The success rate of social media in engaging your association’s members is directly related to your participation in it. Like the building of any relationship, it takes time. And there’s the rub. Because you can’t be successful unless you give it time and dedicated resources, and you can’t give it time and dedicated resources because you’re concentrating on other things like renewals and memberships, which could be solved if you engaged your members more (on…social media). See? There’s the problem again. Luckily, you don’t need as much time as you think. If you know what you want to post, it’s a matter of a few keystrokes. You can accomplish that on the Metro in the morning or waiting on a meeting. But the time-consuming part is the ideas, so here are 25 to get you started. Remember these post ideas don’t take the place of conversation. First schedule posts so you have consistent content and then pop in for conversations when you have the time, even if it’s for only a few minutes. The 3 E’s of Social Media Every post you publish should be at least 1 of the 3 e’s of social media: Enticing, educational, entertaining. Enticing Sometimes, your audience needs to be pulled in with things that are just too god to ignore. Whether it’s a contest, give-a-way or a big announcement, reel your followers in. Educational People love to learn. You can share general educational info or educate about your members, your association, an event you’re having or anything else. Entertaining Finally, your post could be entertaining. After all, people love social media for the entertainment of it. Don’t be afraid to use humour, video, images, memes and more to keep your social posts entertaining. 25 social media post ideas for associations To accomplish this, you could Share something special about a member and ask people to follow him/her.Post a picture of your office at sunrise or sunset.Share a favorite hack, app, or site.Tweet a piece of random trivia from mentalfloss.com.Post a random fact about your association, its history, or the industry.Crowdsource what you should do, wear, eat, etc. It becomes a fun conversation starter but make sure you are the one to offer the initial ideas. You don’t want to be forced to eat crow for dinner because your members thought it would be funny. Ask “This or That.” Choose two and ask which people prefer, such as “Paris or London?”Share a picture of a cat or dog and the most common funny complaint about your industry or area of expertise. Post a call for guest bloggers.A. Choose a current event and tie it into your industry even if it’s a stretch. Your goal is a response. Example: will the legalization of marijuana effect the snack trade? B. Use something trending on social media and tie it in to your association. Remember that ridiculous dress?Post a picture of your latest event. Tag people where appropriate (and only on flattering pictures).Share a post asking people to caption a funny picture. Tease your readers where your next conference will be. Share something (or someone) you appreciate.Mention a new follower or share a new follower’s content. Congratulate a member for something professional or personal.Make a prediction.Share your social media profiles and ask people to connect.Make a business book recommendation.Ask your audience what song reminds them most of their job.Conduct a poll.Post an inspiring quote and/or image.Share a comic that resonates with associations.Post a picture of your staff hard at work or in a meeting.Share some old content with a new comment. Finally, no matter what other things you share on social media, always, always, always make the time to respond with people who engaged with you. Don’t put it off. It will slip your mind and though you may not remember that you didn’t get around to it, they certainly will.