Many of us have written something on a social media network that we end up regretting later. This is bad enough when we do it on our personal accounts, but it is even worse when we're using a professional account. These are the kinds of mistakes that association executives must be careful to avoid when expanding their organization's social media reach.

News organizations have faced the problem of separating professional and personal social media accounts since these accounts first came into existence. Reporters are often encouraged to use their Facebook and Twitter accounts to promote stories, reach out to sources and interact with readers. Many connect with fellow reporters as a way of fostering additional back-and-forth dialog. However, there is always a chance that a reporter will accidentally post something personal to a professional account, hurting his or her organization's integrity in the process.

NPR Standards and Practices Supervising Editor Mark Memmott went so far as to write in a recent memo that even posts to personal social media can reflect poorly on an organization.

"In reality, Twitter and other social media sites allow us to show more of our personalities than we might on the air or in a blog post," he wrote. "But, though the words may be on 'personal' Twitter or Facebook accounts, what we say can reflect on NPR and raise questions about our ability to be objective."

Association executives must keep this in mind when they post on their own social media accounts. Their names will likely be tied to their organizations, and the wrong post at the wrong time can have consequences. Social media can bring many benefits to an association, but there are risks that must be kept in mind.

There is a difference between an association using social media and using it well. It seems that many association executives are only doing the former. 

According to a recent report by the Kellen Company, four out of 10 associations are not aware of whether their social media efforts are actually helping them meet their goals. Though these organizations were, by and large, enthusiastic about using social media, they did not appear to be sure about how it might be solving problems.

"Some expressed a 'ready, fire, aim' approach, which they acknowledge does not make sense but said they were pressed into creating a social media presence for the organization—just for the sake of doing so," the report read.

Social media can clearly benefit an association by improving its messaging efforts and helping it collect followers, but only if the organization takes the time to make it work and develops a coherent strategy. As the report found, each association has a different way of doing this. 

The majority of those surveyed said that they spent less than 10 hours per week managing social media, and only 20 percent have a member of their staff dedicated to this task. Instead, many associations rely on a communications manager to handle the job, even though such a person may have other things to do as well.

It is common, however, for associations to pay close attention to the impact that their social media efforts are having—even if they are limited to a Facebook presence. Many are counting the number of followers they have and responses they receive on posts. As the study makes clear, associations are getting the hang of social media—some just have a long way to go before they master it.

The late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once remarked that, "a lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show them." Jobs was referring to computer design, of course, but his point can be applied to a number of different areas. Association executives should keep this in mind when engaging in member management.

A recent article on Associations Now posits a similar question to the one that Jobs must have been asking himself. What if association members do not know what they want out of their membership? Even if association executives ask them, they may not always get accurate answers. After all, as the news source points out, the job of developing member benefits does not lie with them, but with association leadership.

The best strategy, then is not to simply ask what members need. Rather, organization leaders should hold conversations with members about their lives and the problems they face. Through these discussions, leaders can develop benefits that meet needs that the members may not have thought of.

For example, the news source cites Oren Teicher, CEO of the American Booksellers Association. Teicher takes the time to spend a few days each year working in one of the bookstores that is part of the association. In this way, he makes sure that he can see first hand the issues that staff members are actually facing—not just the problems that they report.

In short, leaders must be involved in the day-to-day workings of their members. This way, they can deliver benefits that make the membership worthwhile.

When it comes to association management, careful cultivation of your organization's brand is vital. Branding isn't just for soft drinks and celebrities: it also affects how potential new members and donors come to understand exactly what it is that you're about. 

It is about much more than a logo or a mission statement, though both of those tools can be helpful ambassadors for the unfamiliar. What is ultimately vital to get accurate is the underlying message. What is important to your organization? What are your values? How do you curate your goals, and what are your plans to reach them? 

One powerful way of signaling the answers to those questions is via accurate storytelling. It is simple to tell somebody what is important to you — it is much more difficult to get them to  understand and believe in it. By creating a story that captures their attention, you increase your chances of fostering a connection. 

The process doesn't happen in a vacuum. Members can and should provide insight as to what they wish the world to know about their association. In fact, often their personal experience will make for a compelling story: it is in the smallest details that people find the most profound connections. 

Writing for Nonprofit Quarterly, Carlo Cuesta explores this process. 

"Through storytelling, when effectively guided, both internal and external publics can be given the opportunity to contribute to the creation of a meaningful narrative," he explains. "A stronger bond is formed when our participants, donors, and community members, along with staff and volunteers, see themselves less as stakeholders and more as story shapers."

Because people are so heavily influenced by particular stories, it's important to consider yours when identifying your association's brand.