Making Social Media More Practical at the 2024 LSAE Annual Convention
Updated: Aug 13
During the 2024 Louisiana Society of Association Executives Annual Convention in Lafayette, I had the opportunity to speak with association professionals about making social media more practical, consistent, and effective.
The convention brought association teams and industry partners together for professional development covering communication, leadership, artificial intelligence, social media strategy, and other issues affecting their organizations. It was held September 8–10, 2024, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Lafayette.
My session focused on three questions:
Why does social media matter, regardless of industry?
How can organizations stay consistent while keeping up with current best practices?
What makes short-form video more likely to capture and hold someone’s attention?
We ended the session by putting those ideas into practice with a live Reel-editing demonstration. Caroline’s original event notes identify these as the session’s three primary takeaways and confirm that she edited a Reel for the audience in real time.
Event at a Glance
Event: 2024 LSAE Annual Convention
Organization: Louisiana Society of Association Executives
Dates: September 8–10, 2024
Location: DoubleTree by Hilton Lafayette in Lafayette, Louisiana
Caroline’s role: Conference speaker
Topics: Social media strategy, consistent content and short-form video
Audience: Louisiana association professionals and industry partners
Why Social Media Matters in Every Industry
Social media is sometimes treated as something only consumer-facing or highly visual brands need to prioritize.
In reality, associations, professional organizations, nonprofits, and businesses across industries all have stories worth sharing.
Social media can help an organization:
educate members;
explain its work and impact;
promote programs and events;
recognize members and industry leaders;
attract new audiences;
strengthen existing relationships;
give the people behind the organization a visible voice.
The exact content may look different from one industry to another, but the goal is often the same: help the right people understand why the organization matters.
A highly technical association does not need to imitate a lifestyle brand. It needs to communicate useful information in a way its own audience can understand, remember, and act on.
Consistency Does Not Mean Posting Constantly
Another major part of the session focused on what consistency actually means.
Consistency is not publishing every day simply because someone online said you should. It means creating a realistic system that allows your organization to continue showing up with a clear message and recognizable voice.
That system might include:
identifying a few repeatable content themes;
planning around programs, events and member needs;
gathering photos and videos throughout the month;
assigning realistic responsibilities;
repurposing useful information across formats;
reviewing performance and adjusting the strategy over time.
A sustainable content plan will usually outperform an ambitious schedule that the team abandons after two stressful weeks.
The goal is not to keep a platform full at any cost. The goal is to consistently provide content that serves the organization and its audience.
Creating Short-Form Video That Holds Attention
Short-form video gives associations a way to make complex information feel more direct and personal.
It can be used to:
answer a common member question;
introduce a team or board member;
explain a program;
recap an event;
share a practical industry tip;
highlight a member success;
show what happens behind the scenes.
The most effective videos usually begin with a clear reason to keep watching. That could be a direct question, an unexpected statement, a recognizable problem, or a preview of what the viewer will learn.
The video should then deliver on that opening quickly.
Strong short-form content does not necessarily require an elaborate setup. Clear audio, intentional framing, readable text, and a focused message can take an organization much farther than expensive equipment without a clear story.
Editing a Reel in Real Time
To close the session, I edited a Reel live for the audience.
A live demonstration helps turn broad advice into something people can actually visualize. Instead of only talking about hooks, pacing, clips, text, and music, attendees were able to watch those pieces come together in real time.
The demonstration showed that editing a useful social video does not have to involve dozens of effects or hours of work.
It begins with a few decisions:
What is the video about?
Why should the audience care?
Which clips help tell the story?
What information needs to appear on screen?
What should the viewer do or understand at the end?
Once those questions are answered, the editing process becomes much more purposeful.
And yes, editing something live in front of a room adds a little pressure, but years of live television will prepare you for some very specific situations.
Three Takeaways for Association Social Media
1. Start with the audience’s needs
Before planning a post, consider what members, partners, or prospective members need to know.
Content becomes much easier to create when it begins with a real question, need, or point of confusion.
2. Build a system your team can maintain
Choose a manageable schedule, establish repeatable content themes, and decide who is responsible for gathering and publishing material.
A realistic plan is more valuable than an impressive plan that cannot be sustained.
3. Make expertise easier to consume
Your organization may already have valuable information. Social media helps package that expertise into formats people can understand quickly—including short videos, simple explanations, behind-the-scenes content, and direct answers to common questions.
Helping Organizations Show Up With Confidence
My goal at LSAE was to help association professionals see social media as a useful communication tool, not another complicated responsibility sitting at the bottom of an already long list.
Organizations do not need to follow every trend or create content for every platform.
They need to understand their audience, communicate with purpose, and develop a process that allows their expertise and people to be seen.
That is what makes social media feel less overwhelming and much more useful.
Bring This Session to Your Organization
Caroline Marcello offers presentations and workshops on social media strategy, content creation, short-form video, personal branding, digital storytelling, and communicating with confidence.
Sessions can be customized for associations, nonprofits, businesses, tourism organizations, conferences, leadership programs, schools, and teams at different levels of social media experience.
Caroline is based in Lafayette, Louisiana, and is available for speaking engagements and workshops throughout Louisiana, the Gulf South, and beyond.
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