Online Social Networks are the hottest tool used by professional associations to connect their members to each other and to connect the association with members in a fashion far more personal than ever possible before. Social Media Marketing is the newest approach to spreading the brand and the association’s message both to potential members and the public at large.
A review of the various listings under a given association’s brand related social network groups find that most are managed by active association members, while far fewer are managed by the association itself. Similarly, fewer than half provide coordinated, member oriented services consistent with the core values and brand identity of the association.
Making Associations
Associations seeking success in the online social networking / social media marketing arena must develop an overall plan consistent with the association’s comprehensive public relations, marketing and advertising plans. This overall online social networking / social media marketing plan should include an overarching “All-Chapter” online social networking / social media marketing plan for all association chapters and subordinate plans for each individual chapter based on the individual chapter’s needs.
Such an approach would include:
- A master Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing plan for the association as a whole
- Overall plan for Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing/ to guide all association activities and chapter activities in the Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing space
- An “All-Chapter” Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing plan to guide all chapter’s
- Framework for Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing to guide all association chapters and chapter activities in the Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing space
- Individual chapter specific Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing plans
- Goal specific plans for Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing for each chapter’s efforts in the Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing space
- A Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing brand protection plan
- A plan for unifying all association and association related brand activities in the Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing space whether or not originated by the association or an association member
- Form a Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing interest group within the association
Meet S.A.M.
This approach is used to develop plans not only for professional association, but for hospitals and communities. When applied to Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing the approach is divided into three portions known as S.A.M. which reduces the work required of any one individual. The process includes:
- Strategic Planning
- Management of the Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing plan including brand placement
- Oversight of the mechanics for implementation of individual social networking efforts
- Authorship
- Creation of content for use on multiple Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing venues
- Mechanics
- Placement of content on Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing websites
- Editing and parsing content for placement on micro-blogs, twitter and interlinked Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing websites
Putting S.A.M. to Work
In practice, the S.A.M. process begins with strategic planning to determine what markets represent the most viable for the association and its members. Once these markets and online networking sites are identified, a detailed plan for participating on the various networks is formulated. This plan is re-evaluated monthly and refocused to maximize recruitment of new contacts as well as profile and website visitors.
Once a plan is in place, association members author articles and other content items for distribution through the planned social media outlets. This is the sum total of the member’s time commitment. The association answers specific replies from social network members. With this minimal time commitment, the association and its members establish rapport with other association members, build communications with industry customers and relationships with the entire market.
With the plan in place and the content authored, the daily mechanics of posting material to the networks and parsing compositions into microblogs is accomplished by the associations and the individual chapters under the oversight of the strategic planner. Because the content is not only in the voice of the members, but is the actual creation of the members, the relationships created are fostered even without further investment of time or effort.
As part of this process, the association and its trade journal chronicles the process of creating such a comprehensive approach to Online Social Networking / Social Media Marketing. This chronicle is an invaluable resource for association members and a revenue-generating product for the association when fully completed.
Online social networking and social media marketing are an amazingly cost effect means of spreading the brand message and building both member rapport and loyalty for a professional association. The use of the S.A.M. process increases the return on investment for this new form of info-communications.
Griffin Works offers Pawsitive Interactions with Service Dogs During Response Operations©, an audience-customized training that breaks down barriers by offering hands-on handling training and demonstrations with working service dogs for fire departments, EMS agencies, and public safety organizations.
Part of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium and home to the National Emergency Response and Recovery Training Center, TEEX has been leading homeland security training since 1998. The major TEEX programs include fire and rescue, infrastructure and safety, law enforcement, economic and workforce development, and homeland security. As a member of The Texas A&M University System, TEEX is unique in its ability to access a broad range of emerging research and technical expertise. Beginning with course design and development all the way through hands-on instruction and national certification testing, TEEX delivers comprehensive training through both classroom and hands-on instruction and as online courses.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) was created by Congress in 2000 as part of the Children’s Health Act to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for children and families who experience or witness traumatic events. This unique network of child-serving professionals, caregivers and young adults, researchers, and national partners is committed to changing the course of children’s lives by improving their care and moving scientific gains quickly into practice across the U.S. The NCTSN is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and coordinated by the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS).
The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The EMI provides national leadership in developing and delivering training to ensure that individuals and groups having key emergency management responsibilities possess the requisite skills to effectively perform their jobs.
The High Alert Institute maintains a list of reviewed courses provided by governments, universities and professional organizations. This list is geared towards the non-emergency management person who participates in disaster planning, preparedness, response, recovery or mitigation as part of their job responsibilities.
The High Alert Institute has partnered with Shutterstock to distribute stock images from the nature images donated by our supporters. For eligible stock images, Shutterstock will donate a portion of the royalty to the High Alert Institute. There is no cost to charitable organizations or to Shutterstock customers.
