This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
[ Focus: Social media] Social media: how the ECA is connected


Nadia Cook, the ECA’s online communications manager, gives an overview of the association’s social media strategy – and what it offers members


Over the past year, the ECA has become actively involved with social media channels. The main channels used are Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and, more recently, Facebook: ECALive: www.eca.co.uk/connect Twitter: @ECALive www.twitter.com/ ECALive Facebook: www.facebook.com/ECALive YouTube: www.youtube.com/ECALive LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ electrical-contractors’-association-eca- As a membership organisation, we are very lucky to have direct contact with our members


on a regular basis. But times change, and our members are increasingly time-poor, so we’ve recognised the need to communicate with everyone – where possible – on the go. Social media enables us to do this. It also helps us to promote our members to clients and specifiers and to highlight the work we do, for and on behalf of our members. We’ve found that Twitter has been our fastest growing and most successful channel. We regularly post association updates, safety advice and technical information. We also proactively support and engage with key industry bodies with a Twitter presence. This is, perhaps, where the real value of Twitter lies; by joining conversations, retweeting and answering queries, we can both share ‘real time’ information with our followers and raise the profile of the ECA. Using an application like Hootsuite, helps us keep track of hot topics, and we can monitor whenever someone mentions the ECA.


Facebook has also given us new ways of engaging with contractors, many of whom are not ECA members. We’ve found that uploading photos from our ‘Wired for Success’ campaign, the ECA Electrical Industry Conference and regional events (and encouraging those that ‘like’ our page to upload their own photos) helps generate a sense of community, albeit a virtual one. This complements the personal advice and support we give to members via our helplines and through the regions. We’re beginning to explore opportunities to integrate social media with our other communication channels – for example, ECA Today and our weekly e-newsletter, the Source. We’re also very aware of how important smartphones are to the way people read and engage with information on the internet. The number of organisations and individuals using social media will only increase, and for the ECA it has become a key part of our overall marketing strategy.


01792 818 538 - sales@lowcostvans.co.uk WWW. LOWCOS T V ANS . CO.UK


Free UK Mainland Delivery Over 4000 Vehicles Available


QUATATION TERMS: FINANCE LEASE (48 MONTHS 20K) OR CONTRACT HIRE (48 MONTHS 20K). ALL OTHER TERMS AVAILABLE. ALL PRICES ARE FOR BUSINESS USERS & EXCLUDE VAT. PRICE FOR NON-BUSINESS USERS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST


62


ECA Today July 2012


From only £149


pcm


From only £268


pcm


From only £209


pcm


From only £229


pcm


Renault Trafic/Vauxhall Vivaro SWB Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Partner


Renault Trafic/Vauxhall Vivaro Crew Van Citroen Relay/Peugeot Boxer L3H2


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72