School Awareness!- Most likely, there's a good portion of your school that is not aware of DECA and/ or what it means to be a member of your chapter. Therefore, a social media page like Instagram and Twitter allows you to effectively spread awareness about your chapter to people who otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to the amazing-ness of DECA!
2) Humanize Your DECA chapter and Manage Social Media Involvement- In today's age, it's important to add a human element into your DECA chapter so that the content doesn't seem dull and lifeless. Also, there's a high (very high) likelihood that your chapter has been mentioned in a post and it's important that you respond accordingly when needed so that the right values and goals are associated with your chapter. An example outside of the DECA world would be the Twitter manager for Wendy's having been known to respond to and comment on the posts that Wendy's is tagged in (famously, the one where a man asks for a lifetime supply of chicken nuggets). Therefore, they are able to let people know that they are more than a fast food chain trying to take their money, but are willing to actually connect with them. Likewise, those lessons can be applied to convey the desired messages about your DECA chapter.
3) Stay Present in the Lives of Chapter Members- More often than not, the craziness of school means that much of us (and our fellow chapter members) are so preoccupied with other activities that we lose focus on DECA. However, social media channels like Snapchat and Instagram enable one to continuously contact with their chapter's members and to keep them engaged with the chapter and its activities. You can stay connected by posting consistently with entertaining and/or engaging content like pictures of the officer team working or thanking people for successful meetings and even including a fun gif :).
4) Promote Meetings and Functions- In addition to forgetting about DECA occasionally in the hustle and bustle of school, it's also not unheard of people to forget about meetings, competitions, etc. With systems like Remind and email chains, chapters can quickly remind members at different intervals before and during functions. For example, our chapter sends out remind text messages, emails, twitter posts, and Instagram posts that remind our members and prospective members of upcoming meetings, banquets, and competitions.
Bonus Benefit- People can easily Direct Message or contact you with questions! Therefore, they can easily communicate with knowledgeable individuals/ officers and not have to worry about finding the chapter sponsor and finding a mutually convenient time to ask their question.