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Koi need forever homes, too! For pond enthusiasts, freshwater exotic and ornamental fish may not be available through pet stores or rescues in their area. The High Alert Institute Aquatic Pet Shelter Rehoming Program will be happy to assist you in stocking your new pond or adding a new finned friend to your school. Coming soon – when you adopt a Koi from the High Alert Institute Aquatic Pet Shelter Rehoming Program, we can arrange for delivery to your door anywhere in the continental United States.
Have you always wanted a Koi pond but don’t have the space one? Sponsor a Koi in our community shelter pond and we send you photos of your sponsored animal. Coming soon are live Koi Cameras above and below the water to enjoy your sponsored Koi anytime.
Dumping of freshwater non-native species and exotic aquatic pets into wild habitats is a man-made disaster that is truly preventable. The Institute’s Aquatic Pet Welfare Partnership works to raise awareness and reduce the impact on healthy ecosystems through education, as well as rescue and rehoming. Joined by champions of animal welfare and environmental stewardship, this association of aquatic pet rescue operations and aquatic pet shelters across the United States aims to save our finned friends and preserve our waterways together.
Want to share our cause with family, friends, and colleagues? Looking for a non-traditional way to celebrate a birthday or honor someone special? Support the Institute by starting your own Peer-to-Peer fundraising challenge! Let your contacts know why our mission is important to you and what they can do to support your cause. START YOUR OWN FUNDRAISER for the High Alert Institute.
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Make your donation twice as nice by rehoming aquatic pets and providing a rehabilitation companion pet to a deserving person, family, or facility. Sponsor part or all of a Joy of Koi Program pond installation – complete with rehomed koi – and give the gifts of love and recovery.
Professional photographers, amateurs, and legal copywrite holders are all welcome to participate in the High Alert Institute Nature Photo Donation Program. Sales of the images benefit the Institute and donors are eligible for tax deductions equivalent to the fair market value of their photos. Landscapes, seascapes, animals, flowers – all may be accepted – whether new or vintage images. People may be included in the photo but only if unidentifiable (i.e., blurred figures at a distance).
Did you know that unused patents and copyrights can be donated to charity? Intellectual Property (IP) just sitting on a shelf will lose value as it becomes obsolete. The High Alert Institute IP Donation Program seeks to rescue stranded, technology-related IP with the potential for development into marketable products. Once accepted by the program, the owner/inventor is eligible for a tax deduction equivalent to the fair market value of the IP. The Institute receives the patent licensing fees or revenue from the sale of the IP to businesses, helping us to fund our mission. In turn, businesses are able to advance their markets and create jobs for less money than starting a project from scratch.
Disasters are defined as situations in which needs exceed or overwhelm available resources. Some disasters affect an entire community, while other disasters impact individuals and families. Crises of physical or psychological health can be very personal disasters.
The therapeutic value of pets during illness, trauma, and recovery is well established. And Koi fish may be well suited for people who are not able to provide verbal pet commands or physically care for pets like dogs and cats. Koi ponds are also a source of beauty and peace, providing an ideal setting for quiet reflection or meditation.
We are working to partner with pond installers and aquatic pet rescues/shelters to offer free or reduced-cost ponds with rehomed Koi fish to people seeking this type of pet therapy.
Disasters disrupt life and impact our sense of personal, family, and community safety. Survivors and responders alike often are not aware of the emotional, psychological or spiritual challenges that they may face from disaster onset through recovery. With two decades of experience training responders and communities to prepare for the behavioral health aspects of disasters, we will continue to provide education and a curated list of resources to groups or individuals.
Non-medical factors that impact overall health are termed Social Determinants of Health or SDoH. Noise pollution, poor air quality, and poor water quality are three environmental factors known to have a strong link to overall health. And the same environmental factors that impact humans impact their pets and other animals in their care. We continue to assist in advocacy, education, and technology development to mitigate the impact of SDoH on humans and animals alike.
Our efforts in shelter and rescue are the main focus of our environmental stewardship, reducing the environmental impact of non-native aquatic animals being dumped into public waterways. The High Alert Institute also assists innovators with the design, development, and evaluation of green and renewable energy technologies. Reducing the carbon footprint associated with disaster preparedness, response, and recovery furthers our continued mission to mitigate risk and improve resilience.
We partner with public and private organizations, sharing resources and fostering partnerships to improve disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, and mitigation.
The High Alert Institute team has over a century of combined research experience in medical, nursing, behavioral health, and disaster sciences. Our team provides support to researchers and technology developers through comprehensive literature searches and reviews, as well as failure mode database searches and adjudicated reviews.
When disaster strikes, most aquatic pet owners have limited options to secure the safety of their pets. Sheltering in place may not be possible if there is no power to provide aeration and “pet-friendly” shelters do not include ponds or aquariums. Our goal is to provide an option for aquatic pet owners in need of rescue and shelter for their finned friends.
Our goal is to share our two decades of disaster readiness experience with animal welfare organizations, shelters, caretakers, and pet owners, as they implement contingency plans for natural and manmade disasters.
